Our Mission

The post-secondary level is where a stark gender gap emerges for STEM education. Globally there are more women enrolled than men in universities and graduation rates for women are higher. However, Sub-Saharan Africa is an exception.

Despite higher rates of enrollment and graduation at a global level, women are less likely to major in specific STEM fields. Only 7% of women choose to study engineering, manufacturing and construction, compared to 22% of men. Of the students pursuing careers in information, communication and technology (ICT) fields, 28% are women and 72% are men. Read more.

Of the world’s 736 million extreme poor in 2015, 368 million—half of the total—lived in just 5 countries. The 5 countries with the highest number of extreme poor are (in descending order): India, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh. 

To make significant continued progress towards the global target of reducing extreme poverty (those living on less than $1.90 a day) to less than 3 percent by 2030, large reductions in poverty in these five countries will be crucial. Read More.

Growth among advanced economies is forecast to drop to 2 percent this year, the January 2019 Global Economic Prospects says. Slowing external demand, rising borrowing costs, and persistent policy uncertainties are expected to weigh on the outlook for emerging market and developing economies. Growth for this group is anticipated to hold steady at a weaker-than-expected 4.2 percent this year. Read More.