The World's Adolescent Girls

Sections

Adolescent girls have tremendous potential to be strong, bright, and curious leaders, sports stars, prime ministers — you name it. But adolescent girls in developing countries face a number of challenges that can make it difficult to fulfill their aspirations. Join Girl Up and you can help girls globally live their dreams.

Did You Know?

Studies show that every year of schooling increasing a girl’s future earning power by 10 to 20 percent.
Less than half a cent of every development dollar goes to programs specifically for girls, particularly those ages 10-14.
Girls make up 70 percent of the world’s 125 million out-of-school youth.
One in seven girls in the developing world marries before the age of 15.
In Liberia, 41.7 percent of women have received no formal education.[1]
In Liberia, close to 45 percent of girls ages 10-14 have received no formal education.[2]
Girls who receive an education marry later, have fewer children,[3] and are more likely to seek healthcare for themselves and their children.[4]
The positive impact of girls’ education has been shown to transcend generations, resulting in better health outcomes among women, their children, and eventually their grandchildren.

See more charts & maps on adolescent girls

Violence kills and disables as many women between the ages of 15 and 44 as cancer.[5]
Younger women are at higher risk of physical or sexual abuse than older ones.
In 2008, women held only 18 percent of parliamentary seats worldwide.[6]
Providing girls with leadership skills and including them in the decision-making process is one of the major tools to spark economic and social change.[7]
Statistics show that women and girls reinvest 90 percent of their income in their families and communities.[8]
Girls often face social isolation and lack access to many services. For example, peer education programs, even if not school-based, are unlikely to reach urban girls, who are largely confined to the home.[9]
When it comes to funding, a vast majority of youth assistance bypasses girls.
Data show that in some cases, 80 to 90 percent of youth program participants are boys.

Watch "The Girl Effect" video to see how your involvement with Girl Up can make a huge difference in the life of one girl.

[1] Selected Indicators For Liberia. 2009. Demographic and Health Surveys Quickstats.
[2] www.girlsdiscovered.org, Demographic and Health Surveys, Date Accessed: 2009-03-25
[3] http://www.unfpa.org/safemotherhood
[4] http://www.unicef.org/mdg/maternal.html
[5] UN Millennium Project. 2005. Taking Action: Achieving Gender Equality and Empowering Women. Task Force on Education and Gender Equality. London and Sterling, VA: Earthscan.
[6] www.un.org/millenniumgoals
[7] Levine, R., C. Lloyd, M. Greene, C. Grown. 2008. Girls Count: A Global Investment and Action Agenda. Washington, D.C.: Center for Global Development.
[8] Phil Borges. 2007. Women Empowered: Inspiring Change in the Emerging World. New York.
[9] Malhotra, A., S. Mathur, M. Mehta, P. Moktan, and P. Bhadra. 2000. “Adolescent Reproductive Health and Sexuality in Nepal: Combining Quantitative and Participatory Methodologies.” Paper presented at Annual Meetings of the Population Association of America, March 23-25, Los Angeles.