2016 Global Youth Development Index: Results and Analysis 12 countries in the region, eight (66 per cent of countries measured) improved their overall YDI score between 2010 and 2015. The YDI scores in four South American countries slipped from 2010 to 2015. The largest fall, of 5 per cent, was in Bolivia. The scores in Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil all fell by less than 3 per cent. Bolivia’s score in the Political Participation domain deteriorated and there was very little movement in the other four domains. The indicators deteriorating the most in Bolivia between 2010 and 2015 were the existence of a youth policy and the youth unemployment ratio. account at a financial institution and a drop in youth mortality. Peru’s scores for alcohol abuse and drug abuse (YLL) and existence of a youth policy improved. Guyana showed significant improvement in mental health disorder and youth mortality rates. 2.5.8  South Asia Of the countries whose scores improved, only one grew by more than 10 per cent. Although Venezuela has encountered severe socio-economic stress in the past five years, the 11 per cent rise in its YDI score can be attributed to the large increase in the number of young people in the country who now have an account at a financial institution, and to the improvements in the indicators for enrolment in secondary school and the existence of a youth policy. The 477 million young people in the eight countries of the region represent 26 per cent of the world’s youth population, making this group the second largest regional youth population after Asia-Pacific. India’s 345 million young people account for nearly three-quarters of South Asian youth. With youth constituting nearly 28 per cent of the region’s population, South Asia has the largest youth bulge among all the regions. Only the Maldives is an upper-middle-income country in South Asia, while the others are low or lower-middleincome countries. South Asia ranks eighth out of the nine regions, with scores in the domains of Education, Employment and Opportunity and Civic Participation that are lower than the global average for these domains. Suriname, Peru and Guyana also improved their overall YDI score by more than 5 per cent between 2010 and 2015. Suriname made significant progress in both the Employment and Opportunity and Health and Well-being domains, with a larger proportion than previously of youth who have an Figure 2.20 shows the regional YDI change in South Asia between 2010 and 2015. Between 2010 and 2015, South Asian countries made slow progress in youth development, improving their YDI scores by slightly less than 3 per cent. There were significant gains in the domains of Employment and Figure 2.20  Regional YDI change in South Asia, 2010–2015 1 0.8 5 Improvement 2 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 Civic Participation Education 0.3 5 Improved 2 Deteriorated 1 No change Source: Commonwealth Secretariat Employment & Opportunity 0.2 Health & Well-being Political Participation 0.1 0 2010 YDI overall score 2011 Source: Commonwealth Secretariat 2012 2013 2014 2015 \ 53