Adolescents Make Up a Quarter of the Global Population: Key Health and Well-Being Trends Highlighted in New Report

The Lancet has released its second comprehensive global report on adolescent health and well-being, focusing on individuals aged 10 to 24 years. Building upon the findings from its 2016 report, this new publication emphasizes significant progress in certain health aspects, such as reductions in communicable diseases, maternal health issues, substance use like tobacco and alcohol, injuries, and teen pregnancies. Additionally, the report notes increases in the age of first marriage and educational attainment, especially among young women.

Despite these positive developments, the report warns that adolescent health is at a critical juncture. Rising rates of non-communicable diseases and mental health disorders, combined with global megatrends like climate change, environmental degradation, and the social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, threaten further progress. These trends are often outpacing national and international response efforts.

The report highlights that today’s adolescents—born between 2000 and 2014—are the largest cohort in history, with about 2 billion individuals who will live entirely in an era of increased global average temperatures, exceeding pre-industrial levels by 0.5°C or more. This generation is also the first to grow up as digital natives, with unprecedented connectivity and access to resources that offer new educational and economic opportunities.

However, many adolescents, particularly in low-income regions like Africa, are still deprived of these opportunities. Investments in adolescent health and well-being remain low—accounting for only 2.4% of development aid for health from 2016 to 2021—despite adolescents representing one-quarter of the global population and bearing a significant share of the disease burden.

Significant disparities are evident across regions, with African adolescents experiencing higher burdens of disease, early marriage, and childbearing. In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, adolescent fertility rates are markedly higher than the global average, and many girls are married young, often due to cultural and economic factors.

The report stresses the need for a multisectoral approach involving governments, international agencies, and communities to improve adolescent health. It advocates for stronger policies, increased investments, and active engagement of adolescents in creating solutions. Addressing issues such as obesity—whose prevalence has nearly doubled among adolescents in Africa since 1990—and the lack of comprehensive data systems are crucial. Political leadership has shown that positive change is possible when there is commitment, as seen in countries like Benin, which has successfully reduced early marriage and adolescent fertility rates.

To secure a healthier future for adolescents, the report calls for coordinated action, innovative strategies, and prioritizing adolescent-specific programs. These efforts are essential to ensure that this large, digitally connected generation can realize its full potential amid a rapidly changing and often challenging global environment.