These guidelines were produced to assist development practitioners in overcoming a series of challenges associated to carrying out assessments of the state of youth financial inclusion at country level. The aim is to provide a series of concrete considerations related to carrying out such assessments, drawn from practical experience, while also proposing a setof standardized steps that can be followed to ensure the quality and comprehensiveness of these types of evaluations.

In developing and emerging contexts, youth of all ages and backgrounds face substantial and multidimensional challenges when seeking to access the financial services. These barriers represent a core development constraint that limits the capability of the youth to unlock their true potential as entrepreneurs, business innovators, and – ultimately – as agents of growth and change.

From the perspective of a financial inclusion practitioner, the ability to assess these barriers is fundamental to produce the policy and programme recommendations that policymakers and development agencies can leverage to design effective strategies to bolster inclusion and entrepreneurship among the youth, promoting their full potential as drivers of development.