Representative image showing youth protesting.
Credit: iStock Images
Recently, we had a family get-together, mostly attended by youngsters aged 25 to 30. What struck me was a common refrain from the young: where is India headed? It's not that their suggestions to remedy the nation's "ills" will reach the Niti Aayog for implementation. Yet, the underlying theme was the hidden anger of the youth. What makes them so angry these days? Is it just an Indian phenomenon or seen elsewhere too? For instance, someone asked how, in a country with a population of over 140 crore, Mukesh Ambani can spend Rs 5,000 crore on his son's wedding while a poor farmer needs to raise a loan to marry off his daughter.
As of October 1, 2024, India's population is 1,454,180,397, according to Worldometer. This makes India the most populated country in the world, representing 17.78% of the global population. The protesting youth have varied agendas, from regime change to high inflation. When we closely examine these agendas and the structure of protests worldwide, a broad picture emerges. These protests are informally led and very issue-based. For example, the recent upheaval in Bangladesh, which led to the ouster of President Sheik Hasina, and the mass protests against the rape-murder of a young female doctor in Kolkata are spontaneous and triggered by deep anger at the state of affairs. Significantly, most of those who protest and fight are youngsters, neither old nor middle-aged.
Global scenario
Currently, the world has the largest youth population in history, with 2.4 billion people between the ages of 10 and 29, according to the United States Aid For International Development (USAID). As of 2024, the global population is 8.2 billion, growing at a rate of about 0.87% per year, adding around 71 million people annually. Youth make up 29.27% of the world population, roughly a third. This implies that if there is much discontent among the youth today, it will have far-reaching implications in the long run for the world.
A recent investigation by the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) on youth protests amidst policy crisis says that the proportion of people willing to participate in demonstrations "has increased to its highest levels since the 1990s". However, beginning in the 21st century, the investigation asserts "new trends that distinguish recent protests from those of the past have become more evident. Young people have played an important role in defining some of these patterns". The most recent example is in Bangladesh, where the Head of State had to flee the country.
Crucial questions
What makes the youth so committed to these movements? Since the early 1980s, there has been widespread agitation against globalisation and liberalisation, following economic unrest. Climate justice is also emerging as a trigger for global mobilisation. Greta Thunberg's 'Fridays for Future' movement, an international activist campaign, addresses climate change. The young Swedish environmental activist has inspired millions of students around the world to participate in climate strikes. Recently, after the Covid pandemic, the cost of living crisis seems to have fuelled these movements. Between November 2021 and October 2022, there were 12,500 protests and riots triggered by food inflation and energy costs. During the parliamentary election, some Opposition members touched on inflation, but none managed to mobilise a widespread protest based on tangible facts.
Policy-makers and social scientists are puzzling over the current unrest among the youth. Why is today's youth — excluding those who belong to affluent and well-to-do families — so angry? Are the developmental models in place sufficiently foolproof to ensure equity and justice? Ambani's family wealth is 10% of India's GDP (gross domestic product) while there is no precise estimate of this parameter for the Adani family. Is it through the principle of over-invoicing imports and under-invoicing exports that businessmen generate vast amounts of money? Under-invoicing exports and over-invoicing imports generate black money because they are a way to reduce tax liability and transfer value between countries.
It is now increasingly clear that present-day developmental models are not acceptable to the youth. The unemployment crisis is not just a transitory issue related to sluggish economic growth; it may become a structural trend if significant policy changes are not put in place. The youth want equity and justice and are frustrated by the inadequate performance of current democratic institutions.
(The writer is former professor, The Royal Society, Belgium)