BEIJING — China scored a good ranking in a global youth development index last year, demonstrating the progress the country has made in this regard, a Chinese official said on April 21.

China ranked 23rd among 85 countries in the International Youth Sustainable Development Index Report 2021, a position higher than those of the country in per capita GDP and Human Development Index rankings, said He Junke, first secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China.

He made the remarks at a press conference held for the release of China's first white paper on youth, titled "Youth of China in the New Era."

This is attributed to the advantages of China's system and its right youth development philosophy, he added.

There are still some areas that require further improvements, such as the accessibility and quality of education and public services, among others, he said.

The index was released by a joint research group formed by China Youth and Children Research Center, China International Youth Exchange Center, the Center for Youth Moral Education at Tsinghua University, and the Research Center for Contemporary China at Peking University.