Over 10 percent of Vietnamese youths have not graduated from elementary school, according to a national report released by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday.

The report was unveiled during a conference on sharing international experience in making youth development policies, co-hosted by the ministry and the United Nations Population Fund in Vietnam.

According to the report, as of 2014, the number of youths from 16 to 30 years of age in Vietnam was 25 million, accounting for 27.7 percent of the total population.

Among these, only 4.3 percent, or just over one million, have a university degree, while an alarming 10.7 percent, or 2.6 million, have not passed elementary school.

Youths who have only finished junior high school make up the largest group of 33.8 percent, or 8.5 million.

The report also indicated a gap in educational levels across different regions, economic backgrounds, and ethnicities.

Speaking at the conference, Minister of Home Affairs Nguyen Trong Thua underlined the central role of youths in the future of the nation, “whose growth is both the goal and force in ensuring its stability and sustainable development.”

Several Vietnamese and foreign scholars also gave presentations on the issue at the conference.

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