Intraregional trade in South Asia could be worth $67 billion rather than $23 billion. This gap between potential and actual trade leads to a signficiant loss to consumers, firms and exporters, in…

The World Bank’s fund for the poorest countries, IDA has been a reliable partner in South Asia for more than six decades and contributed to a sharp decline in poverty in the region. Yet, for…

Ranking third globally, South Asia generates a staggering 334 million metric tons of solid waste every year, and most of it is plastic that ends up in the ocean. But the region is also at the…

World Bank South Asia Region team provides a platform for conversations about regional connectivity and helps find common ground between country priorities and regional integration.

Women knit handicrafts for export at Everest Fashion Fair Craft in Lalitpur, Nepal. Photo: Peter Kapuscinski / World Bank The South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) agreement has been in effect since…

Home to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, South Asia is one of the world’s most dynamic regions. It's also one of the least integrated. A few…

Young Economists sharing the stage with Sanjay Kathuria, Lead Economist and Coordinator, Regional Integration (Left to Right: Aamir Khan/ Pakistan, Sreerupa Sengupta/ India, Sanjay Kathuria/ World…

This blog is part of the series #OneSouthAsia exploring how South Asia can become a more integrated, thus more economically dynamic region. The blog series is a  lead up to the South Asia Economic…

More than 50% of today’s international trade goes through regional trading arrangements.  While trade is a critical component of regional integration, integration has several other dimensions…

Home to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, South Asia is one of the fastest growing regions in the world and yet one of the least integrated. Intra-…