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 […]
“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 […]
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: […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
