Russia is a country of global importance and great internal diversity, making it challenging to undertake acoherent country growth diagnostic. The world's largest transcontinental country spans eleven time zones in northern Eurasia. Russia is the main trading partner for many of its more than a...

The firming of the economic recovery is putting the policy spotlight back on the longer term challenge of faster, more inclusive Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth. Modest investment rates despite attractive returns and low savings rates despite favorable demographics are important impediments....

The current edition of the Rwanda economic update is titled seeds for higher growth and specially features the agriculture sector. The importance of agriculture's contribution to growth in Rwanda remains considerable, despite the emergence of other significant growth drivers, such as services....

Following a slowdown during the global financial crisis in 2009, the Philippine economy roared back in 2010, with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rates not seen in over 30 years. On the demand side, private consumption, investment, and net exports were the main drivers of growth. On the...

Lao PDR's real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth will remain robust in 2011 with projected growth of 8.6 percent compared to 8.4 percent in 2010. Natural resources and manufacturing sectors are expected to drive growth this year. The expected growth in the garment exports (by about 15-20...

The global financial roller coaster, with the Euro zone as its lead car, has hit economic prospects across the globe. The South African economy, with its close links to the world economy, has suffered, too, resulting in weakened growth prospects, lower fiscal revenues, lower and more volatile...

Tajikistan has successfully emerged from the global economic crisis. Economic activity was strong, driven by growth in industrial production and services. Inward remittances remain a key factor in stimulating domestic consumption. Although inflation returned to single digits, it continues to be...

Tajikistan is one of the world's most remittance-dependent economies, receiving net remittance inflows equivalent to approximately 40 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Falling remittance inflows was one of the main transmission channels through which the 2008-09 global economic crisis...

The Lao PDR economy continues to grow vigorously at 8 percent this year despite the impact of typhoons and slower growth in the global economy. That being said, the country's growth estimate was revised slightly downwards to 8 percent from an early estimate of 8.6 percent to account for (i) the...