"Global adolescent health can only be improved if we are able to track progress towards health targets. This is only possible through harmonised and consistent measurement"
Background
Adolescents – young people aged 10 and 19 years – play a crucial role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. They represent over 16% of the global population, and investments in adolescents now will also benefit their future adult lives and their future children.
Measurement of health behaviours and determinants, outcomes, and policy and programme implementation is essential to track progress towards improving adolescent health and well-being. However, the measurement landscape has been inconsistent and incomplete in the past.
To address these issues and improve alignment and capacity for adolescent health and well-being measurement, WHO, in collaboration with the UN H6+ partnership agencies (UNAIDS, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women, the World Bank Group, and the World Food Programme (WFP), has established the Global Action for Measurement of Adolescent health (GAMA) Advisory Group in 2018.
Aim and objectives of the GAMA Advisory Group
The overarching aim of the GAMA Advisory Group is to support the strengthening and harmonization of global, regional and national measurement of adolescent health and well-being, advancing evidence-based action.
Specific objectives are to advise WHO and UN H6+ partners on:
- the dissemination, utilization, and measurement of the GAMA-recommended indicators at global, regional and national levels, and their periodic update to address emerging challenges;
- strategies to identify and address measurement gaps in adolescent health and well-being;
- continued alignment of global, regional and national measurement efforts.
The adolescent health indicators recommended by GAMA
The GAMA Advisory Group guided a structured, 5-year process to select a comprehensive set of adolescent health and well-being indicators. These 47 indicators are applicable to all adolescent population subgroups.
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Download the Policy brief
This guidance document presents the 47 indicators for adolescent health and well-being measurement recommended by GAMA. They span across programmes, policies and laws; systems performance and interventions; social, cultural, economic, educational and environmental health determinants; health behaviours and risks; subjective well-being; and health outcomes and conditions.
The document outlines how to measure the indicators and how bringing this information together will help benchmark progress, identify priorities for action, and allocate resources efficiently.
Access the Indicator metadata information: Adolescent health indicators in the Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Ageing and Quality of Care Indicator Metadata Toolkit.
The adolescent health indicators recommended by GAMA - Improving adolescent health benefits today, for decades to come, and for future generations.
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From data to action
In May 2025, WHO, PMNCH and partners published Guidance for countries to assess adolescent health and well-being.
This guidance supports countries in strengthening and using data on adolescent health and well-being for effective decision-making and action. It includes a detailed document and an Excel-based data tool that together support the identification, compilation, visualization, and utilization of country-level data on adolescents, as well as the assessment of government actions and policies to improve adolescent health and well-being.
The guidance is built around the GAMA-recommended indicators and the UN H6+ Adolescent Well-being Framework.
Events
Launch of the GAMA-recommended indicators
12:00-13:00 Washington DC
18:00-19:00 Copenhagen / Geneva
19:00-20:00 Cairo
21:30-22:30 New Delhi
00:00-01:00 Manila
For more information about attending in person please email gama@who.int
Peer-reviewed publications
Advances in Adolescent Health Measurement: Indicators Recommended by the Global Action For Measurement of Adolescent Health.
Journal of Adolescent Health, Volume 74, Issue 6, Supplement, June 2024, Pages A1-A6, S1-S94
Priority Indicators for Adolescent Health Measurement
The Importance of Mental Health Measurement to Improve Global Adolescent Health
A call for standardised age-disaggregated health data
A Scoping Review of Adolescent Health Indicators
Related links
- Global Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents (AA-HA!)
- Adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights
- Adolescent health country profiles
- WHO technical consultation on indicators for adolescent health
- Health promoting schools
- Global School-based Student Health Survey
- Global Youth Tobacco Survey
- Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent’s Health 2016-2030
- WHO Maternal, newborn, child and adolescent policy indicators
- WHO Global Health Estimates
- WHO Global Health Observatory
Related WHO teams
Related health topics