Govt Updates Youth Definition After a Decade

The Government of Nepal has revised the age criteria for defining youth, narrowing the range to individuals between 18 and 35 years.

According to the state-owned RSS news agency, Surendra Basnet, Executive Vice-Chairperson of the National Youth Council, confirmed the change following the endorsement of the National Youth Policy, 2082.

Under the previous policy, youths were defined as those aged 16 to 40, a range that currently accounts for 42.56 percent of the population, according to the latest census. Basnet said a request has been submitted to recalculate the youth population based on the new age bracket.

The revision was made partly because the Children’s Act already defines individuals under 18 years as children. The United Nations defines youth as those between 15 and 24 years.

Basnet, however, noted that, until the National Youth Council Act, 2072, is amended, the legal age of youth will remain 16–40 years.

Despite a provision for revising the youth policy every five years, authorities waited a decade to implement this update.

(With inputs from RSS)