A country’s level of development can affect the life chances of a young person. The figures used in this chapter are for those aged 15–24 years of age. Countries use this age bracket to define ‘young people’ when carrying out large studies.
In this chapter, we compare the life chances of a young person in Ireland (a developed country) with the life chances of a young person in Nigeria (a slowly developing country) under the following headings:
Ireland
Distance 7,202 km
Nigeria Gender equality Life chances Employment opportunities
Access to healthcare
Educational opportunities
Ireland
Population: 4,749,153 Size: 84,421 km2
0.9 on HDI scale (high human development) Stage 4 of Demographic Transition Model
Being numerate:
1. What is the difference in population between the two countries? 2. What is the difference in size between the two countries?
Nigeria
Population: 191,835,936 Size: 923,768 km2
0.5 on HDI scale (low human development) Stage 2 of Demographic Transition Model
29.2 Healthcare in Ireland and
Nigeria The availability of healthcare considerably affects the life chances of a young person in every country around the world. The following table compares access to healthcare, mortality rates and life expectancy rates in Ireland and Nigeria.
