In 2023, there were around 211 million children aged 0-4 years in Africa. In total, the population aged 17 years and younger amounted to approximately 680 million. In contrast, only approximately 52 million individuals were aged 65 years and older as of the same year. The youngest continent in the world Africa is the continent with the youngest population worldwide. As of 2024, around 40 percent of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa was aged 15 years and younger, compared to a global average of 25 percent. Although the median age on the continent has been increasing annually, it remains low at around 20 years. There are several reasons behind the low median age. One factor is the low life expectancy at birth: On average, the male and female populations in Africa live between 61 and 65 years, respectively. In addition, poor healthcare on the continent leads to high mortality, also among children and newborns, while the high fertility rate contributes to lowering the median age. Cross-country demographic differences Africa’s demographic characteristics are not uniform across the continent. The age structure of the population differs significantly from one country to another. For instance, Niger and Uganda have the lowest median age in Africa, at 15.1 and 16.1 years, respectively. Not surprisingly, these countries also register a high crude birth rate. On the other hand, North Africa is the region recording the highest life expectancy at birth, with Tunisia and Algeria leading the ranking in 2025.

Abstract

Employment of young people is good for sustainable development. Young people globally suffer higher unemployment levels and their jobs are characterised by lower pay and high insecurity than that of other age groups. Therefore, identifying the nature of employment challenge of the young people at country level is necessary for formulating evidence-based integrated policy interventions. The global jobs crisis has, further exacerbated the vulnerability of young people in terms of: i) higher unemployment, ii) lower quality jobs for those who find work, iii) greater labour market inequalities among different groups of young people, iv) longer and more insecure school work transitions, and v) increased detachment from the labour market. At the global level, these challenges are envisaged to be addressed through the 2015 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and at the national level through the Vision 2040 and the Second National Development Plan (NDP II).

To fulfil these policy strategies, countries can rely on the creativity and innivation of young people to deliver. It is, thus, important for government to provide a leadership role and commitment in providing a conducive environment for gainful employment. This can be achieved through collaboration with agencies such as trade unions, employers’ organisations, international community and the active participation of donors in supporting efforts by young people to make a good start in the world of work.

The “School-to-Work Transition Survey” (SWTS) was designed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and implemented for the first time in Uganda by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) in 2013 as one such collaboration. The second SWTS, undertaken by UBOS in 2015, was sponsored by a partnership between the ILO and The MasterCard Foundation through the Work4Youth (W4Y) Project. The W4Y Project entailed partnership with statistical agencies and policy makers of 34 low and middle income countries to undertake the SWTS and assist governments and the social partners in the use of the data for effective policy design and implementation.

All stakeholders including Policy makers, Academia, Civil Society Orgnaisations and the general public can use the results of SWTS to design and implement integrated policies in response to employment challenges faced by young people.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

The units of analysis for the SWTS 2015 were: individuals, households.

Universe

The survey covered all de jure household members (usual residents), and all youth aged 15-30 years resident in the household

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The SWTS sample was designed to allow reliable estimation of key indicators for Uganda and rural-urban. A two-stage stratified sampling design was used. At the first stage, Enumeration Areas (EAs) were grouped by rural-urban location, then drawn using Probability Proportional to Size (PPS). A total of 200 EAs (160 rural and 40 urban) were selected using the 2014 Uganda Population and Housing Census Mapping Frame. For the 200 PSUs (EAs) that were selected from the 2014 PHC sampling frame, a household listing process was carried out to update the number of households in these EAs. At the second stage, 15 households per EA, which were the Ultimate Sampling Units, were drawn using Systematic Sampling. This gave a total sample size of 3,000 households. When determining the required sample size, the degree of precision (reliability) desired for the survey estimates, the cost and operational limitations, and the efficiency of the design were taken into consideration. Basic information was gathered from all persons within the sampled households and the youth aged 15-30 years were filtered out for administration of the detailed questions.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The standard ILO SWTS questionnaire developed in 2013 was adapted to the national context based on the consultative process between the ILO and UBOS. The questionnaire was detailed in nature and collected information on personal information, family and household information, formal education/ training, activity history, working criteria, activities, and non working youth. A pre-test exercise was carried out before the finalization of the questionnaire.

Response rate

The actual fully covered sample for the SWTS was 2,712 households, with a total response rate of 90 percent. The response rate was slightly higher in rural areas (91 percent compared to urban areas (89 percent).

The individual SWTS questionnaire targeted all persons aged 15-30 years. A total of 3,198 individuals aged 15-30 years were found from the responding households. Completion of the individual interviews was successful with 3,049 individuals yielding an individual response rate (complete interview) of 95 percent with no marked differences observed by residence.

Data appraisal

The estimates were derived from a scientifically selected sample and analysis of survey data was undertaken at national and rural-urban levels. In a few cases, regional estimates have been provided. The Coefficients of Variation (CVs) of all indicators presented were low (about 10 or less). During the analysis, variables with at least 30 valid responses were deemed reliable enough to be presented given that the CVs were good. Consequently, some variables with fewer observations were merged into related groups to ensure that reliability is maintained.

Demographic characteristics of the participants (n = 25).