Pakistan’s youth bulge has long been cited as a demographic dividend and it is said that the youth of the country has the potential to take the country forward and give direction to bring us out of the abyss.
According to estimates, Pakistan’s youth population (aged 15-29 years) comprises around 64% of the total population. This means that two-thirds of our population should be energetic, highly motivated and full of ideas about changing the country and leading their lives.
However, the reality is far from it.
Pakistan’s youth face systemic challenges towards progress and this issue is highlighted by the following numbers.
Pakistan’s economy, heavily riddled with debt, is growing at a minuscule pace estimated to be at 2.38% and is not able to produce jobs to cater to the ever-increasing demand of the graduating youth.
Approximately 4.5 million individuals are unemployed presently, with 11.1% of young people between the ages of 15-21 out of work and 7.3% of youth unemployed between the ages of 25-34, according to Pakistan Economic Survey 2023-24. Already, Pakistan’s literacy rate, at 58% is alarmingly low for a country with 240+ million people. According to data produced by the Global Business Coalition for Education (GBC-Education) and UNICEF, only 18% of Pakistanis under the age of 24 have the skills required for 21st-century jobs. Coupled this with the frequent internet outages which result in millions of rupees of loss of revenue for the economy as well as hindering the growth of the country’s IT exports.
Such a situation is giving rise to increasing crime rates in urban cities of Pakistan and crime rates have increased by an estimated 121% in Karachi, 37% in Lahore and 60% in Islamabad.
As stated above, the economy is not producing the required number of jobs, hence the graduates must turn towards entrepreneurship and become job creators rather than consumers.
Only 18% of Pakistanis under the age of 24 have the skills required for 21st century jobs
However, the obsolete traditional education system, which focuses on rote learning and memorising, is not producing the kind of students who possess critical thinking and remain out of touch with the harsh realities of life and appear confused and misled about their future career direction.
Due to a total lack of reading culture in the country, even highly qualified post-graduates of top universities are unable to form a coherent opinion on any topic and lack original thought. This also hinders their ability to analyse problems and come up with solutions as well as engage in creative and out-of-the-box thinking.
This situation presents a bleak picture for the youth of Pakistan and their future. Young people are often characterised by traits such as passion, aggression and idealism. If these traits are not channelled correctly, there is a risk of them turning towards negativity such as violence, extremism, mental health issues, substance abuse and further frustration.
The above-mentioned numbers and the growing disparity between the rich and the poor will lead the youth to become further alienated and disenchanted with reality. The discontent experienced by millions of young people will continue to fester under the surface and has the dangerous potential of turning into violence if the economic situation does not improve.
A recent example of what happens when the state continues to look away from the real problems can be seen in a place that was once part of our own country. In Bangladesh, peaceful student protests began against the reinstatement of the quota system. The heavy-handed policies of the Sheikh Hasina government tried to clamp down on the protestors and this resulted in several deaths of innocent students. Eventually, the situation got out of hand and the ensuing mismanagement ensured that the army had to step in and the 15-year-long reign of Sheikh Hasina ended in disgrace with her flying to a neighbouring country to seek refuge from the protestors.
Leaders at home need to learn a lesson from Bangladesh and engage the youth in constructive dialogue to lessen their frustrations and anger. Lending a sympathetic ear will go a long way to reduce the rising frustrations and tension in society.
The state needs to pre-empt this situation and work on engaging the youth in more positive and constructive activities such as volunteering and outdoor sports. The best leaders are those who have a strong connection with their people and can read and understand the changing dynamics and wishes of the people.
The challenges we face today are multi-faceted and entrenched. How we treat our youth today will decide our future and whether the youth can become a source of innovation and progress or remain stuck in extremism and violence. It remains the collective responsibility, of both the state and the citizenry, to ensure that the energy and enthusiasm of youth is not wasted and is used for playing a positive role in the nation’s development. We need more investment in education and technology to promise our youth a better and brighter future so that they lead us on a path of sustainable growth and prosperity.