Adolescents

Last update: April 2022 | Next update: May 2023

Investing in a safe, healthy and productive transition from childhood to adulthood is critical

There are 1.3 billion adolescents in the world today, more than ever before, making up 16 per cent of the world’s population. Defined by the United Nations as those between the ages of 10 and 19, adolescents experience a transition period between childhood and adulthood and with it, significant growth and development. As children up to the age of 18, most adolescents are protected under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Yet, their vulnerabilities and needs are distinctly different from those of children and therefore often remain unaddressed. 

UNICEF recently launched the Adolescent Data Portal to monitor the many dimensions of adolescent well-being. This portal provides easy access to global, regional and country-level data on key indicators together with information on the socioeconomic contexts in which adolescents live. It includes thematic overviews, tools to interact with available data, country profiles and downloadable datasets.  

Additional data on adolescents can be found throughout data.unicef.org, including on the following thematic pages: