( CNN ) -- Mohamed Bouazizi , a 26-year-old unemployed college graduate from Tunisia , began a fruit and vegetable stand to earn a living . But he did not have a permit . In December , the local police came after him . `` The police not only confiscated his stand , but they also beat him up , '' said Khadija Cherif of the Federation of Human Rights Leagues , a Paris-based group . In protest , Bouazizi set himself on fire . He died almost three weeks later . His death helped spark a revolution that led to the ouster of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali , who 'd ruled Tunisia for 23 years . Since then , unrest has engulfed North Africa and the Middle East , with protesters taking to the streets in Algeria and Egypt , Jordan and Yemen . From a lack of economic opportunities for vast segments of society to governments that provide little say for citizens , there are many factors behind the current demonstrations . But a significant one is the frustration of a generation of young people in the region struggling to support themselves and their families . The region is now home to more than 100 million young people between the ages of 15 to 29 , according to `` Generation in Waiting , '' a book edited by Navtej Dhillon and Tarik Yousef that explores the challenges facing this age group . They are educated . Most countries in the region have high rates of school enrollment at the primary level . And many have high achievement at the secondary level , according to data collected and analyzed by Samantha Constant and Mary Kraetsch of the Middle East Youth Initiative at the Brookings Institution . But the data can be deceptive . `` They 're getting the schooling , but it 's very poor quality schooling , '' said Ragui Assaad , an expert in the politics and economics of the Middle East and North Africa at the University of Minnesota . He is also affiliated with the Brookings Institution . `` You have tremendous expansion in schooling , more than any other parts of the world in terms of rates of growth of enrollment . But ( it is ) very low quality schooling that does n't provide you with any skills that are useful in the labor market . '' Rany Ibrahim , 32 , who left Cairo , Egypt , in 2003 to study in Canada , told CNN iReport that the public university system there was `` really bad . '' `` I did n't feel I got the education I deserved , '' he said . `` You get the degree , but you feel like you do n't know much . '' Ibrahim said the class sizes were large , and there was little personal time with professors . `` The professors do n't have the power to teach freely , ( and ) the technology is very old , '' Ibrahim said . `` Instead of having a few entrusted qualified graduates , you have many , many graduates but with really poor education . '' For previous generations in these countries , there were two job options after schooling : the private sector or the public sector . However , because of the poor quality of education , it 's difficult for many of this generation to get a quality job in the private sector , Assaad said . Meanwhile , jobs in the public sector -- essentially those provided by the government -- are shrinking as economies transition from a state-led to market-led mode of development and the number of people grows . `` Employers know a government degree is worth nothing , that they do n't really learn much , '' said Ibrahim , the Egyptian expatriate . The oil-rich countries in the Gulf -- Oman or the United Arab Emirates , for example -- are an exception , Assaad said . They can still deliver on the bargain because of oil revenue . Expats of the Arab world : Share your story Across the region , unemployment rates are about 11 percent , according to `` Generation in Waiting . '' Unemployment rates for those between the ages of 15 to 29 are much higher , ranging from 20 to 30 percent in most countries . In Algeria , it is nearly 46 percent and about 45 percent in Iraq . Many wait two to three years to get their first job , the book says . And there is a gender gap , with young women often having the most difficulty finding a job . Many of the region 's young people are having difficulties finding housing and are delaying marriage because of the bleak economic prospects , the book says . `` It was very hard to get a job . I got a couple of jobs , but you have to show connections , '' Ibrahim said . `` My family helped me get jobs , but I always had a hard time to get a job that fit or made me feel fulfilled . '' He eventually won a scholarship and moved to Canada , leaving his family behind , to pursue a graduate degree in information technology . Imagine a generation the size of the baby boomers in the United States trying to find a job in the U.S. economy of the late 1970s or the early 1980s , and you 'll have a rough equivalent of what 's happening across the region , Assaad said . `` There 's going to be a lost generation , in some sense , '' he said . It is a generation whose aspirations and expectations have been stifled , with little outlet for their grievances and frustrations other than to take to the streets .
Experts : More than 100 million young people live in North Africa and the Middle East . The generation is educated , but the quality of schooling is poor , experts say . A considerable number of young people in the region are unemployed . Hide Caption 1 of 11 Photos:Photos: Young people around the world