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 |

South Asia continues to experience rising temperatures, with record-breaking heat waves that are longer, hotter, and more frequent. Heat not only causes deaths and lowers productivity, but also…

Ella Kim, Sebastian Forsch, Leon Glicksman |

The rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases is pressuring countries and health systems in the Caribbean at a rate of epidemic proportions.

Lilia Burunciuc, Timothy Antoine |

This blog is a biweekly feature highlighting recent working papers from around the World Bank Group. It introduces six papers published in January of 2023 on various topics, including gender,…

Marcelo Buitron, Policy Research Working Paper team |

South Asia has been hit hard by the COVID19 pandemic. Countries need to prepare for future shock and re-envision the delivery of essential services such as health, education, and social protection…

Hartwig Schafer |

Pressures of the COVID-19 crisis prompted IDA to accelerate financing commitments last year and launch an early replenishment. This made for a moment of much-needed international solidarity in…

Dr. Denny Kalyalya, Axel van Trotsenburg |

These are some of the most pressing development priorities in South Asia and the topics for our most popular blogs in 2020.

Trishna Thapa |

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on public health, societies, and economies around the world: it could push up to 150 million people into extreme poverty by the end of 2021.…

David Malpass |

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on in South Asia, reversing years of hard-won development and economic gains, it is more necessary than ever to think consciously about the future of transport and…

Hartwig Schafer |

Despite this commendable progress, and notwithstanding the Afghan government’s commitment to improving human capital in recent years, Afghanistan still has long ways to go to realize its full…

Henry G. Kerali |