A small open economy, Benin has seen growth that is above average for the region. The volatility of high growth spells combined with low productivity growth has translated into limited gains in income per capita. Following its transition from low-income country to lower middle income country...

Brazil is highly exposed to climate change risks. The impacts of global climate change risks and local practices on the Amazon and Cerrado biomes are of particular concern, as they provide vital ecosystem services to Brazil, the South American region, and the world. The Brazil Country Climate...

Developments in the Rwandan economy as of the first half of 2017 have been mixed. On the upside, Rwanda's external imbalances have eased on account of improvements in global commodity prices, global and regional strengthening of growth recovery, and the external adjustment the government...

Developments in the second half of 2017 indicate that the slowdown in Mozambique's economic performance may be taking hold, shifting this once fast-growing economy to a more modest pace of growth. GDP growth is expected to dip to 3.1 percent in 2017, despite substantial increases in coal and...

This document presents the Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) for the Republic of Burundi (Burundi). The SCD identifies the key challenges and opportunities for Burundi to accelerate progress in poverty reduction and shared prosperity in a sustainable manner, while acknowledging: (i) the need...

Like many other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, this sub-group of West and Central African countries has experienced relatively fast drops in mortality but persistently high levels of fertility, which implies continued high rates of population growth, which represent an important challenge to...

Sri Lanka is facing a challenging macroeconomic landscape. The post-conflict high growth momentum has decelerated. A volatile global environment and structurally weak competitiveness continue to weaken growth and external sector performance. High interest costs mask limited fiscal improvement....

Bangladesh has been a star performer on fertility reduction, reducing its TFR from 6.7 in 1960 to 2.1 in 2017 (i.e. the replacement level of fertility). As a comparison, SSA countries reduced TFR by as little as 2 births per woman, on average, between 1970 and 2016 (World Bank, 2019), with...

At the moment, a child born in Uganda will be only 38 percent as productive when she grows up as she can be if she enjoyed complete education and full health, according to the human capital index (HCI) one of the lowest levels in the world. It will be necessary to ensure that the growing...

The objective of this report is to provide a comprehensive data and evidence-based analysis of gender-based sex selection (GBSS) in Vietnam in terms of demographic projections and policy reforms to inform decision makers and program specialists on curbing sex imbalances at birth. Drawing from...