Gen Z protests: Why are Asia's youth so angry? DW 10/14/2025

"Over the past two months, Gen Z-led demonstrations have convulsed parts of South and Southeast Asia from Kathmandu to Jakarta, from Dili to Manila. While Nepalese demonstrations brought down the country's government, the most recent youth-led protests across Southeast Asia have been less cataclysmic, although they have forced the authorities to make rare concessions on tackling elite perks and corruption. The spark differs by country, but the kindling is the same: Stagnant prospects for young people, widening inequality, and a daily feed of elite privilege on Gen Z's phone screens."

"A new World Bank update this month underscores the mood across the continent. One in seven young people in China and Indonesia is unemployed, and much of the region's job creation has shifted from factories to lower-paid services, eroding the ladder that once pulled millions into the middle class. Strikingly, the "vulnerable-to-poverty" group, in which the young are overrepresented, is now larger than the middle class in most Southeast Asian economies."

"Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights and Labor Advocates, told DW that it's no mystery why so many recent protests are youth-led flashy social media posts flaunting elite wealth, often seen as the spoils of government corruption, are fueling their anger. "The absolute failure of governments across the region to address the yawning gap between the richest and the poorest means there is fertile ground for protests by young people who believe they have nothing to lose by heading out on the streets," Roberston said."

Gen Z-led demonstrations have spread across South and Southeast Asia, from Kathmandu to Jakarta, driven by stagnant job prospects, widening inequality, and visible elite privilege. Nepal's youth protests toppled a government, while other movements secured rare concessions on elite perks and corruption. A World Bank update shows one in seven young people in China and Indonesia is unemployed and job creation has shifted toward lower-paid services, weakening pathways into the middle class. The "vulnerable-to-poverty" group now outnumbers the middle class in much of Southeast Asia, leaving many young people feeling they have little to lose.

Read at www.dw.com