The world’s adolescent population stands at a critical juncture, facing an unprecedented array of health challenges that threaten to undermine progress made over the past decades. According to a recent comprehensive analysis emerging from the second Lancet Commission on adolescent health and wellbeing, more than one billion young people—nearly half of the global adolescent cohort—will still reside in countries by 2030 where their health is imperiled by a constellation of preventable and treatable conditions. This “multi-burden” classification highlights the persistent presence of issues including HIV/AIDS, early pregnancy, unsafe sexual practices, depression, malnutrition, and injury, which collectively impose a heavy toll on youth development and future prospects.
While the last ten years have yielded optimistic improvements in some areas—such as declining tobacco and alcohol consumption and increased educational participation, particularly among young women—these successes are undermined by rising rates of obesity-related illnesses and mental health disorders worldwide. These adverse trends are apparent across both developed and developing regions, illuminating the complex and uneven nature of global adolescent health advancement. The newly released analysis underscores the deeply interconnected threats facing today’s youth, including the compounded effects of environmental changes and the digital revolution, both of which exert profound influence on mental and physical wellbeing.
Emerging from a rigorous literature review and extensive data evaluation, this Lancet Commission report draws attention to the unprecedented environmental context inhabited by the current generation of adolescents. They are the first to grow up entirely within an era of intensifying climate instability, characterized by higher average global temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events. Scientific models predict that by the close of this century, 1.9 billion adolescents will face a world approximately 2.8°C warmer than pre-industrial baselines—a scenario fraught with dire health implications such as heat-induced illnesses, diminished food and water security, and escalated mental health disorders precipitated by climate-related trauma and chronic ecological stress.
The mental health dimension reveals a particularly concerning trajectory. Data suggests a marked decline in adolescent mental wellbeing over the past 30 years, a trend noticeably aggravated by the socio-economic and psychological disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Commission projects that by 2030, youth will experience a loss of 42 million healthy life years attributable to mental disorders and suicide, representing a significant escalation from figures observed in 2015. This escalation is compounded by societal factors and emerging stressors inherent to a rapidly digitizing world, where virtual interactions and social media presence significantly shape adolescent experiences—both positively in fostering connection and negatively by potentially exacerbating psychological distress.
The obesity epidemic among adolescents compounds these health risks, with alarming projections indicating that nearly one-third of young people in high-income countries, Latin America, and the Middle East will be classified as overweight by 2030. Globally, this translates to approximately 464 million adolescents facing overweight or obesity—an increase of 143 million since 2015. This escalation strains healthcare systems and forebodes a surge in chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular conditions later in life, amplifying the urgency for multidimensional prevention strategies including nutritional interventions, physical activity promotion, and systemic policy initiatives.
Demographic analyses within the report emphasize Africa’s expanding role in shaping the future landscape of adolescent health. Currently constituting under a quarter of the global adolescent population, the continent’s share is expected to nearly double by the end of the century, accounting for more than 46% of adolescents worldwide. This demographic shift mandates targeted investments and policy attention directed toward addressing the unique health challenges faced by African youth, whose disproportionate burden of disease and limited access to development aid highlight systemic inequities in global health resource allocation.
Funding for adolescent health remains critically inadequate given the scale of need. Despite adolescents comprising a quarter of the global population and shouldering 9.1% of the total disease burden, they receive a meager 2.4% of global development assistance for health. This stark disparity reflects broader systemic gaps in governance and prioritization, which the Commission identifies as major barriers to progress. It also highlights the necessity for enhanced leadership, accountability mechanisms, and strategic investment to catalyze effective adolescent health programs worldwide.
Innovatively, this second Lancet Commission integrates the perspectives and leadership of adolescents themselves, co-led by Youth Commissioners aged 23 to 35 from diverse global backgrounds. Their involvement underscores a paradigm shift toward meaningful youth engagement in shaping research, policy, and solutions. Over 200 adolescents from 36 countries contributed to Youth Solution Labs, helping to identify priorities and develop actionable recommendations that promise greater relevance and responsiveness to the lived experiences of young people.
The report also throws light on the paradox of the digital age: while technology facilitates social connection, education, access to information, and health promotion opportunities, the mental health impact of digital socialization warrants cautious scrutiny. Although conclusive evidence on causality remains elusive, concerns over social media’s potential negative effects on adolescent psychological development inspire calls for balanced policies that protect without overly restricting digital access, thereby fostering resilience and safe online environments.
One of the report’s most profound contributions is its holistic ecological framing—the recognition that adolescent health cannot be disentangled from the broader environmental context. As highlighted by Commissioner Dr. Aaron Jenkins, safeguarding the planet’s health through biodiversity conservation and climate action is integral to nurturing the potential of young populations. This co-benefit approach advocates for interventions that simultaneously advance adolescent wellbeing and ecological integrity, providing an innovative blueprint for sustainable and equitable policy frameworks.
To counteract these challenges, the Commission advocates for intensified, targeted investments in adolescent health systems that encompass universal healthcare access and reinforce educational institutions as pivotal sites for health promotion. Schools, in particular, offer critical infrastructure to deliver preventive services, nutritional programs, and psychosocial support. Such investments are underscored by compelling evidence indicating that returns on adolescent health promotion rival those of early childhood interventions and surpass investments directed solely at adult health outcomes.
The urgency of these recommendations is heightened by the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated existing vulnerabilities and strained health and social systems worldwide. The pandemic’s legacies reverberate through adolescent mental health crises, educational disruptions, and widened inequities, illustrating the fragile interdependence of global health and social structures. Resetting trajectories toward adolescent wellbeing thus requires a concerted, multipronged approach integrating health, education, environment, and youth empowerment.
In closing, this second Lancet Commission delivers a clarion call to the global community: without deliberate policy focus, funding realignment, and meaningful youth participation, the future health and potential of more than a billion adolescents remain imperiled. Its findings illuminate both the complex barriers and the transformative opportunities inherent in this pivotal life stage, urging stakeholders to innovate boldly and invest decisively in health systems that embrace ecological sustainability and social justice as foundational principles.
Subject of Research: People
Article Title: A call to action: a second Lancet commission on adolescent health and wellbeing
News Publication Date: 20-May-2025
Web References:
https://www.thelancet.com/commissions/adolescent-health-and-wellbeing
https://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-2021
References:
[1] The Lancet Commission on adolescent health and wellbeing, 2016
[2] Global Burden of Disease Study, 2021
[3] Definition of multi-burden countries as countries with >2,500 Disability Adjusted Life Years per 100,000 adolescents due to communicable, maternal or nutritional diseases
[4] Systematic review on climate change and adolescent wellbeing (Appendix 12)
[5] Analysis of development assistance for health (Appendix 7)
Keywords: Health and medicine, Adolescents
