Despite a succession of shocks since 2020, the global economy has held up remarkably well—so far. But the margin for error is dwindling. Total global debt is now nearly 25 percent higher than it was on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic, when it already was at an all-time high. This overhang could undercut all economies’ ability to shield […]
Cities are engines of economic growth and job creation, and their future pathways will shape global development outcomes for decades to come. But the success of this transformation depends on making the right investments now—investments that strengthen essential infrastructure, unlock new jobs, and build cities that are more sustainable and resilient. The charts below visualize […]
The global economy is facing heightened uncertainty, clouding economic forecasts. In our recently launched April 2025 Middle East and North Africa Economic Update , we report that growth in MENA averaged a modest 1.9% in 2024 and is forecast to accelerate moderately to 2.6% in 2025. But growth forecasts for countries across the region are shadowed in […]
Imagine getting to work on a program that will bring internet access and digitally enabled services to 180 million people. Opportunities like these illustrate the meaningful role institutions like the World Bank, and teams across the institution like ours, can play in addressing urgent development challenges that can drastically improve people’s lives. In Eastern and […]
Floods are the costliest type of natural disaster in Europe, but little is known about whether adaptation investments such as flood defences can shield the economy. This column studies how floods affect output and prices at the sectoral level in England and the effect of adaptation investments. Floods affect sectors differently, acting as both supply […]
21 Apr 2025 Safe assets are the building blocks of modern financial markets. This column examines the sectoral dynamics of safe assets across advanced economies since the 1980s. It shows that foreign demand for these assets has steadily increased, with the financial sector playing a key role in meeting it. However, because financial institutions often […]
