Youth are an underestimated but growing force on the international stage. Almost half of the world's population is under the age of 25 and nearly a quarter are aged 12 to 24. Of those aged 12-24, nearly 40% live on less than two dollars a day. Youth employment is in crisis according to the ILO, which estimates that some 75 million youth are out of work as of 2012. That accounts for 41% of total global unemployment, and is not likely to recover until beyond 2016.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Almost half the world's population is under the age of 25 and nearly a quarter are aged 12 to 24. Of those aged 12-24, nearly 40% live on less than two dollars a day.

• Youth employment is in crisis according to the ILO, which estimates that some 75 million youth are out of work as of 2012. That accounts for 41% of total global unemployment, and is not likely to recover until beyond 2016.

• By the end of 2013, mobile-cellular subscriptions will reach a penetration of 89% in developing countries. Internet user statistics are also surging, with 2.7 billion (39% of world population) expected to be online by the end of the year.

• Ongoing ITU research suggests that at present, around 43% of national strategies reference youth.

• Over the past five years, global fixed-broadband prices as a share of GNI per capita dropped by 82%. By 2012, fixed-broadband prices represented 1.7% of monthly GNI p.c. in developed countries. In developing countries, fixed-broadband services remain expensive, accounting for 30.1% of average monthly incomes.