Young Lives is a unique longitudinal study of poverty and inequality following the lives of 12,000 children in Ethiopia, India (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), Peru and Vietnam since 2002.  Over two decades of research, Young Lives has generated unmatched insights into the dynamics of poverty and inequality in the lives of the children, from their early years, through adolescence, and into young adulthood.

25 Years, Four Countries: The Young Lives Legacy Reports

Young Lives has released a new series of Legacy Reports, synthesizing over two decades of longitudinal research from Ethiopia, India (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), Peru, and Vietnam. These reports provide a comprehensive evidence base on how poverty and inequality affect the life courses of children and young people across diverse contexts. Young Lives’ unique mixed-method, longitudinal research offers a comprehensive, life-course perspective on how children develop over time. It explores skills development, learning progress, and educational outcomes, as well as the long-term effects of poor health and nutrition—including impacts on mental health. The research also examines family life, school-to-work transitions, labour market participation, and employment in low- and middle-income countries, following individuals from infancy into adulthood.

The Intergenerational Impact of Conflict in Ethiopia: When conflict broke out in northern Ethiopia in 2020, Young Lives was the only longitudinal study positioned to collect real-time data in Tigray and Amhara. Four years later, new evidence from the University of Oxford details the devastating long-term consequences of conflict on two generations of young people, emphasizing that the effects of such crises can last for decades. As conflicts continue to escalate in the Middle East and around the world – including rising tensions in northern Ethiopia – new evidence from the University of Oxford shows that, beyond the immediate devastation, the impact of war on young people can last for decades, affecting mental health, education, employment and even the next generation. 

New Policy Brief: Strengthening Resilience in Ethiopia: A new policy brief examines strategies for supporting young people during periods of polycrisis. Young Lives’ sixth wave of qualitative research (Qual 6) provides vital insights into how young people’s lives are changing as they navigate multiple intersecting crises, including the impacts of conflict, COVID-19, climate change, high inflation and rising living costs, and how these challenges have affected their health and well-being, and that of their children and families.