At the present time, the population of some countries includes large number of young adults, compared with the number of older people. Do the advantages of this situation outweigh the disadvantages?

The average age of the

population

for many nations around the

world

has been in decline in recent decades creating a situation where young people have become the

world

’s largest demographic, particularly in developing nations.

Although

there are decided drawbacks to

this

phenomenon related to expertise in the workforce, it is still a positive development because it will lead to booming economies in the coming years. The most frequently cited drawback to having a predominately young

population

is the lack of skilled workers in many important industries. A great example of

this

can be seen in Vietnam, which has one of the youngest populations in the

world

. Vietnam currently has very few leaders in important areas like engineering and technology. When it came time for Ho Chi Minh city to build a subway system, there were not enough skilled engineers to accomplish the feat. They had to hire a huge number of specialists from Japan and Thailand to ensure the quality of the project. The potential engineers for

this

project are still in school in Vietnam or studying abroad and it may be another decade before they are ready to design and execute large, complex infrastructure. It is not uncommon in developing countries with young populations to require outside assistance for national projects to the detriment of their own workers. Despite

this

drawback, the advantage of a young

population

is that it brings many future benefits to a country and is a key indicator of future economic prosperity. Japan famously has one of the oldest populations in the

world

and

this

has led them into a deep economic recession over the

last

20 years as it becomes increasingly apparent that the nation will have to assume responsibilities related to healthcare and a dwindling workforce. Contrast

this

with the so-called ‘Tiger Economies’ of Southeast Asia that include Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore. These countries have some of the youngest populations in the

world

, which, coupled with a growing middle

class

and better education, means that they will enjoy upward economic growth for decades to come. The middle

class

will expand because well-educated graduates will be able to get good jobs and

this

middle

class

will become a consumer

class

that feeds the economy. Overall,

this

is why having a young

population

is desirable for any nation. In conclusion, I fully believe that a younger

population

indicates a country is going to be successful in the future. The key element for all young populations is education and governments should focus on

this

in order to fully exploit the benefits of their demographics.