\ Global Youth Development Index and Report 2016 Figure 2.13  Regional YDI change in Asia-Pacific, 2010–2015 4 0.8 23 Improvement 48 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 Civic Participation Education 0.3 Employment & Opportunity 0.2 23 Improved 4 Deteriorated Source: Commonwealth Secretariat The majority of Commonwealth countries in this region are Small Island Developing States. When Australia and New Zealand’s scores are subtracted from this group, the average YDI score for 2015 falls from 0.676 to 0.646. Papua New Guinea’s YDI score of 0.560 is the lowest for the Commonwealth developing countries in this region, attributable largely to its low attainments in the Education domain. 2.5.2  Central America and the Caribbean The Central America and Caribbean region has nearly 56 million youth and is home to 3 per cent of the world’s youth population. Youth make up just over one-quarter (26 per cent) of the region’s total population. It is ranked fifth out of the nine regions. It performs above the global average in all domains except Employment and Opportunity. Figure 2.14 shows the regional YDI change in Central America and the Caribbean between 2010 and 2015, during which period the YDI scores of 17 countries (85 per cent of countries measured) improved. Central America and the Caribbean had the third largest improvement in levels of youth development between 2010 and 2015, increasing its overall YDI score by approximately 3 per cent. While all five domains improved in the region, the Civic Participation score rose the highest, followed by Employment and Opportunity. Of the 19 countries in the region, the YDI score declined in only Health & Well-being Political Participation 0.1 0 2010 YDI overall score 2011 2012 2013 2014 Source: Commonwealth Secretariat two – Haiti and St Vincent and The Grenadines. Trinidad and Tobago and El Salvador showed the largest improvement in the region. Most countries in the region have made modest progress in youth development in the period under review. A remarkable improvement for all countries in the region is a drop in the adolescent fertility rate, with the regional rate dropping by over five percentage points. The 8 per cent drop in Haiti’s YDI score was the highest for any country in the region; St Vincent and The Grenadines’ score deteriorated by 4 per cent. The lack of a youth policy has led to a large decline in Haiti’s score in the Political Participation domain. However, it has an operational plan for 2010–2015 focused on education reform in the wake of the 2010 earthquake that devastated the country.5 Trinidad and Tobago and El Salvador improved their YDI scores by 10 per cent between 2010 and 2015. El Salvador’s progress was slightly hampered by small deteriorations in its scores in the Health and Well-being and Political Participation domains. Trinidad and Tobago made notable progress in its YDI score, not least because of a large improvement in its scores for the Civic Participation and Political Participation domains. 2.5.3 Europe Europe has 113 million young people and is home to 6 per cent of the world’s youth population. Youth make up approximately 19 per cent of the region’s