Definition of Youth

The Conception of State Youth Policy (1998) defines youth as between 16-30 years.

ARM

Marriageable Age

  • Opposite Sex
  • Same Sex
  • Without parental consent
  • with parental consent
  • Male
  • 18
  • --
  • --
  • Female
  • 17
  • --
  • --



    • No data for marriageable age with parental consent. No specific legislation for same-sex marriage Source: UNSD, ILGA

Candidacy Age

Criminal Responsibility

14
Minimum Age
Source:  Criminal Code of Armenia
(2003)

Majority Age

18

Source: The Law of the Republic of Armenia on the Child’s Rights (1996)

Voting Age

18


Source:  Inter-Parliamentary Union

Situation of Young People

Youth Development Index

0.69
66 out of 170 countries.

Literacy Rates

99.73%
Both sexes (15-24) %
  • 99.66% Male (15-24) %
  • 99.81% Female (15-24) %

Net Enrolment Rate

Secondary School
82.70%
Both sexes %
  • 76.50%Male %
  • 90.70% Female %

Situation of Young People

Prevalence of HIV

0.1%
Male (15-24) %
0.1%
Female (15-24) %

Tobacco Use

Consumed any smokeless or smoking tobacco product at least once 30 days prior to the survey.
7.30%
Both sexes (13-15) %
  • 10.90% Male (13-15) %
  • 4.30% Female (13-15) %
  • Year: 2010
  • Source: WHO

Policy & Legislation

Is there a national youth policy?
Yes
A 1998 concept is underpinned by a 2013-2017 youth policy strategy. Reviews from 2009 and 2011 exist.

The 2013-17 Strategy for the State Youth Policy of the Republic of Armenia (2012) builds on the Conception of State Youth Policy (1998) and presents specific outputs, funding and implementation dates. The 2012 strategy is based on research studies including the National Youth Report of Armenia (2011) and Aspirations and Expectations of the Youth of Armenia (2012) by UNDP. The Deputy Minister of Sport and Youth commented that previous studies were based on little research. According to Youth.am in November 2012, the strategy prioritises,

[p]articipation, employment, social and economic issues, reinforcement of a healthy lifestyle and increase of spiritual-cultural values-these are the main directions established in the strategy.

Previous youth strategies include the Youth Policy Strategies of 2005-2007 and 2008-2012.

Public Institutions

Is there a governmental authority
(ministry, department or office) that is primarily responsible for youth?
Yes
The Ministry of Sports & Youth Affairs has responsibility for youth and includes a Department for Youth Policy. According to a 2011 Council of Europe review of youth policy, a Council on Youth Affairs was established in 2000 consisting of youth NGOs and state bodies. It was restructured in 2010 and is "developing its work plans, working groups and codes of conduct.” Additionally, a Youth Affairs Specialist is now established within local government.

Youth and Representation

Does the country have a national youth organisation / association (council, platform, body)?
Yes
The National Youth Council of Armenia (NYCA) is an umbrella organisation for over 70 youth organisations and exists,

to be a platform of communication, cognition and cooperations [sic] of youth, also a stage for freely expressing thoughts and opinions. Our organization protects the interests of youth and publicizes their opinions.

Campaigns have encompassed health, social, cultural and spiritual issues. The NYCA has been a full member of the European Youth Forum since 2002.

Budget & Spending

What is the budget allocated to the governmental authority (ministry, department or office) that is primarily responsible for youth and/or youth programming?
AMD 611.5 million
USD 1.5 million
According to the 2013 state budget, youth programmes are allocated AMD 611.5 million (USD 1.5 million). Additionally, in April 2013 Youth.am reported that the national youth policy will distribute AMD 67 million (USD 165,579) to NGOs implementing the strategy. According to the World Bank, Armenia spent 11.72% of its government expenditure and 3.11% of its GDP on education provision in 2011.
Total Expenditure on Education as a Percentage of Government Spending and GDP

  • % of GDP
  • % of gov. expenditure

Source: World Bank
Gaps indicate missing data from the original data source. (Accessed August 2013).

Additional Background

Reviews of Youth Policies and youth work in the countries of South East Europe, Eastern Europe & Caucasus – Armenia (2011)notes potential issues with current youth policy:

The serious pitfall of the National Youth Policy sphere in Armenia is the absence of the systematized evaluation of its effectiveness. Fragmentary evaluations are made by state structures, YNGOs and the Council of Youth Affairs by the Prime Minister, but a structured and periodical mechanism of Youth Policy evaluation and assessment needs to be developed.

One of the negative tendencies is the increasing “politisation” of the youth policy sphere. The youth policy structures were traditionally a politics-free zone and the YNGO sector was promoting this situation through its lobbing efforts. This was giving a possibility to secure the National Youth Policy from the effects of numerous political changes that were happening in the Republic. But last couple of years due to increasing political confrontations between different political parties, there is a tendency to give a political color to youth policy as well. More and more issues relating to the National Youth Policy are discussed in political couloirs before reaching the youth sector, which is negatively affecting the trust of YNGOs (especially the vast majority of non-political YNGOs) towards the National Youth Policy.

A UNFPA report (2011) showed a significant preference in families for male children:

Despite the positive findings, however, the report does bring to light an alarming trend in Armenian society. In particular, the study suggests that the general public prefers having boys much more than having girls – roughly six times more. Not surprisingly, this preference tends to be bigger in rural areas. According to the report, 0.8 per cent of 900,000 Armenian women of reproductive age have had a sex selective abortion in the last five years.  This amounts to the loss of 1400 potential mothers every year in Armenia.

A British Council release indicated,

Government statistics indicate that a gender imbalance in births has existed since the early 1990s, but the trend has become more visible in recent years. The State Statistical Service of Armenia reports that 23,800 boys and 20,900 girls were born in 2010, working out to a rate of about 114 male births for every 100 female births. In 2009, 23,600 boys and 20,700 girls were born, marking approximately the same birth ratio as in 2010.