Since 2006, The World Bank’s annual Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) Report has been a guide for countries, policymakers, and investors, identifying key trends and best practices that support effective public service delivery and foster a more resilient and prosperous future for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The CPIA is an annual diagnostic tool for SSA countries eligible for financing from the International Development Association (IDA), the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s low-income countries by providing grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve people’s lives. The CPIA Report aims to capture the quality of each country’s policies and institutional arrangements, focusing on the elements within the country’s control. The scores are designed to assess sustainable growth and poverty reduction. The CPIA provides scores for each country, and an overall regional score, on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 6 (highest) in four clusters: economic management, structural policies, social inclusion and equity policies, and public sector management and institutions. The scores inform governments of the impact of each country’s efforts to support inclusive growth and poverty reduction, and the overall score helps determine the size of the World Bank’s concessional lending and grants to low-income SSA countries. The report includes scores for IDA-eligible countries and acts as a touchstone for country monitoring and regional best practices.
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Reforms to Boost Job Creation Could Help Transform the Philippines into a Middle-Class Society by 2040
MANILA, July 15, 2025 – Strategic reforms that enhance foundational investments in connectivity and human capital, promote smarter regulations and competition, and mobilize private investments for stronger job creation could propel the Philippines closer to a 7-percent growth trajectory, transforming it into a middle-class society by 2040.
Continue readingThe world needs radical debt transparency
Over the past two decades, many developing countries have made remarkable progress in reducing poverty, expanding access to education and health care, and investing in infrastructure. These gains were the result of sound national policies and coordinated efforts by the international community, often financed through responsible borrowing.
Continue readingPower More With Less: Scaling Up Energy Efficiency for Growth and Energy Security
Energy efficiency is a transformative, low-cost solution that can fast-track access to affordable and secure energy and boost economic growth. Amid soaring power demand, driven in part by air conditioners, heavy industry, and, increasingly, data centers needed to power artificial intelligence, energy efficiency can help countries avoid overspending on new energy infrastructure, importing fuels, and taking on more debt for their energy sectors.
Continue readingBetter Jobs: Evidence from the Life in Transition Survey
Jobs are the surest path out of poverty, but not all jobs are the same. “Good jobs” provide not only income but also stability, security, and benefits that enhance well-being and strengthen communities.
These distinctions became evident in the latest Life in Transition Survey (LiTS) conducted by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in collaboration with the World Bank. More than half (54%) of respondents identified sufficient income as the most important characteristic of a good job, followed by job stability (23%), good working conditions (11%), and benefits (5%). Yet these features are often missing in the widespread informal employment found across Europe and Central Asia (ECA), and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Continue readingState and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2025
The World Bank’s annual State and Trends of Carbon Pricing report is aimed at providing an up-to-date overview of existing and emerging carbon pricing instruments around the world, including international, national, and subnational initiatives. It focuses on identifying key developments relating to all forms of direct carbon pricing – emissions trading systems, carbon taxes, and carbon crediting mechanisms. This year’s report will be the twelfth (in its current format) – building on many decades of World Bank Group’s work in this space.
Beyond the numbers: Key trends reshaping Latin American jobs
Jobs are the main driver of poverty reduction. They help build more resilient and self-sufficient societies, reduce the need for humanitarian aid, and address the root causes of unrest and migration. Jobs were the key to fighting poverty in Latin America during its last period of sustained poverty reduction (2009-2014): strong employment creation and wage growth drove two-thirds of the decrease in poverty rates. After this prosperous timeframe, both poverty and labor market conditions have remained largely stagnant across the region (COVID-19 aside).
Continue readingSeizing the Moment: Four Priorities to Unlock Job Creation in South Africa
Originally published in South Africa’s Sunday Times
Governments do not create many jobs—globally, they employ about 10%, and in South Africa only 6-8%, of the workforce. Instead, governments’ role is to create an environment where the private sector can drive employment. However, it is fair to say that South Africa has struggled to create such an environment over the past 15 years, with limited economic growth and job opportunities for its expanding labor force. With unemployment over 30% (excluding discouraged work seekers) and two-thirds of young workers jobless, improving conditions for private sector growth is more urgent than ever. These challenges have kept poverty and inequality entrenched, with nearly 39 million people surviving on less than R127 a day, equivalent to the $6.85 poverty line for upper-middle income countries.
Continue readingFurther strengthening how we measure global poverty
For 35 years, the World Bank Group has measured global poverty to track progress toward eradicating what is considered the most severe deprivation of basic human needs—extreme poverty. This goal is at the very heart of our organization’s mission.
Continue readingPoised to thrive: Empowering women with skills and jobs in South Asia
Sangay Choden, in her own words, displayed much Tha Dhantse—a Bhutanese concept of having the courage to do the right thing with integrity and loyalty. Choden was the first female science graduate in her family and now handles complex power projects with ease as the manager with the Bhutan Power Corporation Limited. She has climbed mountains, both literally and metaphorically, she says.
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Netherlands for the World Bank 
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