SANEM-AAB Policy Brief on Youth Survey 2025: Tracking Perceptions on Reforms, Skills, Jobs, and Education
Citation: Raihan, S., Hasan, E., & Tasneem, S. (2026). Youth Survey 2025: Tracking Perceptions on Reforms, Skills, Jobs, and Education. SANEM-ActionAid Bangladesh Policy Brief. April 2026. SANEM Publications. Dhaka.
Bangladesh stands at a defining crossroads in its demographic transition with over one-third of the population being youth — representing both its greatest asset and its most pressing policy challenge. Despite sustained economic growth over the past decade, the labour market continues to fail young people. Youth unemployment runs at more than double the national average, over 8.5 million young people are classified as NEET and unemployment rates climb even higher among tertiary-educated youth. These trends expose a deep structural disconnect between the education system and the demands of a rapidly evolving economy. The July 2024 student-led movement, sparked by long-standing discontent over the civil service quota system, marked a turning point in the political consciousness of Bangladeshi youth. It has fundamentally reordered youth expectations of the state, generating strong and measurable aspirations for reform in education, employment, governance, and institutional accountability. Drawing on two rounds of nationwide youth surveys covering over 2,000 respondents, this policy brief presents evidence on youth preparedness for work, career aspirations, migration intentions, political awareness and reform priorities. With the demographic dividend window expected to close by 2035-36, the findings reflect that the cost of delay or inaction is no longer abstract. Delayed or fragmented reforms risk converting post-July momentum into lasting disengagement and transforming Bangladesh’s greatest demographic asset into its most consequential missed opportunity.