Population growth, an unfinished agenda of communicable diseases and maternal health and nutrition, and the rapid rise of Non-communicable diseases are putting increasing strain on not just the Ministry of Health budget, but also the broader financial position of the government as a whole. These...

Pakistan remains one of the region's poorest performers against MDG targets. Progress toward education, gender, and health MDGs are off track. Despite slow progress, maternal health indicators have improved: maternal mortality has declined by over half in 20 years. A half of deliveries has been...

Bangladesh is among the most densely populated countries in the world. Poverty remains high at 43 percent of the population subsist on less than United States (U.S.) $1.25 per day (2010). Bangladesh achieved several millennium development goal (MDG) targets in education, health, and poverty...

India is the third largest economy and has the second largest population in the world. It achieved millennium development goal (MDG) on poverty reduction; however, gender inequality still persists. Maternal mortality rate is 190 deaths per 100,000 live births, representing a 65 percent decline...

Sri Lanka is an island nation with a population of 20 million. In 2012, per capita income was US $2,923. From 2003 to 2012, the economy grew at 6.4 percent annually. Post-conflict, growth increased to 8 percent in May 2009. The private sector drove growth together with public reconstruction in...

Nepal has made a remarkable progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially in extreme poverty and education. Nepal has achieved MDG 5 but only one in three births is attended by skilled medical personnel. Disparities exist in access to maternal care by residence and...

This paper was developed for World Bank task team leaders (TTLs) and teams designing results-based financing (RBF) programs in family planning (FP). It explores the rationale for introducing such incentives based on insights from classical and behavioral economics, to respond to supply- and...

dolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) is one of five areas of focus of the World Bank's reproductive health action plan (RHAP) 2010-2015, which recognizes the importance of addressing ASRH as a development issue with important implications for poverty reduction. Delaying childbearing...

Over the past 30 years, Bangladesh has achieved significant economic and human development progress, and demonstrated impressive policy as well as programmatic commitment to lowering the fertility level. However, its future socioeconomic prospects may be hampered by its population growth rate,...

Adolescents around the world face tremendous challenges to meeting their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs. Inadequate access to health information and services, as well as inequitable gender norms, contribute to a lack of awareness about puberty, sexuality, and basic human rights that...