Though the South Asia Region (SAR) contains just eight countries, it accounts for almost a quarter of the world’s population, but it also carries an increasing share of global debt. What's…

Prateek Samal, Anthony Tin Yu To |

A look back at South Asia’s year in 10 blogs. These blogs spotlight stories of resilience and innovation, and explore issues critical to the region such as air pollution, climate change, women’s…

Adnan Siddiqi, Trishna Thapa |

New energy-saving technologies offer South Asian countries an opportunity to modernize their economies, and will be an integral part of their energy transition.

Siddharth Sharma |

Output growth in South Asia is projected to remain stronger than in other regions, but is nonetheless not strong enough for most countries to reach high-income thresholds within a generation.

Patrick Kirby |

South Asia is making progress, but at a slower pace than in the pre-pandemic years and still has a long way to go, according to the World Bank's latest economic outlook.

Martin Raiser |

South Asia has a rich history of informal foreign exchange markets such as the well-known Hundi and Hawala . These informal networks play a significant role in traditional societies and informal…

Zoe Leiyu Xie, Xiao'ou Zhu |

South Asia is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate risks, and will require substantial resources to prepare for future disasters and build climate resilience. These considerations will…

Lazar Milivojevic |

South Asian countries face competing policy priorities as they continue to address the scars from the COVID-19 pandemic amid a series of shocks rocking the region.

Zoe Leiyu Xie, Xiao'ou Zhu |

As the gusts of the COVID-19 pandemic quieten, South Asian economies, left fragile and uneven in their recovery, are facing renewed headwinds: high inflation, rising fiscal deficits, and…

Zoe Leiyu Xie, Xiao'ou Zhu |

This  World Bank’s Policy Research Working Paper Series introduces 6 papers published from March 1 to March 15 on various topics, including taxation, gender, and wildfire smokes.

Marcelo Buitron, Policy Research Working Paper team |