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...

Afghanistan suffers from poverty and low human development aggravated by 23 years of conflict. In 2012, the population was 29 million and per capita income US $268. Economic growth was estimated at 3.6 percent in 2013, down from 14.4 percent in 2012. The transition led to investor and consumer...

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...

There is increasing recognition that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are an important international and development issue globally, undermining health gains and imposing financial and economic costs on governments and households. NCDs are an important health challenge in the Pacific. First,...

An analysis of data from six countries showed that adolescent childbearing is closely tied to marital status. Around half (ranging from 42 percent in Nepal to 55 percent in Nigeria) of ever-married adolescent women have given birth. In comparison, non-marital adolescent childbearing is rare in...