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

For any country, a predominantly young

population

is a cause for celebration as we can be assured that ample working hands and minds will be available to power the economy. In fact, the very aim of

population

and birth control programs is to have a vast majority of youth and lower proportions of children and elderly. A prime example of

this

is India, where 40 % of the

population

comprises the youth. I firmly believe that

this

is a beneficial situation and will help India become a superpower. In the following paragraphs, I shall elaborate my thesis with facts and figures.

Firstly

, a predominantly young

population

ensures that agriculture and industry will get trained and disease-free labour, at least for the coming 3-4 decades. The resultant increase in productivity is phenomenal.

For example

, the rapid economic expansion of China was sustained by the youth-driven workforce.

Secondly

, a lower proportion of the elderly means that expensive resources like medical facilities will not be over-burdened and the state will not have to bear hefty medical bills due to old-age citizens.

For example

, Japan, which has a large proportion of senior citizens, is facing the economic cost of tending for them.

Thirdly

, a higher proportion of youth ensures that the fertility rates are adequate and the

population

will sustain in the foreseeable future. Several countries like Japan and Sweden are seeing an alarming fall in fertility and birth rates. In fact, Sweden, with a negative birth rate may have to start an immigration program to have enough manpower in the future.

Hence

, we can see that having a predominantly young

population

is a veritable asset. Having said that, the

youths

need to be carefully nurtured and all the same, these

youths

have to be properly educated and gainfully employed. A mass of unemployed

youths

is a recipe for disaster and the administration should be able to walk the tightrope of balancing nation-building with satisfying personal ambition. In conclusion, I welcome the

youths

in the

population

and believe that they will be vital for nation-building.