Youth Progress Index 2025: Youth Rights and Progress in the Eastern Partnership

The 2025 edition of the Youth Progress Index (YPI) applies a rights-based lens to evaluate the quality of life of young people and respect for their rights. This report focuses on the countries of the EU’s Eastern Partnership (EaP). The EaP, launched in 2009, is a joint initiative between the European Union (EU) and five countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine)1 in Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus. It is a supplement to the core Youth Progress Index 2025 global report.

The EaP merits focused analysis due to its unique challenges and opportunities for youth rights. This report comes at a critical moment: As the EaP countries navigate change, conflict and geopolitical tension. Across the EaP, young people face uneven recognition of their rights. The YPI reveals important areas of progress alongside reversals, providing evidence that rights can advance in hard contexts when policy and political will align. At the same time, the YPI shows that many of these rights are routinely overlooked, especially where civic space is shrinking and basic services remain uneven, leaving many without the conditions needed to fully enjoy their rights.