- Among Congolese youth (aged 18-35 years), 85% have secondary or post-secondary education, a significantly higher rate than among citizens over age 45.
- But youth are also more likely than their elders to be unemployed: 41% say they are not employed and are looking for jobs, compared to 10%-27% among older cohorts.
- Unemployment tops the list of most important problems that Congolese youth want their government to address, followed by water supply, infrastructure/roads, education, and health.
- Only one out of 20 young Congolese (5%) say the government is performing “fairly well” or very well” on job creation. Assessments of the government’s efforts on other top youth priorities are also overwhelmingly negative.
- Like their elders, most youth (77%) believe the country is headed in “the wrong direction." o About two-thirds (68%) of young Congolese describe the country’s economic condition as “fairly bad” or “very bad,” and 58% say the same about their personal living conditions. Even so, young people’s assessments are less bleak than those of their elders. o Only 16% of youth expect economic conditions to improve over the coming year. ▪ Young citizens are less likely than their elders to engage in political and civic activities such as voting in elections, attending community meetings, joining with others to raise an issue, and contacting elected officials.
As the 21st century marches on, a growing proportion of the world’s youth will be African (United Nations Population Division, 2024). Young people hold immense potential for accelerating political, social, and economic development, and if this potential is harnessed effectively, it could be a game-changer for African countries (Mpemba & Munyati, 2023).
Like other African countries, Congo-Brazzaville has a youthful population: 60% of its 6.1 million citizens are under the age of 25 (UNFPA, 2024; Institut National de la Statistique, 2024). The Congolese government and its partners have launched a variety of policies and programmes targeting youth. One example is the World Bank-supported Program for Capacity Development and Supervision, focused on enhancing youth employability through skills training, which the government was expected to expand (World Bank, 2022).
Despite such interventions, the economic outlook for many youth is stark, with youth unemployment estimated at 41% (Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis, 2024). Last November, the nation observed a day of mourning for 31 youth who were killed in a stampede when thousands of would-be recruits descended on an army recruitment operation at a stadium in Brazzaville (Africanews, 2023).
Afrobarometer’s inaugural survey in Congo-Brazzaville offers some insights into the situation of the country’s youth (aged 18-35). Findings show that young Congolese are, on average, more educated than their elders but also more likely to be unemployed. Their top concern is job creation, and they see their government as failing on this urgent priority.
Majorities of young people say Congo-Brazzaville’s economic condition is poor and their own living conditions are, too, and very few are optimistic that things will improve soon.
Despite their dissatisfaction, young citizens are less likely than older citizens to engage in political and civic processes, such as contacting political representatives, attending community meetings, and voting.
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