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poverty Education Featured World

Behind the numbers: How we measure global poverty

Did you know? According to the latest estimates from the World Bank’s Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP), 831 million people worldwide live in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $3.00 per day. But how is this number derived? Where does the data come from? In this blog, we take you behind the scenes. To understand how the World […]

Technology Featured Finance Global

AI may boost output but fuel divergence between rich and poor countries, IMF chief says

“If we were to extract that kind of boost of growth that would be very significant for the world,” IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said during the IMF and World Bank annual meetings in Washington. Booming investment in artificial intelligence, concentrated mostly in the U.S., could contribute between 0.1% and 0.8% to global growth, but […]

Economy Banking Featured Finance World

Engaging in Good SPIRIT: Advancing Corporate Governance Reforms of State-Owned Enterprises in Sarawak, Malaysia

In 2022, the World Bank and Sarawak State in Malaysia launched a State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) Transformation Program that was based on a systematic corporate governance review requested by the state. The initiative addressed issues raised by the Auditor General, including SOEs financial weaknesses, low dividends, poor governance, and limited state oversight. The reform focused on three areas: […]

Finance Business Economy Featured tax

Many paths to jobs: New World Bank Group Scorecard insights

Two years ago, the World Bank Group launched a revamped Scorecard not as another report but as a promise: that measuring impact would become part of how we think and work. Today, that promise is starting to take hold. The Scorecard is showing that accountability and transparency are not about compliance—they are tools that help us make better […]

Agriculture Environment Featured World

Addressing food insecurity in the Middle East and North Africa: innovations in data monitoring

Food insecurity remains a critical issue affecting millions of people across the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (MENAAP). The region faces a wide range of food security challenges—from acute conflict-related humanitarian crises in some areas to affordability concerns in others, and from high levels of economic prosperity to accompanying nutritional deficits. The food […]

Economy Climate Environment Featured

Timelines for Change: Timing Issues in Port Reforms

In port reform, timing isn’t just another detail — it represents the difference between a smooth transition and a stalled project. Master plans run for decades, political cycles run for years, and stakeholder trust is built day by day. Getting the pacing right—what changes happen when, and how fast—is often the hidden determinant of success. […]

Economy Featured Finance News

Sri Lanka economy reports 4.9% growth in second quarter

Sri Lanka’s agriculture sector grew by 2% in the second quarter from a year earlier. Sri Lanka’s economy grew 4.9% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2025, official data showed on Monday, indicating a strengthening recovery from its worst financial crisis in decades. Sri Lanka’s agriculture sector grew by 2% in the second quarter from […]

Featured Business Development Economy World

Reimagining development in fragile and conflict-affected settings

Fragility is no longer the exception. It is the new development realityFragility, conflict, and violence (FCV) are not abstract to us. They are lived realities. Today, nearly half of the world’s extremely poor live in FCV settings, and that number is rising. We have felt the impact of fragility firsthand. We have seen how it […]

Finance Banking Education Featured World

Unlocking SME growth: Key lessons from Ecuador’s loan program

Governments and development institutions spend billions to help small businesses access financing, hoping this will create jobs and support inclusive economic growth. But we don’t really know if these programs reach the firms that need help most and help them grow. In a recent paper, we evaluate a loan program in Ecuador implemented by the state […]

Education Economy Featured News World

Education is a key to jobs, growth, and lifelong learning

Education is a foundation for good jobs and the surest way out of poverty. We know a good education equips learners with important foundational skills—literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional competencies—which are essential for work and life. These skills help today’s children become tomorrow’s productive workers and enable workers to reskill or upskill later in life.   Investing […]