Globally, the proportion of people working in the agriculture sector has seen a steady 
decline. However, looking at global averages is not enough to understand this trend, as this decline has not been evenly distributed. We break down the world population into two groups (measured through either income or consumption expenditure): the bottom 40% (the poorest people in any given country) and the upper 60% of the income distribution.
Tag Archives: Income
Some reflections on pathways out of poverty
Take two numbers: 1 in 3 young people worldwide are not in education, employment or 
training, and over 875 million people are expected to migrate by 2050.
training, and over 875 million people are expected to migrate by 2050.
These figures often reflect unfulfilled aspirations and lack of opportunity.
People are often in jobs with below poverty-line pay; others have no prospects for a raise and professional advancement; for some others, it is hard to re-enter the job market after a period of unemployment; and, among the youngest, many face daunting obstacles in joining the workforce.
New country classifications by income level: 2018-2019
Updated country income classifications for the World Bank’s 2019 fiscal year are available here.
The World Bank assigns the world’s economies into four income groups — high, upper-middle, lower-middle, and low. We base this assignment on GNI per capita calculated using the Atlas method. The units for this measure and for the thresholds is current US Dollars.
How much does it cost to create a job?
Creating more and better jobs is central to our work at the World Bank and a shared goal for virtually all countries —developed and developing alike. But oftentimes the policy debate turns to the cost and effectiveness of programs and projects in creating jobs.
As an example, I recently found myself in the middle of a discussion regarding a development project aimed at creating employment: one of the reviewers objected given that the cost per job created was too high. “More than $20,000 per job,” he said, comparing it to much lower numbers (between $500 and $3,000 per job) usually associated with active labor market programs such as training, job search assistance, wage subsidies, or public works. Continue reading
New country classifications by income level
Each year on July 1, the analytical classification of the world’s economies based on 
estimates of gross national income (GNI) per capita for the previous year is revised. As of 1 July 2016, low-income economies are defined as those with a GNI per capita, calculated using the World Bank Atlas method, of $1,025 or less in 2015; lower middle-income economies are those with a GNI per capita between $1,026 and $4,035; upper middle-income economies are those with a GNI per capita between $4,036 and $12,475; high-income economies are those with a GNI per capita of $12,476 or more. The updated GNI per capita estimates are also used as input to the World Bank’s operational guidelines that determines lending eligibility.
Netherlands for the World Bank 
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