Youthonomics Global Index

The Youthonomics Global Index, compiled by Paris-based think tank Youthonomics, aims to help young people assess their current and future prospects – political, economic and social – around the world.

It assesses 64 countries using 59 criteria, including youth unemployment, economic opportunities, quality and cost of education, housing affordability, age of elected leaders, work and living conditions and health and wellbeing.

"What if the greatest threat we faced was actually a clash of generations?" Youthonomics co-founders Jose Ramos-Horta and Felix Macquardt wrote in the report.

"Our findings show an astonishing callousness towards younger generations, with many developed countries like France, Japan or Italy performing poorly, and others such as the United States or the United Kingdom showing dismal prospects for youth in coming years."

Mr Ramos-Horta is a former president of East Timor and a Nobel peace prize laureate. Mr Marquardt is an activist and columnist.

The Global Index is made up of two scores: one for Youth Now, which evaluates the current state of play; and one for Youth Outlook, which assesses the prospects for young people over the next 10 years or so.