Mideast 'Baby Boom' Helps Propel Anti-government Revolts

A "youth bulge" in the Middle East and North Africa, comparable to the 20th-century U.S. baby boom, has helped fuel the anti-government revolts led by young people fed up with their living conditions, the National Journal reports. Upheaval could be coming to still more countries that — like Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Bahrain — are caught between stagnant economies, authoritarian governments, and populations dominated by 15- to 29-year-olds.

Population estimates show five countries in the region with even higher proportions of people in the 15-29 age range than the four in which uprisings have occurred: Syria, Algeria, and Oman (31 percent); Qatar and Iran (34 percent).


The youth bulge compounds already difficult conditions in that part of the world, write Middle East watchers Edward Sayre and Samantha Constant: “Most immediately, the burgeoning number of Middle Eastern youth has added significant pressures to the region’s education and health care systems, natural resources, and labor markets.”