Mass protests in Nepal and Madagascar toppled both governments this year, even when the young people at the forefront of the demonstrations were faced with heavily armed police and the threat of arrest.
Many called 2025 the year of the protest although the revolution in Bangladesh in 2024 that unseated the authoritarian leader Sheikh Hasina is often credited with inspiring young people to take to the streets across parts of Asia and Africa. Although not all achieved the change they wanted, from Sri Lanka to Timor-Leste they shared a common factor: gen Z was the driving force.
