SECTION G — Embedding rural youth policy and investments in broader rural development strategies
section background

Embedding rural youth policy and investments in broader rural development strategies

There is a wide consensus around the world that youth need and deserve special support. In 2014, 122 countries had a national youth policy or strategy; more than 40 per cent of countries in all regions had developed youth policies.


To be effective, policies and investments to help rural youth become prosperous adults must be tied into national and local strategies, policies and programmes. They also need to fit into sectoral programmes serving rural youth, such as health, education, agriculture and employment.


That requires sophisticated collaboration between institutions. A strategy or policy is no guarantee that rural youth are getting the help they need. Countries with large rural youth populations often have weak policies and poor capacity to deliver them. They also tend to have low levels of economic and rural development.

FIGURE O

Large rural youth populations are found in countries with weak policy and institutional capacity

by country transformation level Rural sector performance ranking and rural youth as percentage of total population 2015, Rural youth as a percentage of total population (%) RSPA index (percentile rank) 20 15 10 5 0 100 80 60 40 20 High ST − High RT High ST − Low RT Low ST − High RT Low ST − Low RT Mauritania Zimbabwe Sierra Leone Burundi Afghanistan Eritrea Guinea-Bissau Central African Republic Somalia Togo Tanzania Nepal Madagascar Mali Benin Liberia Myanmar Guinea Cambodia Burkina Faso Niger Malawi Ethiopia Kenya Rwanda Mozambique Tajikistan Côte d’Ivorie Pakistan Chad Paraguay Ghana Nigeria Lesotho Bolivia Lao PDR India Equatorial Guinea Senegal Cameroon Gambia Zambia Sri Lanka Bangladesh Bhutan Viet Nam China Congo , Dem. Rep. Azerbaijan Tunisia Iran Kyrgyzstan Honduras Namibia Iraq Malaysia Jordan Peru Colombia Dominican Republic Turkey El Salvador Morocco Ecuador Uzbekistan Thailand Belize Nicaragua Indonesia Guatemala Philippines Egypt Kazakhstan Georgia Brazil Mexico

Note: The Government Effectiveness Index shows the percentile rank of each country in the global sample of Worldwide Governance Indicators. The dataset covers 85 low- and middle-income countries (based on the World Bank definitions of these categories and data for 2018). ST: structural transformation; RT: rural transformation.
Source: Authors’ calculations based on United Nations, World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision and the World Bank Government Effectiveness Index.

What works best for youth?

Youth-specific ministries should have a mandate to design a comprehensive rural youth agenda. The most effective youth programmes tackle youth challenges in an all-round way. They should include rural youth in their decision-making processes both during design and implementation.


A sound youth policy environment will maximise youth’s assets, their ability to shape their own destiny, and their access to services and opportunities. It will also help them avoid risks and help protect themselves. Policies and investments should be directed towards providing a wide range of rural opportunities, while promoting youth inclusion. Only then can rural youth both improve their own future prospects, and help build the prosperity of their societies.

Read more about this in Chapter1 Read more about this in Chapter 2 Read more about this in Chapter 3 Read more about this in Chapter 4 Read more about this in Chapter 5 Read more about this in Chapter 6 Read more about this in Chapter 7 Read more about this in Chapter 8 Read more about this in Chapter 9 Read more about this in Chapter 10 Read more about this in Chapter 1E Read more about this in Chapter 2A Read more about this in Chapter 1D Read more about this in Chapter 2B Read more about this in Chapter 1E Read more about this in Chapter 2C Read more about this in Chapter 10B Read more about this in Chapter 1F Read more about this in Chapter 8, 1F Read more about this in Chapter 10C