Which Policies Promote a Demographic Dividend? An Evidence Review

The demographic dividend—the prospect for accelerated economic growth driven by a country’s maturing age structure—has captivated the attention of policymakers around the world. The African Union declared 2017 the year of “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend Through Investments in Youth,” and heads …

Over the past decade, the incidence of conflict has been rising in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), reversing a 20-year trend. Conflict’s pernicious effects on society are wide-ranging, even after stability returns, and extend to demographic trends. A body of previous research has found that fertility rate…

While the gap in demand satisfied for modern family planning between rich and poor young women is improving, equitable access to family planning is still challenging. Wealth-based inequity remains persistent in most regions of sub-Saharan Africa, even accounting for factors such as educational attai…

Governments around the world have made great strides in creating policies that support young people. Increasingly, countries have formalized the rights of adolescents and young people to access sexual and reproductive health services.

This web feature expands the concept of the demographic dividend to project four potential sets of benefits—in addition to economic growth, it outlines benefits in child survival, education, and political stability.

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Data and Trends Update 2017, produced with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development, provides the latest data on the practice in 29 developing countries with representative and comparable data—although FGM/C occurs worldwide.