The 1.8-billion adolescents worldwide – more than ever before in human history – can help to propel their countries’ economies, provided that Governments invest in education, health care and jobs for them, a new report released by the United Nations shows.

The State of World Population 2014, produced by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), finds that the potential economic gains to countries with large populations of youth 10 to 24 years old would be realized through a “demographic dividend,” which can occur when a county’s working age population is larger than the population that is dependent and younger.

To maximize the dividend, however, countries must ensure that their young working-age populations are equipped to seize opportunities for jobs and other income-earning possibilities.