GCC Statistical Center: Youth and Young Adults Account for 20% of Gulf Population in 2025

The Statistical Center of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries reported that the number of adolescents and youth aged 10 to 24 in the GCC states reached approximately 12.8 million in 2025, accounting for 20 percent of the total population.

In a statistical bulletin issued on Tuesday to mark the GCC Adolescent and Youth Health Day, which fell on September 30, the Center stated that this proportion “reflects the significant demographic size of this group and its role as an influential human foundation for the future of the region’s countries.”

The Center noted that GCC countries achieved a 100 percent rate in providing basic health services to adolescents and youth, surpassing the global average of 68 percent, which “demonstrates the expanded scope of basic health coverage targeted at this group in the GCC states.”

It further highlighted that the GCC countries also achieved a 100 percent rate in implementing essential national frameworks for adolescents and youth, compared to a global average of 84 percent, “highlighting the existence of supportive national frameworks and regulations addressing adolescent and youth health issues in the GCC states.”

The Center emphasized that these indicators reflect two main levels of attention to adolescent and youth health: the first involves the availability of basic health services, while the second pertains to the presence of essential national frameworks that provide a supportive structure to protect the health of this group and enhance their access to care and health services.

In this regard, the Center stressed the importance of continuing to invest in the health of younger generations, strengthening prevention and health awareness, developing services targeted at them, and supporting national policies and regulations that respond to their health needs, thereby contributing to building a healthier Gulf community capable of sustaining its development trajectory.