The 2020 Africa Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) report covers the period from January to December 2019. The addition of Somalia brought the number of the region's International Development Association (IDA)-eligible countries to 39. The overall CPIA score for the region's 39...

This approach paper considers the role of public finance to build, protect and utilize human capital as countries seek to recover from the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis and lay a foundation for inclusive, resilient and sustainable development. The paper defines the problem in...

This engagement note provides education sector policymakers with an overview of the status of education across the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and offers insight into the World Bank's strategies and approaches to supporting education reform in the GCC region. While the Gulf...

Worldwide, approximately 781 million adults are unable to read or write in any language. While adult literacy rates have increased significantly over the past several decades, recent progress largely reflects a more-educated younger generation replacing a less-education older generation. The...

This report aims to provide policy makers in Albania with new evidence to inform the design and implementation of public policies on post-secondary education, vocational education and training (VET) system labor market information and intermediation, and labor policies. The STEP Employer Survey...

This edition of the Tajikistan Country Economic Update (CEU) is part of a semiannual series designed to monitor socioeconomic developments in Tajikistan. It presents an analysis of political, economic, and social developments, as well as the progress of and challenges with the implementation of...

The outlook for the global economy has darkened amid elevated trade tensions. International trade and investment are moderating, trade tensions remain elevated, and financing conditions are tightening. Global growth is projected to moderate from a downwardly revised 3 percent in 2018 to 2.9...

This book explores the premise that coding is an essential 21st century skill required for all. Learning of coding does not merely mean learn the syntax, grammar and usage of a specific computer language like Python or Ruby, but the deeper concept of computational thinking. It is possible to...

The World Bank's analysis of cross-country data on human capital indicates that Uganda is underinvesting in the future productivity of its citizens. A child born in Uganda today will onlybe 38 percent as productive when she grows up as she could be if she enjoyed complete education and full...