World Development Report 2024: The Middle-Income Trap
Middle-income countries—home today to 6 billion people—are in a race against time. Many have set ambitious deadlines for themselves: reach high-income status within the next two or three decades. What can countries do to avoid the middle-income trap and climb to high-income status?
World Bank Global Economic Prospects
Even as the global economy stabilizes, emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) are projected to have the weakest long-term growth outlook since the start of this century. What are the policies needed to boost investment and growth?
Related content
Publications
Global commodity prices are expected to tumble 12% in 2025, falling to levels not seen since 2020.
Event
Join our workshop to connect with other experts and explore strategies to overcome the middle-income trap.
Event
The University of Chicago, the World Bank, and the Institute for Economic Development are partnering with the Economic Research Forum of Egypt to organize the Growth Academy for the Middle East and North Africa workshop in Cairo, Egypt. Structured around the key themes of the World Development…
Event
What are the strategies countries can adopt to accelerate rural development? Somik Lall, Sr Adviser to the Chief Economist of the World Bank Group and lead author of the World Development Report 2024: The Middle-Income Trap, discussed how rural investment can be a pathway for countries to…
Publications
The World Bank's latest Global Economic Prospects report projects that the global economy will stabilize at 2.7% growth in 2025-26. However, developing economies face challenges from high debt, climate change, and trade tensions. The World Bank recommends a new playbook focusing on deepening trade…
Publications
The Business Ready (B-READY) 2024 report assesses the regulatory framework and public services directed at firms, and the efficiency with which regulatory framework and public services are combined in practice.