The World Bank

Nine in ten people now live where land is degrading, air is polluted, or water is running out. But digital innovation is helping turn the tide. ➡️ Real-time alerts and mobile payments help families stay safe and recover faster. ➡️ Machine learning boosts harvests and farmer incomes. ➡️ Satellites and AI stop deforestation before it spreads. When countries go digital, they build resilience, protect nature, and open new paths for growth. Read insights from Sangbu Kim and Richard Damania.

𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧: 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝟭𝟱𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟱𝟬. The World Bank Group's new report, 𝙅𝙤𝙗𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚: 𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝘽𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙂𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙥 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝘾𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘿𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙍𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨 looks at how countries’ development prospects—and the job opportunities they offer to their people—can be impacted by climate and supported by investments in building climate resilience.  Our published Country Climate and Development Reports now cover 93 economies, representing 64 percent of the population and 77 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) of low- and middle-income countries (LICs and MICs).  Key Highlights:  𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲    ➡️  𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀: Using the new World Bank Group scorecard indicator for jobs the report finds that the equivalent of 43 million jobs could be lost by 2050 across 49 countries. Extrapolated to all developing countries, it corresponds to the loss of 260 million jobs.      ➡️ 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲:  Helping countries, communities, and companies adapt can bring net economic and job gains. By 2050, investments in adaptation could yield benefits equivalent to 150 million jobs.     These include new jobs from infrastructure development to environmental restoration, and jobs protected from climate shocks.  However, even when aggregate changes are small, countries need to prepare for significant sectoral and regional shifts, with some sectors creating new opportunities, while other sectors will decline.     ➡️ 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝘅𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 1) by enabling private-sector job creation and mobilizing private capital. 2) by removing obstacles for workers moving to new occupations and sectors. 3) by protecting vulnerable people and communities, especially the poorest.     The World Bank Group’s CCDRs support countries to countries to identify how to accelerate their development ambitions in line with their own nationally determined contributions and long-term strategies, including by unlocking new opportunities for jobs and growth.    𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲: http://wrld.bg/Hvmk50XpZyT

Growth prospects in the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (MENAAP) are improving, in line with global trends, but persistent challenges remain. Regional GDP is projected to grow by 2.8% in 2025 and 3.3% in 2026, up from 2.3% in 2024, driven by stronger-than-expected performance in Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Developing Oil Importers. The latest MENAAP Economic Update, 𝙅𝙤𝙗𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙒𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣: 𝙐𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙩, 𝙐𝙣𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙙 𝙂𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙩𝙝, shows that creating jobs and fully leveraging the workforce are key to raising living standards. Low female labor force participation remains a major barrier, and the report highlights social, legal, and economic obstacles while making a strong case for expanding women’s role in MENAAP labor markets. Key highlights: 𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 ➡️𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸: GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries are set to grow 3.5%, boosted by strong non-oil activity, while oil-importing countries may reach 3.7% thanks to consumption, investment, and rebounds in agriculture and tourism. Developing Oil Exporters face slower growth at 0.5% due to conflict and lower oil production. ➡️ 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀: Trade uncertainty has modest impact, but oil price swings could hit GCC and Developing Oil Exporters hard. Conflict remains a major barrier, disrupting trade, displacing people, and affecting over 160 million in conflict-affected economies, including 36 million near active conflict zones in 2024. 𝗝𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁, 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮, 𝗔𝗳𝗴𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗸𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻 ➡️ 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗝𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗔𝗔𝗣: The Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (MENAAP) region will see its working-age population grow by ~220 million by 2050—a 40% increase and the second largest globally. Demographic shifts, including declining fertility and rapid aging, make it urgent to harness untapped human capital. ➡️ 𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹: Only 1 in 5 working-age women currently participate in the labor market—the lowest in the world. Social norms, legal barriers, household decisions, and labor demand limit participation. Removing these constraints could raise income per capita by 20–30% in countries like Egypt, Jordan, and Pakistan. ➡️ 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵: Bold, integrated reforms and a dynamic private sector are key to breaking the cycle of low female participation and sluggish growth. No region stands to gain more from fully leveraging women’s talent. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲: http://wrld.bg/jyRq50Xnsnh

