Nigeria accounted for 9.3 per cent of responses in a global survey of more than 1.5 million young people on what they need to improve their well-being, a new study has revealed.
The findings, made available to reporters by the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), were published on Thursday. They appear in a new supplement, New Perspectives on Advancing Adolescent Health and Well-being, published in Health Policy and Planning, an Oxford University Press journal.
The supplement brings together six peer-reviewed papers examining adolescent health and well-being, including investment needs, young people’s priorities, economic returns and accountability for commitments made.
The survey, conducted among young people aged 10 to 24 across 89 countries, recorded the largest number of responses from India (28.5 per cent), followed by Egypt (10.3 per cent) and Nigeria (9.3 per cent). More than 99 per cent of respondents were from low- and middle-income countries. Young people were asked to complete the statement: “To improve my well-being, I want…”
Across the 89 countries, learning, competence and employability emerged as the leading priority, cited by 36.4 per cent of respondents. This was followed by safety and a supportive environment (28.4 per cent), health and nutrition (20.9 per cent), connectedness and positive values (9.4 per cent), and agency and resilience (2.6 per cent).
The researchers said the findings showed that young people’s understanding of well-being extends beyond healthcare to include education, skills, safety, social connection and opportunities to participate meaningfully in society. They also found significant differences among gender-diverse young people, who placed greater emphasis on safety, connectedness and freedom from discrimination.
Mr Rajat Khosla, Executive Director of PMNCH, said investment in adolescent health and well-being had become a necessity rather than an option. He added that interventions spanning general health, mental health and education could generate substantial economic returns while helping adolescents reach their full potential.
The supplement estimates that integrated health and education interventions — including nutrition, mental health support, deworming, and water and sanitation programmes — could generate at least $11 in returns for every dollar invested. It further estimates that such interventions could generate up to $25 trillion in total economic benefits across 75 countries by 2050.
The economic case is also highlighted in relation to adolescent mental health. Scaling up treatment for depression and anxiety among adolescents could generate returns of $15.3 for every dollar invested in Colombia and $10.5 for every dollar invested in South Africa.
Despite the potential returns, adolescent mental health currently receives only about two per cent of domestic healthcare funding globally, leaving an estimated annual funding gap of up to $350 billion.
The authors estimated that achieving adequate coverage of adolescent health and well-being interventions across low- and middle-income countries would require an additional $222 billion annually, equivalent to about 0.52 per cent of global Gross Domestic Product.
The supplement also highlighted concerns about international development assistance, noting that only 2.4 per cent of global health overseas development assistance is allocated to adolescents.
The researchers called for investment to be equity-focused, warning that untargeted interventions, particularly in education, could widen existing opportunity gaps in countries with deep inequalities.
The publication emphasised the importance of measuring adolescent health and well-being across five domains identified in the United Nations conceptual framework: good health and optimum nutrition; connectedness, positive values and contribution to society; safety and a supportive environment; learning, competence, education, skills and employability; and agency and resilience.
The authors said countries needed to strengthen systems for monitoring these areas and use existing data more effectively to track progress. They also examined accountability for commitments made at the 2023 Global Forum for Adolescents. An early assessment of four countries found progress in implementing commitments, but identified fragmented systems, funding gaps and insufficient disaggregated data as barriers.
The researchers therefore called for stronger domestic accountability mechanisms and greater international coordination to ensure that governments deliver on commitments made to adolescents.
Mr Gareth Jones, Board Representative of the Adolescent and Youth Constituency, said young people had already articulated what they needed and that governments and development partners now had to respond.
“Young people are not waiting for the world to catch up. They have told us clearly what they need,” Jones said.
The current global adolescent population, aged 10 to 19 years, stands at about 1.3 billion, making it the largest adolescent cohort in history. The supplement argues that ensuring they enter adulthood healthy, educated, skilled, connected and empowered will require deliberate and sustained investment in their health and well-being.
The supplement is published as Supplement 2 of Volume 41 of Health Policy and Planning and is fully open access. It was guest-edited by David A. Ross of Stellenbosch University, Anshu Mohan of the World Health Organization Regional Office for South-East Asia, and Bhavya Nandini of PMNCH. The publication was supported by the Gates Foundation Open Access initiative and Fondation Botnar.
