The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
This report assesses social protection measures in Asia, shows how they help tackle crises such COVID-19 and climate change, and outlines the need for more inclusive, shock-responsive policies to cut poverty and spur equitable development. Centered around ADB’s Social Protection Indicator, it assesses data from 26 economies to show how …
India’s creative economy is large, but its untapped potential is even larger. This study provides the first reliable measure on the size of India’s creative economy, explores the many challenges faced by the creative industries, and provides recommendations to make India one of the most creative societies in the world. …
The Global Wage Report 2022-2023 reveals how the severe inflationary crisis, combined with a slowdown in economic growth - driven in part by the war in Ukraine and the global energy crisis - have affected pay packets worldwide, including in the G20 leading industrial nations. It is estimated that in …
India’s economy has demonstrated resilience despite a challenging external environment, says the World Bank in its latest India Development Update, a World Bank flagship publication. The report titled “Navigating the Storm”, finds that while the deteriorating external environment will weigh on India’s growth prospects, the economy is relatively well positioned …
Labour markets are recovering from the COVID-19 crisis in Asia and the Pacific, but now face new challenges like inflation and geopolitical tensions. The report gives the regional labour market context and makes a first-time assessment of regional sectoral estimates to highlight which sectors are growing as sources of jobs, …
Macroeconomic and fiscal reforms are urgently needed to lift Nigeria’s development outcomes, which are severely constrained by inefficient use of resources, argues the new Nigeria Public Finance Review report. For years, a large share of Nigeria’s resources have financed inefficient and regressive subsidies for petrol, electricity, and foreign exchange. Not …
Availability of adequate and comparable data at one place for different States on various dimensions – economic, social and demographic – can aid in conducting relevant research on sub-national challenges, opportunities and feasible policy options. With this objective, the Handbook of Statistics on Indian States is being brought out by …
The economic outlook for Southern Africa will be affected by an additional threat that arises from global warming. The 13 countries are intertwined in a climate-water-energy-food nexus with a high reliance on climate-sensitive sectors. Consistent with the shift in global climate, Southern Africa is likely to observe a rise in …
Chapter 1 of this report looks at these conditions in some length. The analysis covers all the 15 member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS): Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. …
Risk factors that could affect the economic outlook are present and relatively prevalent, despite signs that the COVID-19 health crisis could ease significantly. Continuation of the war in Ukraine and prolonged restrictions on exports from Russia could put further upward pressure on food and energy prices. This would weigh heavily …
In 2021, North Africa showed strong signs of recovery from a downturn in 2020 due to the global pandemic and concomitant oil price collapse. The policy responses of governments helped mitigate the effect of these exogenous shocks, leading to a 3.9 percent real gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate in …
A new World Bank report estimates that India will need to invest $840 billion over the next 15 years—or an average of $55 billion per annum—into urban infrastructure if it is to effectively meet the needs of its fast-growing urban population. The report, titled “Financing India’s Urban Infrastructure Needs: Constraints …
As nations convene for the 27th UN Climate Conference (COP27), the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has set out the actions needed to ensure global efforts towards a low-carbon future don’t leave least developed countries (LDCs) behind. UNCTAD’s Least Developed Countries Report 2022 says LDCs are the "litmus …
The African Development Bank’s East Africa Regional Economic Outlook 2022 reviews the economic performance of 13 East African countries over the past year with short- to medium-term projections. The countries are Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Overall, East Africa recorded …
This book, explores the crucial role of subnational levels of government in accelerating progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals in Asia and the Pacific. Subnational governments implement public policies, facilitate partnerships among stakeholders, and act as interlocutors between communities and the state. Many national SDG targets will not be achievable …
Climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts are urgently needed across Southeast Asia. The financial sector can play a critical role in supporting countries in their journey toward greater resilience and sustainability, but it must adapt to do so effectively. This report shows that while sustainable finance has experienced widespread expansion, …
The Coronavirus pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and climate change have all hampered Africa’s efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Halfway towards 2030, most African countries are struggling to meet most SDG targets. Without deliberate policies to accelerate progress towards the SDGs, by 2030, at least 492 million …
The outlook for global labour markets has worsened in recent months and on current trends job vacancies will decline and global employment growth will deteriorate significantly in the final quarter of 2022, according to this new ILO report. Rising inflation is causing real wages to fall in many countries. This …
The UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) issued a report introducing a new global index that measures shortfalls in achievements in three areas: quality-adjusted human development; environmental sustainability; and good governance. The Development Challenges Index (DCI) adapts the Human Development Index (HDI), and shifts “from quantitative development …
The report reveals that over half of companies in emerging economies have been impacted by extreme weather events over the last 12 months.The report shows that 58% of companies in Africa and South Asia have been hit by events such as extreme flooding, storms or droughts over the last year, …
