Although economic linkages between South Asia and Southeast Asia have been strengthened over the past decade, integration between these two regions remains limited. Can new approaches to regional integration help revitalize trade and economic links between South Asia and Southeast Asia This...

International migration for temporary employment is a critical component of South Asia's development path, from both the jobs and remittance flows perspectives. South Asian economies are at a stage of demographic transition where people of working-age are generally still increasing shares of...

South Asia is home to 9 of the world's 10 cities with the worst air pollution. Concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in some of the region's most densely populated and poor areas are up to 20 times higher than what the World Health Organization considers healthy (5 micrograms per...

The South Asia Economic Focus is a biannual economic update presenting recent economic developments and a near term economic outlook for South Asia. It includes a Focus section presenting more in depth analysis of an economic topic of relevance for stability, growth and prosperity in the region...

This report presents the findings of a diagnostic study examining pathways and options for strengthening the governance of South Asia's groundwater resources in the face of climate change and increasing reliance on the resource by dependent communities, particularly during times of drought. This...

There is an increasing recognition that policy initiatives at the regional level can complement and strengthen country road safety strategies and programs. This is certainly the case in the South Asia region, with implications for regional road safety investment priorities and potential for...

From the near twenty million metropolitan city of Karachi, in Pakistan to the 400,000 person city of Pokhara, in Nepal, mayors and decisions makers are struggling to raise financing for capital investments in their cities that could deliver improved services to their communities, with the key...

Infrastructure assets and services provide the basic physical and organizational structures that underpin the functioning of economy and society. Access to reliable, quality, efficient, and affordable infrastructure services is critical to reducing poverty, promoting economic growth, supporting...

South Asia region's economies continue on a recovery path, with production and export having recovered to pre-COVID trend levels. But the recovery has been uneven across countries and sectors, and significant risks exist that could jeopardize short-term recovery and long-term growth. Over the...

This report is part of a larger series of stocktaking and analytical products on plastic pollution in South Asia. It supports the Bank's commitment to work with countries of South Asia to pursue and scale-up policies and programs that help them move toward a circular plastic economy and, in...