Weekly Update: ➡️ 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸: 𝗝𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵. Forests cover over 30% of the planet, and managing them sustainably can create jobs, reduce poverty, boost growth, and protect the environment. ➡️ 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀: 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. The world loses 324 billion cubic meters of freshwater each year, enough to meet the needs of 280 million people, according to a new World Bank report. ➡️ 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗗𝗔𝟮𝟭. IDA21, the latest replenishment of our fund for low-income countries, marks a new chapter in building a better life for all. See how we’re working with partners to make it happen. ➡️ 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗮’𝘀 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀. A World Bank–financed project built a 225 kV power ring connecting Guinea, Senegal, The Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau, expanding access to clean hydropower.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁? Explore and download the World Bank’s top publications — free on the Open Knowledge Repository. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀: ➡️ 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀, 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. The transformative potential of AI in public governance is undeniable. Governments worldwide are adopting AI to improve services, boost efficiency, and strengthen data-driven decisions, but this also brings challenges around ethics, transparency, and privacy. A new paper explores how public institutions can adopt AI responsibly, offering practical tools such as an AI decision flowchart and a data privacy readiness checklist to help assess preparedness and promote trustworthy, fair, and accountable AI in the public sector. ➡️𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵. Extreme heat is reshaping life in cities, especially across the fast-growing urban areas of the Global South. Rising temperatures are threatening health, livelihoods, and productivity, while deepening inequality and straining urban infrastructure. This handbook offers practical, affordable, and adaptable solutions from cities already taking action to keep communities cool and resilient. ➡️ 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀. Investment powers growth—expanding capacity, modernizing infrastructure, creating jobs, and advancing climate goals. Yet developing economies face a historic shortfall, with investment growth now half its pace of the 2000s. This book examines why investment has stalled and how to revive it, emphasizing sound policies, better business climates, and private sector mobilization. The message is clear: reigniting investment is essential to drive growth, create jobs, and build a more sustainable, resilient global economy. ➡️ 𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗭𝗼𝗻𝗲: 𝗨𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝟭𝟵𝟴𝟱, 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮. As cities expand, more urban areas are being built in flood-prone zones. A new World Bank analysis of 55 countries in Europe and Central Asia shows that even as overall urbanization slows, development in flood zones continues to rise. The report highlights the need for better risk-informed planning, stronger land use regulations, and continuous monitoring to guide safer growth. With careful planning and preparedness, cities can balance flood risk with sustainable urban and economic development. 🔗 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗸'𝘀 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆: http://wrld.bg/va9n50WXO6y

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831M people still live in extreme poverty in 2025. The World Bank Group is focused on jobs and resilience. Initiatives like AgriConnect empower farmers, drive growth, and reduce poverty: http://wrld.bg/gRZu50XnkeR

Latin America and the Caribbean are working to reignite growth and create more and better jobs. Yet progress remains constrained. With regional growth projected to rise only slightly from 2.2 percent in 2024 to 2.3 percent in 2025, many economies face downward revisions amid a cooling global economy, falling commodity prices, and greater uncertainty. Empowering entrepreneurs and the private sector is key to driving the growth and job creation the region needs. The new 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 report shows that despite high entrepreneurial activity, growth is limited by structural gaps, informal micro firms, and constraints in finance and skills. Policy solutions include strengthening education and training, expanding access to finance, fostering competition and innovation, and modernizing labor regulations. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: ➡️ Most large countries in Latin America and the Caribbean remain on track to meet their inflation targets by 2026, though the last mile is proving challenging. ➡️ Inflation expectations are broadly anchored, but rising labor costs in the service sector have caused persistent core inflation in some major economies since early 2025. ➡️ Policy interest rates are generally falling more slowly, reflecting these inflation pressures. ➡️ Progress on poverty and inequality remains slow due to sluggish job creation and weak economic dynamism. 𝗟𝗔𝗖’𝘀 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 ➡️ Entrepreneurs are central to developing economies, mobilizing private capital, creating jobs, and bringing new technologies to market. ➡️ Entrepreneurship is a process of experimentation involving uncertainty and risk, with success depending on both individual capabilities and an enabling environment with supportive institutions and regulations. ➡️ Latin America and the Caribbean ranks high in entrepreneurial attitudes, status, and workforce participation, but this does not automatically translate into productivity gains or better jobs. ➡️ Many new firms remain no more productive than incumbents, so high firm turnover does not necessarily boost economic growth. ➡️ The region’s entrepreneurship “puzzle” stems partly from differences in quality: informal “mom and pop” firms dominate, while transformational entrepreneurs that create value and higher-quality jobs are scarce. ➡️ Weaknesses in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, particularly limited access to credit and skilled workers, further hinder the growth of transformational firms. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲: http://wrld.bg/Krlh50XmR29

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀?  The latest edition of #ResearchInsights brings together new evidence and actionable lessons on how agricultural policy and technological advances can empower farmers to adapt and build resilience in the face of today’s challenges:     🔹 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀: Firms with diverse and robust customer and supplier relationships are better equipped to withstand shocks—from trade tensions to climate disruptions.    🔹 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Secure, transparent land rights—enabled by low-cost systems—empower farmers to invest, diversify income, and expand access to finance.   🔹 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Sri Lanka’s abrupt fertilizer ban led to sharp declines in yields and exports, highlighting the need for gradual, well-supported transitions in agricultural policy.  𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲: http://wrld.bg/wLPT50XmQue