The global index released on 9 August in the ten highest ranking countries with an overall YDI score of 0.845 out of a total attainable score of 1.
The report looked at the eight-year period between 2010 and 2018 and, on a global scale, it said conditions of young people had improved by 3.1% with 86% of the 181 countries assessed experiencing improvements within this timeframe.
Singapore topped the global ranking with a YDI score of 0.875, with Slovenia (0.866) and Norway (0.862) coming in second and third place respectively. Luxembourg shared its 10th position with Portugal with the same score.
The grand duchy also came 3rd in the political and civic participation rank. Its lowest ranking, although still leading over 100 countries, was in health and well-being, where it was ranked 79th with a score of 0.739.
The index also placed Luxembourg as the top country in its equality and inclusion indicator with a 0.991 score. Newly developed for the 2020 YDI, the equality and inclusion domain captures the extent in which various groups of young people enjoy equal opportunities, assessing indicators such as gender parity, early marriage, and economic marginalisation.
The Luxembourg government launched a new monitoring body for gender equality gathering data on seven policy areas to support decision-making and concerned not-for-profits.
The data used to compile the index was collated prior to the pandemic providing a rear view on pre-pandemic gains, the Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said, adding that “while the data used to compile the index was gathered before the covid-19 pandemic, the findings indicate where progress was being achieved and where it was not.”
The Global Youth Development Index (YDI) is prepared by the youth division of the Commonwealth Secretariat and is guided by the Commonwealth definition of youth as people between the ages of 15 and 29 years.