
where the proportion of the population under 18 years in age comprises 54.6% of its total population. As one of the poorest countries in the world, its ever-growing youth population is a major problem. The reasons why Chad has so many youth citizens includes low levels of education for women, women’s lack of control over reproduction decisions, and a lack of access to effective family planning assistance. As a landlocked nation, Chad apparently has a life expectancy of only 51.18 years, with the employed there earning around a meager $1,621 a year. Let’s not forget that unemployment is also a major problem for the country that needs to be resolved so this large group of youthful citizens can contribute towards Chad’s continued development.
Other countries that have made it onto our list of countries with the highest percentages of citizens under 18-years-old include Angola, Mali, Somalia, Gambia and Zambia. These African countries have youth citizenry proportions of 54.3%, 54.1%, 53.6%, 52.8% and 52.6% of the total population, respectively. Within many of them, the reasons behind these high percentages are much the same as discussed above, including lack of education, lack of access to effective birth control and a general inclination towards having larger-sized families. The only non-African country nearing the top of this list is Afghanistan, with a relative youth population of 51.4%.
These spikes in youth populations among the countries mentioned above is a major problem that will likely grow worse yet still. What makes matters worse is that poverty and unemployment are also fairly prominent in these countries, which adds to the reasons why this boom in citizens under 18 is so problematic for them, as they will have less and less to work with as they start their own lives and careers as adults. To reduce these statistics, it is necessary for the governments of these countries to make access to both education and birth control easier for their citizens, and persuade their citizenries to reconsider cultural norms regarding family size and planning. These young people also will need jobs and economic opportunities as they grow older, and, as their respective countries’ populations continue to grow, simply spreading what little wealth is already available will simply not be an option
Rank | Country | Percentage of Population under 18 Years Old |
---|---|---|
1 | Niger | 56.9 % |
2 | Uganda | 55.0 % |
3 | Chad | 54.6 % |
4 | Angola | 54.3 % |
5 | Mali | 54.1 % |
6 | Somalia | 53.6 % |
7 | Gambia | 52.8 % |
8 | Zambia | 52.6 % |
9 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 52.6 % |
10 | Burkina Faso | 52.3 % |
11 | Mozambique | 52.1 % |
12 | Malawi | 52.0 % |
13 | Tanzania | 51.6 % |
14 | Afghanistan | 51.4 % |
15 | Burundi | 50.9 % |
16 | Nigeria | 50.4 % |
17 | Senegal | 50.2 % |
18 | Sao Tome and Principe | 49.3 % |
19 | Cote d'Ivoire | 49.3 % |
20 | Cameroon | 49.1 % |
21 | Guinea | 49.1 % |
22 | Sierra Leone | 49.1 % |
23 | Timor-Leste | 49.1 % |
24 | Eritrea | 49.0 % |
25 | Republic of the Congo | 48.9 % |
26 | Liberia | 48.9 % |
27 | South Sudan | 48.8 % |
28 | Benin | 48.8 % |
29 | Ethiopia | 48.7 % |
30 | Madagascar | 48.6 % |