Correct: Africa Is the World’s Youngest Continent with 60% Youthful Population

Summary: Vice President Koung claims that “Africa is the youngest content in the World where 60 percent of its population is young people”. We have checked this claim by viewing all relevant data and found that his assertion is correct

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On August 12, Vice President Jeremiah Koung claimed that Africa is the world’s youngest continent where 60% of its 1.3 billion population is under the age of 25.

V.P. Koung was making a case at the Young Political Leadership School Africa Cohort 11, about the continent’s “demographic advantage and the caliber of young people that will shape the future development of the African continent and its people”.

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The Claim

V.P. Koung’s exact words: “Africa is the world’s youngest continent, with 60% of its 1.3 billion population under the age of 25.”

Listen to the claim:

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https://localvoicesliberia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Koung_Youth_Audio.mp3?_=1

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Rating Justification

To fact-check this claim to know if Africa is the world’s youngest continent where 60% of its 1.3 billion population is under the age of 25, we found on the website of the African Union that “Africa has the youngest population in the world with more than 400 million young people aged between the ages of 15 to 35 years”.

We also found an article by the United Nations Population Fund titled: “The Demographic Dividend Atlas for Africa: Tracking the Potential for a Demographic Dividend” which shows that “about 60 percent of the population in Africa is currently below 25 years.”

A further search found “Facts about Demographics in Africa” by Empower Africa – a website that provides statistics on Africa’s demography. It also states that “60% of the population is under 25 years old – making Africa the world’s youngest continent with 1.3 billion people” supporting V.P. Koung’s assertions.

Conclusion

Based on this research and the evidence gathered, we conclude that the claim made by Vice President Jeremiah Koung that “Africa is the World’s youngest continent where 60% of its 1.3 billion population is under the age of 25” is correct.

Reports by credible and authoritative sources including the African Union, United Nations Population Fund, and Empower Africa show that the continent has the youngest population in the World with a 60%.

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This report is produced with funding from the USAID Media Activity. The funder has No say in the editorial decisions leading to the production of this content