Economic benefits of investing in adolescents

The "Economic Case for Investment in the Well-being of Adolescents in India" report, launched on 25 July 2024, builds on the global findings from "Adolescents in a Changing World – The Case for Urgent Investment". The report underscores the substantial economic benefits of investing in adolescent well-being. It highlights seven key programmes in areas such as adolescent health, education, child marriage prevention, and road safety, which are expected to yield impressive returns on investment. For every dollar invested, returns are estimated to range from $4.6 to $71.4.

The report further demonstrates that future investments, some of which align with existing national programmes, have the potential to significantly boost the Indian economy. An investment of $33 billion per annum across various sectors by the government, private sector, civil society, communities, and families is projected to yield returns of $476 billion per annum, enhancing the gross domestic product (GDP) by an average of approximately 10.1%. This underscores the crucial role that successive cohorts of adolescents will play in shaping India’s economic and social future. While the report presents empirical data to estimate the benefit-cost ratio (BCR) for seven major intervention programmes, it also emphasises the need for additional interventions to further enhance adolescent well-being.

This report is a tool for ensuring enhanced and sustained financing for adolescents, providing a valuable framework for mapping out future actions and strategies. It will ensure that collective efforts are both effective and impactful and India is able to reap the benefits of its demographic dividend. The report also sets out to strengthen the case for a holistic, multi-sectoral programme of action to harness India’s biggest asset: its young population.

The published summary report can be found here.

Report by - Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH)