India has ranked 133 out of 183 countries in 2016 Global Youth Development Index compiled by the Commonwealth Secretariat. It has registered an impressive improvement of nearly 11 per cent in its youth development scores in the period between 2010 and 2015
The top 10 countries :
| Rank | Country |
| 1 | Germany |
| 2 | Denmark |
| 3 | Switzerland |
| 4 | Australia |
| 5 | United Kingdom |
| 6 | Netherlands |
| 7 | Austria |
| 8 | Luxembourg |
| 9 | Portugal |
| 10 | Japan |
Other Neighbouring countries :
Nepal (77), Bhutan (69) and Sri Lanka (31)
India’s position in YDI 2016 :
One in five young people in the world today live in India, which makes it one of the most youthful countries on the planet.
- India’s overall rank is relatively low but it has registered an impressive improvement of nearly 11 per cent in its youth development scores in the period between 2010 and 2015.
- The improvement in India’s score between 2010 and 2015 is explained by a significant rise in the proportion of young people with an account at a formal financial institution (58 per cent increase), reduction in the adolescent fertility rate (29 per cent fall), adoption of a new youth policy, and improvement in the gross secondary enrollment rate (9 per cent rise).
- India accounts for nearly 20 per cent of the global youth population, with nearly 345 million young people between the ages of 15 and 30 living in the country.
This makes India one of the countries currently experiencing the most significant “youth bulge” – with nearly 27 per cent of its total population made up of young people. - In India, one in every three children (31 per cent) is not enrolled in secondary schools, against a global score for the same indicator of 19 per cent. In the field of employment opportunities, India trails behind the rest of the world significantly, ranking 152nd.
Youth Development Index :
The YDI is a composite index of 18 indicators including literacy and mental disorder rates, financial inclusion and voter engagement that collectively measure multi-dimensional progress on youth development in 183 countries, including 49 of the 53 Commonwealth countries.
- It has five domains measuring levels of education, health and well-being, employment and opportunity, political participation and civic participation for young people.
- The YDI is guided by the Commonwealth definition of youth as people between the ages of 15 and 29, while recognising that some countries and international institutions define youth differently.