Young people in Belgium are engaged in their country’s political life, according to the inaugural Global Youth Participation Index (GYPI).
This new index, created by the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) with the Universities of Amsterdam, Birmingham, and Merrimack College (USA), assesses 141 countries on how they support youth engagement in political, civic, and socio-economic life.
The study focuses on four areas: socio-economic (access to education and employment), civic space (role in social and political spheres), political affairs (participation in political structures), and elections (access to voting).
Overall, Belgium ranks 24th with a score of 74 ("very high"), just behind France (75). Luxembourg is 15th with 76, while the Netherlands placed 6th with 80 points. Norway, New Zealand, and Germany lead the index with scores of 84, 84, and 81, respectively. The global average score is 61.
On a broader scale, Europe performs well, with 16 EU countries in the top 25 and others within the top 50. Hungary is the exception, ranking 51st with 66 points, which the EPD still considers a "high" score.
However, the GYPI also reveals that youth representation in politics remains low in most countries, even those at the top of the rankings. Belgium scores only 17 in this area, compared to Norway’s 65, while the average is 12.
"In nearly every country, young people struggle to be recognised as political representatives and leaders, often being excluded from the most powerful decision-making bodies. For instance, youths are largely underrepresented in legislative bodies in the majority of countries," the authors highlight.
