Inside the World Bank's $301.5B project pipeline

The World Bank is not just one of the biggest funders in the world of development; its influence is also growing. That’s the picture that emerges from our analysis of the lender’s current pipeline, which contains projects submitted to the bank that are awaiting final approval. At the time of our analysis, this included 834 projects worth $301.5 billion. Of that total, the World Bank has so far committed to funding around $122.9 billion, or 40.8%. This represents a significant increase from 2021, which only had $73.39 billion for 554 new projects. The remainder may be committed by the bank at a later date before the project is approved, or it may be funded by the countries themselves or other lenders. Some projects listed in the current pipeline have remained in the same status since last year. There are also projects that have been published on the World Bank website but have no details aside from the tentative project name. The amount mentioned above is not a complete reflection of the entirety of the pipelined projects as there are projects that still do not have a specified amount attached to them. Devex will focus on the projects that have a tentative amount. This data is updated regularly by the World Bank, so it may have changed slightly by the time of publication. World Bank project cycle The World Bank publishes all of its projects in its data portal. Here, users can view all of the recorded projects that the bank has in their system. Each project has one of four designations: pipeline, active, closed, and canceled. Projects with pipeline status are those that have been submitted but are yet to be implemented and will still be subject to different processes such as concept review, negotiations, and appraisal. Projects in the pipeline usually do not have an implementing agency or fixed budget. Projects with active status are currently being implemented by the chosen implementing agency. Closed projects have been completed, while canceled projects are those which will no longer go ahead. The biggest projects The biggest project in the pipeline currently is a $27.3 billion health project in Colombia. The project aims to improve effective health services for the country’s vulnerable population. This project is currently in the concept review stage and will be implemented by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Colombia. The World Bank has already committed $300 million to the project while the rest will be funded by the government. The second biggest project is in India’s West Bengal state and costs $23.7 billion for which the World Bank has already committed $315 million. It is a health-related project that aims to improve the utilization of health services and reduce inequities in maternal and adolescent health in the state. This project will be implemented by the government of West Bengal. The third biggest project has a current cost of $13 billion. It is dedicated to improving subnational finance in Indonesia, and it will be implemented by the Ministry of Finance of Indonesia. The project is still in the concept review stage. The World Bank has committed $400 million. Which countries are the main focus? India is the country with the most projects in the pipeline, with 47 projects. The current total financing allocated to India amounts to $58.9 billion. This does not include the other projects that do not have a definite project cost just yet. This amount was driven mainly by the $27.3 billion health project mentioned previously. Colombia ranks second with 15 total projects in the pipeline totaling $37.2 billion, with the main driver being the $23.7 billion health project mentioned above. Indonesia follows, with 21 total projects amounting to $21.1 billion; then Pakistan with 16 projects worth $14.9 billion in total; and Bangladesh with 17 projects currently totaling $12.3 billion. Regionally, the largest number of projects are located in the eastern and southern Africa region, with 154 pipelined projects amounting to $38.7 billion. However, the region with the largest current total amount is the South Asia region with $91.9 billion for 111 projects. This is followed by the Latin America and Caribbean region, with $70.1 billion for 140 projects, and then the East Asia and Pacific region with $41.6 billion for 122 projects. Sectors Devex analyzed the data and categorized the projects according to the broader umbrella of the World Bank project sectors. Health-related projects remain to be the top priority of the bank. There are currently a total of 45 projects in the pipeline that amount to $66.4 billion. Transport and urban development projects come in next with 95 total projects worth almost $52 billion in total. These are projects that are related to improving connectivity and urban planning and infrastructure. Energy-related projects come in third with 115 total projects worth $41.7 billion. Projects under this umbrella include anything related to renewable energy and electricity distribution. Public administration and government-related projects have 185 projects — the most number of projects in the pipeline — but overall amounts to only $28.2 billion. These projects refer to anything related to government institutions and law implementation. Social protection projects come in fifth with $26.5 billion in total current project costs and 77 different projects. These projects are different from public administration as they primarily focus on a targeted group of the population and ensure their well-being and equality. Where and what has the World Bank committed to? India still comes up on top with $10.7 billion in total World Bank commitments. It is then followed by Indonesia with $6.6 billion in commitments. Turkey comes in third with $5.7 billion in total World Bank commitments, then Bangladesh with $5 billion, and the Philippines with $4.1 billion. Region-wise, eastern and southern Africa has the most World Bank commitments with $24.8 billion, followed by South Asia with $21.4 billion, then western and central Africa with $18.4 billion, and Latin America and the Caribbean with $18 billion. The World Bank has committed the most in the public administration sector, with $24.4 billion, followed by the energy sector with $21.1 billion, and then the transportation sector with $17.8 billion, the social protection sector with $10.8 billion, and the water and sanitation sector with almost $9 billion. Try out Devex Pro Funding today with a free five-day trial, and explore funding opportunities from over 850 sources in addition to our analysis and news content.