2016 Global Youth Development Index: Results and Analysis Figure 2.4  Change in YDI scores by region, 2010–2015 Russia & Eurasia MENA North America South Asia South America Europe Central America & Caribbean Asia-Pacific Sub-Saharan Africa Global YDI 0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% Source: Commonwealth Secretariat MENA regions saw the lowest improvement in their youth development levels. Figure 2.4 shows the percentage change in regional YDI scores between 2010 and 2015. Despite making significant progress in the last five years, Sub-Saharan Africa continues to have the lowest levels of youth development in the world in 2015, preceded by South Asia and the MENA region. All of the ten lowest-ranked countries in the 2016 YDI are from Sub-Saharan Africa. North America has the highest level of youth development, followed by Europe and Asia-Pacific. Except Australia and Japan, all other countries ranked in the top ten in the YDI are from Europe (see Table 2.1). Between 2010 and 2015 there was an improved score for 142 of the 183 countries, or 78 per cent, included in the YDI (Figure 2.2). The 2016 YDI rankings for all the 183 countries are provided in Chapter 6 (see Table 6.1). All domains in the YDI improved from 2010 and 2015 worldwide, with gains in Civic Participation being the largest followed by Political Participation, Employment and Opportunity, Health and Wellbeing, then Education (Figure 2.3). Table 2.1  The countries with the highest and lowest 2016 YDI rank in the world Global YDI rank The ten highestranked countries Proportion of 15–29-year-olds (20% < youth bulge) Global YDI rank The ten lowestranked countries Proportion of 15–29-year-olds (20% < youth bulge) 1 Germany 17% 174 Mali 26% 2 Denmark 19% 175 Democratic Republic of the Congo 27% 3 Australia 21% 176 Zambia 28% 4 Switzerland 19% 177 Mozambique 27% 5 UK 18% 178 Guinea-Bissau 28% 6 Netherlands 18% 179 Equatorial Guinea 27% 7 Austria 19% 180 Niger 24% 8 Luxembourg 16% 181 Côte d’Ivoire 28% 9 Portugal 15% 182 Chad 28% 10 Japan 17% 183 Central African Republic 29% \ 31