Capitalizing on Botswana’s Young People

This report synthesizes the key findings of an evidence brief prepared by the Development Policy Research Unit (DPRU) at the University of Cape Towns School of Economics in 2020. It was commissioned by the UNFPA, with the support and collaboration of the Government of Botswana, and focuses on Botswana’s youth, aged 15 to 35. The aim is to provide evidence to support policy actions that will maximize the advantages of having a youthful population (median age is 24) and contribute to the well-being of all citizens. Consequently, this brief examines four important youth-related areas in terms of capitalizing on the demographic dividend: fertility, education, health, and the labour market.