| Summary: | Adolescence (defined here as 10 to 19 years of age) is a time of transition that fosters both challenges and opportunities. Choices made during adolescence not only have immediate consequences but also greatly influence the economic opportunities, health outcomes, and skill sets attained later in life. Yet adolescence is also a period when social norms create pathways defined largely by gender. During adolescence, gendered roles and responsibilities often create opportunities for males, but curtail them for girls. Zambia's persistently high fertility combined with decreasing mortality is not only causing high population growth but also creating a large share of youth dependents, giving way to higher dependency ratios which result in low investments in human capital and productivity. In Zambia, adolescents make up a substantial 24 percent of the population, and the already large number of adolescents is expected to more than double in the upcoming decades from 3.7 million to 9.8 million in 2050, adding challenges for society to provide health, education and job training services to prepare them for a productive future
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