South Asia emerged as the fastest growing region in the world in 2015, posting GDP growth of 7 percent. Weak oil and commodity prices, slowing capital flows and shrinking global trade contributed towards a deceleration of growth in most of the world's economies. South Asia - as a net importer of...

The Lao economy is estimated to have expanded by around 7 percent in 2015, a slight moderation from 7.5 percent in 2014. Similar to the last decade, the resource sectors (hydropower and extractives) continued to make an important contribution to growth. Power generation got a boost from the...

The Lao PDR Economic Monitor provides updates on macroeconomic developments and sectoral issues in the country. It is produced bi-annually and distributed widely to the government agencies, development partners, the private sector, think tanks, civil society organizations, and academia....

This edition of the Kazakhstan Country Economic Update (CEU) is part of a semi-annual series designed to monitor socio-economic developments in Kazakhstan. It presents a concise analysis of political, economic and social developments, as well as a progress report on structural reform...

Gross domestic product (GDP) growth in China has remained strong in 2017, exceeding market expectations. Supported by risinghousehold incomes, the growth contribution of final consumption increased further this year. At the same time, the growth contribution of fixed investment has declined...

This edition of the Tajikistan Country Economic Update (CEU) is part of a semi-annual series designed to monitor socio-economic developments in Tajikistan. In the first half of 2017, total investment was down by over seventeen percent year on year. However, investment picked up markedly in the...

This report reviews South Africa's recent economic and social developments. It underlines that South Africa's current economic rebound may not be sustained if the fundamental factors undermining its growth potential are not boldly addressed. This includes in particular income inequality, which...

GDP growth in the Western Balkans slowed from 3.1 percent in 2016 to an estimated 2.4 percent in 2017. Regional growth in 2017 is less optimistic than the 2.6 percent expected when the Fall issue of this report was published. It slowed in Serbia due to a harsh winter and stalled in FYR...

The Economic Update (SEU) evaluates the recent (2016-17) growth performance and macroeconomic policies in Senegal, thus providing a basis for the policy dialog with the Government and other stakeholders. The first section of the Economic Update evaluates the drivers of growth and the...

Myanmar's economy performed better in 2017/18 with a modest growth acceleration that partially reversed the deterioration experienced in 2016/17. While the outlook remains positive, risks have intensified. The economy experienced a broad-based increase in real GDP growth to 6.4 percent in...