Research | World Bank Understanding Poverty Research and Publications Include Project Documents, Research & Publications from before 2000 View All Featured Commodity Markets Outlook Energy prices are projected to surge 24% in 2026 — the highest since Russia's Ukraine invasion — as Middle East conflict shocks global markets. Overall commodity prices are forecast to rise 16%, driven by soaring energy and fertilizer prices and record-high metal prices. (Next update: October 2026.) Commodity Markets Outlook Regional Economic Updates, April 2026 The latest biannual regional economic updates highlight key macroeconomic trends and developments across Africa; East Asia and the Pacific; Europe and Central Asia; Latin America and the Caribbean; the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan; and South Asia. Regional Economic Updates, April 2026 Global Economic Prospects, June 2026 The global economy is facing a major shock as the Middle East conflict drives sharp energy price increases. Global growth is projected to slow to 2.5 percent in 2026, with emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) facing the weakest per capita income growth since the pandemic.  Global Economic Prospects, June 2026 Open Knowledge Repository Select works from over 30,000 World Bank publications View All Infrastructure Foundations: From Current Assets to Future Growth Infrastructure Foundations presents a global database on physical infrastructure assets across 150+ countries. It finds widespread underinvestment in energy, transport, and digital sectors—especially in Sub-Saharan Africa—and offers a policy framework to prioritize investments based on social returns. Infrastructure Foundations: From Current Assets to Future Growth Building Food Security, Creating Jobs: Policy Pathways for the Region The report argues that food security requires modernizing the entire agrifood system—from farm to table—through stronger value chains, better storage, logistics and trade, climate-smart practices, innovation, efficient public spending, greater private investment, and improved nutrition. Building Food Security, Creating Jobs: Policy Pathways for the Region Rationalizing Informality: Social Protection, Job Quality, and Growth Rationalizing Informality offers a unified model that incorporates both the forces pushing workers into informality and those pulling them toward it, and it quantifies the impact of policies meant to alter those forces. Rationalizing Informality: Social Protection, Job Quality, and Growth Nourish and Flourish: Water Solutions to Feed 10 Billion People on a Livable Planet Nourish and Flourish calls for transforming agricultural water management to feed 10 billion people by 2050 through three paradigm shifts, a water-food nexus framework, and expanded financing — unlocking food security, jobs, and climate resilience. Nourish and Flourish: Water Solutions to Feed 10 Billion People on a Livable Planet Competing in the Face of Climate Risks: Evidence from Firms and Policy Priorities in MENAAP This report focuses on two concrete and immediate examples of how heat- and trade-related policies in destination markets affect firms and the broader economy of the MENAAP region. Competing in the Face of Climate Risks: Evidence from Firms and Policy Priorities in MENAAP Building Human Capital Where It Matters: Homes, Neighborhoods, and Workplaces Human capital—the health, knowledge, skills, and experience that people accumulate throughout their lives—is essential for productivity and economic growth. Yet, progress has stalled, and there have even been reversals in human capital accumulation over the last 15 years. Building Human Capital Where It Matters: Homes, Neighborhoods, and Workplaces Subscribe to Our Newsletters Past Newsletters Select the newsletter(s) that you'd like to receive: Research Publications Browse Research and Publications Browse by Region On selection, leaving this page Browse by Region Africa East Asia and Pacific Europe and Central Asia Latin America and Caribbean Middle East and North Africa South Asia Browse by Topic On selection, leaving this page Browse by Topic Agriculture Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Finance Community-Driven Development Competitiveness Debt Disability Disaster Risk Management Early Childhood Development Ebola Response Education Education and Technology Energy Environment Extractive Industries Financial Inclusion Financial Market Integrity Financial Sector Food Security Forests Fragility, Conflict, and Violence Gender Girls' Education Global Economy Governance Health HIV and AIDS Hydropower Indigenous Peoples Inequality and Shared Prosperity Information and Communication Technologies Irrigation and Drainage Investment Climate Jobs and Poverty Jobs and Development Labor Markets Law, Justice and Development Macroeconomics & Fiscal Management Measuring Poverty Migration and Remittances Migration Nutrition Open Development Pandemics Payment Systems & Remittances Pensions Poverty Primary and Secondary Education Public-Private Partnerships Reproductive, Maternal, and Child Health Safety Nets Sanitation Skills Development Social Development Sustainable Development Tertiary Education Trade Transport Universal Health Coverage Urban Development Water Water Resources Management Water Supply Browse by Collection On selection, leaving this page Browse by Collection Annual Reports & Independent Evaluations Books Journals Serial Publications Technical Papers Country Strategy Documents Economic and Sector Work (ESW) Studies Working Papers Knowledge Notes Blogs View All Blogs Find experts Additional Resources World Bank Repositories Open Knowledge Repository Documents & Reports Archives Contact Us World Bank Group Library Rights and Permissions The Development Economics Group (DEC) About DEC Development Research Development Data Development Impact Evaluation (DIME) Global Indicators Order Books in Print How to Order Resources Access to Information World Bank Open Access Policy STAY CONNECTED World Bank Publications World Bank Research World Bank Publications This site uses cookies to optimize functionality and give you the best possible experience. If you continue to navigate this website beyond this page, cookies will be placed on your browser. To learn more about cookies, click here. ×