A new survey has revealed how optimistic young people around the world are about their future, with Kenyan and Nigerian youth listed among the most optimistic in the world.
Ghanaian teens are among the most pessimistic.
The new global survey of young people ranked youth optimism about the future across 100 countries, with students from 41 countries providing sufficient responses, measuring how hopeful students feel about their personal futures, the economy, the environment, politics, and the future of society as a whole.
The study by Oxford summer school provider, Oxford Scholastica Academy, received responses from 1,433 students to discover where Gen Z are the most and least optimistic about their future.
Countries where young people are most optimistic
Sri Lankan students are the most optimistic in the world, scoring 4.32 out of 5 overall, while young people in Kuwait are the least hopeful, with an overall score of just 2.92.
Sri Lanka leads the study with young people reporting the highest rates of optimism, with the highest environmental optimism score of any country in the study (4.62) and strong personal optimism (4.75). Despite significant economic turbulence in recent years, Sri Lankan students remain deeply hopeful about the future of their society (4.25).
The second most optimistic country is Kenya, with students surveyed scoring 4.31 overall. Kenyan students marked feeling optimistic about the future of society (4.43, joint highest in the study alongside Cyprus) and record the highest political optimism of any country surveyed (3.96).
Nepal achieves a perfect personal optimism score of 5.00 – the only country to do so and ranks third overall. Nepal also has the highest economic optimism (4.80), suggesting that despite its lower-income status, students feel strongly positive about their individual prospects.
Kazakhstan is the fourth most optimistic nation according to the students polled; students report high economic confidence (4.56) along with the third-highest political optimism in the study (3.76).
Indonesia scores 4.07 while Nigeria scores 4,08, with Nigerian students scoring highly for environmental optimism (3.92) and Indonesian students reporting economic confidence (4.41).
Among Western nations, Canada ranks highest at sixth (4.08), comfortably ahead of the United States (3.99), the UK (3.61), Germany (3.73), and France (3.22).
The 10 countries where young people are the most optimistic about the future
| # | Country | Personal | Economic | Environmental | Political | Society | Overall (/5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sri Lanka | 4.75 | 4.38 | 4.62 | 3.62 | 4.25 | 4.32 |
| 2 | Kenya | 4.59 | 4.49 | 4.08 | 3.96 | 4.43 | 4.31 |
| 3 | Nepal | 5.00 | 4.80 | 3.60 | 3.80 | 4.00 | 4.24 |
| 4 | Kazakhstan | 4.71 | 4.56 | 3.64 | 3.76 | 4.18 | 4.17 |
| 5 | Cyprus | 4.86 | 4.43 | 3.29 | 3.43 | 4.43 | 4.09 |
| 6 | Canada | 4.67 | 4.50 | 3.67 | 3.42 | 4.17 | 4.08 |
| 7 | Nigeria | 4.43 | 4.18 | 3.92 | 3.69 | 4.16 | 4.08 |
| 8 | Indonesia | 4.38 | 4.41 | 3.71 | 3.68 | 4.18 | 4.07 |
| 9 | Russia | 4.47 | 4.21 | 3.82 | 3.71 | 4.15 | 4.07 |
| 10 | Armenia | 4.86 | 4.29 | 3.71 | 3.29 | 4.14 | 4.06 |
Which countries have the least optimistic young people?
Kuwait has the least optimistic young people of any country surveyed, scoring just 2.92 out of 5. Kuwaiti students record the lowest political optimism in the entire study at just 1.80, as well as the lowest future-of-society score (2.40).
Rwanda ranks second-least optimistic (3.20), with low scores for future-of-society (2.83) and environmental optimism (2.83). Turkey ranks third-least optimistic (3.22). Turkish students record the fifth-lowest political optimism (2.58) and the fourth-lowest environmental score (2.62).
France and Poland follow closely. French students reported the lowest environmental optimism of any country in the study, at just 2.25, and political optimism of 2.38. Polish students score just 2.30 for political optimism, the second-lowest globally behind Kuwait.
The United Kingdom ranks 33rd out of 41 countries, scoring 3.61 overall. British students score just 3.04 for political optimism and 3.06 for environmental optimism, placing the UK in the bottom third in both categories.
Discussing the findings, Lavinia Abell, Co-Director of Oxford Scholastica Academy, said: “In every aspect of society, there are things to be anxious and pessimistic about. This could be the rise of AI, war, the rising cost of living, and much more. This will be especially worrisome for young people, facing challenges as they enter the world of work. What this study highlights is the attitudes of each nationality towards these uncertainties.”
10 countries where young people are the least optimistic about the future
| # | Country | Personal | Economic | Environmental | Political | Society | Overall (/5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Kuwait | 4.00 | 4.00 | 2.40 | 1.80 | 2.40 | 2.92 |
| 40 | Rwanda | 3.50 | 3.33 | 2.83 | 3.50 | 2.83 | 3.20 |
| 39 | Turkey | 4.09 | 3.75 | 2.62 | 2.58 | 3.07 | 3.22 |
| 38 | France | 4.00 | 4.12 | 2.25 | 2.38 | 3.38 | 3.22 |
| 37 | Poland | 4.20 | 3.60 | 3.00 | 2.30 | 3.10 | 3.24 |
| 36 | Italy | 4.20 | 4.00 | 3.00 | 2.40 | 3.20 | 3.36 |
| 35 | China | 4.20 | 4.00 | 2.40 | 2.80 | 3.40 | 3.36 |
| 34 | Taiwan | 3.60 | 3.60 | 3.20 | 3.20 | 3.60 | 3.44 |
| 33 | United Kingdom | 4.31 | 4.02 | 3.06 | 3.04 | 3.60 | 3.61 |
| 32 | Ghana | 3.86 | 3.71 | 3.57 | 3.43 | 3.57 | 3.63 |
