Lancet Commission: Action needed to address rising threats to young people’s health and wellbeing

Greater investments in the health and wellbeing of adolescents (people aged 10 to 24) would yield a “triple dividend” of benefits by improving young people’s lives today, improving their health as adults, and positively impacting their children. This is one of the calls to action in the second Lancet Commission on adolescent health and wellbeing which has been published on May 10, 2025.

However, the report notes that the health and wellbeing of adolescents face substantial risks. Their progress has fallen behind that of younger children, and they are increasingly impacted by non-communicable diseases and mental health disorders, within the challenging context of climate change, urbanization, and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The analysis projects that by 2030, more than one billion of the world’s adolescents will live in countries “where preventable and treatable health problems like HIV/AIDS, early pregnancy, unsafe sex, depression, poor nutrition and injury collectively threaten the health and wellbeing of adolescents.”

“The report highlights the importance of investing in the lives of young people, providing them with opportunities to reach their potential and become the leaders of tomorrow,” said Dr. Jennifer Requejo from Johns Hopkins University and the Global Financing Facility, who represented Countdown to 2030 on the commission.  “It spotlights areas for action for all key stakeholders, recommendations to hold us all to account for providing adolescents with the services they need to thrive, and ideas for addressing challenges on the horizon for young people including ways to increase adolescent participation in activities that impact their lives.”

Read the current report and the 2016 report

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