Lanka’s youth population reaches 5.6 m

Ishara MUDUGAMUWA

Sri Lanka has recorded its largest youth population of 5.6 million this year, United Nation’s Population Fund (UPFPA) Country Representative Lene K. Christiansen told a media briefing at the Health Education Bureau. Persons under 25 of age make up 43 percent of the world’s population,

with the percentage reaching 60 percent in the least developed countries.

When young people are healthy, educated and have decent working conditions, they become a powerful force for economic development and positive change, the country representative added.

According to the UPFPA of the 5.6 million young people in the Sri Lankan population, four million are school-going and 50,000 are estimated to be enrolled in higher education.

Adolescents in Sri Lanka face lower levels of gender discrimination at home and at school relative to adolescents in the rest of South Asia.

The UPFPA emphasized that with the average age of first marriage having risen to 25 years for females and 27 years for males, pre-marital sex is becoming common.

”Yet reproductive health services only focus on married couples and neglect adolescents and youth.

Attention is also needed with regard to the position of adolescent girls in society and the increase in gender-based violence towards women”.