The average age of the developing world’s population is 16 years compared to a global average of 28 years. Nearly half the global population was born less than a quarter century ago. With 1.2 billion people under 15, it can be said that the world belongs to young people. But for the millions of youth in slums, the present as well as the future is grim.
According to UN-HABITAT’s State of the World’s Cities Report 2006/7, the year 2007 will mark a turning point in human history - the urban population will for the first time equal the world’s rural population and the number of slum dwellers in the world cross the one billion mark.
In cities of the developed world, more jobs are being created in the financial sector and in informal management as a result of globalization, while in the developing world, trends point toward an increasing “informalization” of the urban economy, as the formal sector fails to provide adequate employment opportunities for the number of young people and adults seeking work.
Urban Features: Children, Slums' First Casualties
UN-HABITAT and Youth