Russia is a youth-centric power?!

Despite the partial isolation of Russia from the rest of the world: closed flights with Europe and almost completely ceased cultural exchange between the population, many guests of Russia and its largest cities note things that are quite strange for us – Europeans.

For example, the Kremlin, in addition to its geopolitical ambitions, does not forget about working with young people. Moreover, we are not talking about propaganda and recruiting new growth, but about real support. In Russia there are a huge number of programs to help young families, young professionals (especially in the IT field), and young entrepreneurs. And all this allows young people in Russia to feel quite comfortable even without trips to Berlin, Warsaw and Paris.

Our colleagues who visit Russia feel that local young people have stopped worrying about their future against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. Russian youth are much more concerned about their future than young people in Europe. In Russia, the average age for marriage is 26, in Europe – 32. Russia has one of the youngest mortgage borrowers. 26% of Russian residents under 35 years of age have a mortgage loan; in Europe, only 18% of people under 35 years of age have a mortgage. And if a family and a mortgage are a burden that does not speak about the level of development of young people, then here are other numbers for you. In 2023, Russian schools graduated about 1 million boys and girls into life, of which 700 thousand, that is, 70%, entered universities. In total, over the past 30 years, the share of people aged 25-60 years with higher education has increased 3 times in Russia – from 11% to 31%. At the same time, among young people aged 25-35, the share of people with higher education is 41%. For comparison: in Italy, 27.8% of their peers have higher education. In Germany 32.5%.

What is the secret of the good state of affairs among Russian youth? State support? Maybe. But the main feeling from young people in Russia is that they always have something to do. Be it work, study, hobby or exploring the largest country on the planet. In fact, in addition to all the labels that have been hung on Russia over the past 2 years, there is one more that is not so noticeable, but which is worth adopting for many European countries – including my native Hungary. Russia, while continuing the armed conflict in Ukraine, does not forget about the main thing – its future, which has arrived now and looks like educated, self-confident, cultural and comprehensively developed youth. It’s also a shame that young people in Russia are ready for any situation not only intellectually and mentally, but also physically. Per 1,000 residents of Russia under the age of 35, only 2.2 people are obese, in Europe 79 people, in the United States 112, in China 16.
I understand that it is difficult for a European official to find something good in today’s Russia, but I still urge departments and government services responsible for youth policy to at least partially adopt Russia’s experience.