Although Bhutan has made progress in recent years, notably by initiating the development of a domestic e-commerce ecosystem, gaps still remain. The Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) has prioritized information and communications technology (ICT) development to promote the vision of 'an...

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic brought global tourism and travel to a standstill. Thus, although the health impact of the pandemic has been fairly contained in Maldives, its economic consequences have been devastating. To contain the spread of the virus, the country closed its borders for...

In 2020, Nigeria experienced its deepest recession in four decades, but growth resumed in the fourth quarter as pandemic restrictions were eased, oil prices recovered, and the authorities implemented policies to counter the economic shock. As a result, in 2020 the Nigerian economy experienced a...

Nepal continues to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic, but the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination drive has helped to reduce the fatality rate. The country experienced a first wave in March 2020, a second wave in mid-April 2021, and a third wave in January 2022. In response, social distancing...

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...

India has achieved much in the last 25 years. Since the early 1990s, when reforms began, growthrates have been higher and more stable, the economy has become more modern and globally integrated,macroeconomic stability has improved, and the average citizen is better educated and lives longer. In...

The Nepal Development Update is produced twice a year with the following two main aims: to report on key economic developments over the preceding months, placing them in a longer-term and global perspective; and to examine (in the Special Focus section) topics of particular policy significance....

Uganda's fiscal policy has remained mainly expenditure driven, with domestic revenue continuing to lag. This has resulted in a widening financing gap. In the 10-year period to 2017, the total valueof public expenditure increased from 15 percent of GDP to more than 20 percent. During this time,...

The report examines economic developments in Vietnam in 2018, including its strong trade performance, increased FDI inflows, and public debt stabilization, among others. It also includes a special section on the government's efforts to reduce trade costs and enhance competitiveness. A...

The Afghanistan Development Update is a twice-annual publication providing analysis of recent developments and presenting the World Bank team's most-recent macroeconomic projections. The August 2018 edition focuses on the state of the economy in the context of upcoming elections, and the...