What drove gen Z protests that brought down governments and called out corruption? Five activists explain

We spoke to protesters in Togo, Kenya, Nepal, Madagascar and Morocco about how their actions helped shape the world in 2025

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ass 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.

Defined as the demographic group born roughly between 1997 and 2012 into a world of climate uncertainty and social media, gen Z is often labelled “generation anxiety”; for many in the global south, the protests against corruption and autocratic governments were rooted in fears about their futures.