World Bank 2019: How past meetings' priorities are playing out in the funding data

The World Bank Annual Meetings this week offer a good moment to reflect on some ways its priorities have played out in its work over the past year. Devex takes a look at how some of the key themes have manifested in funding approvals, as well as the upcoming pipeline.

Fragile and least-developed countries

Since 2009, the bank’s total funding commitments to projects in fragile or least-developed countries have grown, both in absolute terms and as a percentage of total approvals. In 2018, approved funding for these economies reached the highest levels in the bank’s history at nearly $17.8 billion, or 38.3% of total funding approvals for the year.