Development Research Group

The World Bank and George Washington University are pleased to announce the inaugural AI & The Future of Human Capital in the Global South Symposium scheduled for Monday September 29th, 2025, in Washington, DC. 

This in-person event will bring together experts across disciplines to explore how AI-driven innovations can help address critical human development challenges in low- and middle-income countries. 

📅 Register to attend!

📊 How are people around the world managing their money—and what’s driving progress in financial inclusion?

The Global Findex 2025, the world’s most comprehensive database on how adults save, borrow, make payments, and manage risk, is now available. This fifth edition introduces the Global Findex Digital Connectivity Tracker, a new component that measures access to and use of mobile technology.

Replay the launch to hear Leora Klapper, Founder of the Global Findex, share 5 key insights from the latest data.

Urbanization is central to Africa’s development. As cities grow rapidly, the ability of people to access jobs, services, and markets will determine whether urbanization becomes a driver of inclusive growth or a source of deepening inequality.

This edition of Research Insights explores how spatial dynamics shape economic opportunity in cities, and how new tools and evidence can help policymakers respond.

The content featured in this edition was presented at the 9^th Urbanization and Development conference. Many more studies, tools, and policy insights can be found on the conference website.

What’s changing in global trade and trade policy? How do these shifts affect development and welfare? And how should developing economies respond?

These are the core questions driving the Development Research Group’s Trade Fragmentation Research Initiative, which produces cutting-edge studies with both academic rigor and policy relevance.

This website turns those insights into interactive tools, allowing users see how trade policies and fragmentation affect different countries and outcomes — and even test scenarios by generating custom graphs in real time.