Afghanistan faced severe economic headwinds in 2018, with the economy growing by an estimated 1.8 percent. Slow growth was driven by two major factors. Firstly, severe drought had a strong negative impact on agricultural production. Agricultural growth slowed to 0.8 percent as low snowfall...

The twelfth Zambia economic brief with a focus on how Zambia can harness its renewable resources to promote sustainable growth. This brief is part of a series of short economic updates produced twice a year by the World Bank

Investing in human capital is essential for Tanzania. to generate future income and achieve sustainable development, people are the most important asset countries have. Part two of this economic update discusses where Tanzania stands in terms of its investments in human capital for both children...

Economic growth in Lao PDR is projected to rebound to 6.5 percent in 2019, up from 6.3 percent in 2018. This pick up is expected to be driven by growth of the construction sector supported by investments in large infrastructure projects, and a resilient services sector, led by wholesale and...

Pakistan is facing yet another balance of payment crisis. Authorities have taken some corrective measures and negotiated a 39-month stabilization program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Nonetheless, inflationary pressures increased during FY19. Current account deficit narrowed as...

The economy is recovering slowly from drought, but Somalia continues to face significant challenges.The Somali economy rebounded in 2018 from the 2016/17 drought.Public finances continued to strengthen in 2018.Credit to the private sector grew rapidly in 2018, and Somalia's financial sector...

Improving the efficiency and equity of public spending and strengthening revenue mobilization remains a priority in all Western Balkan countries. Public sector wage bills and pensions constitute the largest share of public spending in the region. Tighter controls on wage bills, reducing tax...

Bangladesh economic expansion continued in FY19, supported by rising exports and record remittances. Inflation remained within the 5.5 percent target, supported by bumper rice harvests. Broad money growth increased marginally. Private sector credit growth was weak and bank liquidity remains...

Philippine economic growth slowed to its lowest level in eight years, driven by a rapid deceleration in investment growth in the first half of 2019. GDP growth slowed from 6.3 percent year-on-year (yoy) in the first half of 2018 to 5.5 percent in thesame period in 2019, below government's growth...

The Iraq Economic Monitor provides an update on key economic developments and policies over the previous six months and presents findings from recent World Bank work on Iraq, placing them in a longer-term and global context and assessing the implications of these developments and other changes...