International Women's Day 2026

Closing the financing gap for women can boost jobs and growth

Financial services can empower women, helping them to start and grow businesses, manage household finances, and invest in their futures. Access to credit, savings, insurance, and efficient payments can help women-led ...

Five ways evidence is unlocking women’s economic participation

The newly released Umbrella Facility for Gender Equality 2025 Annual Report highlights how investing in evidence has informed country policies and shaped WBG operations and investments. Here are five ways evidence ...

Women's Economic Power in Action

Creating jobs and expanding opportunity for women across East Asia and Pacific

Clear Her Path

Breaking barriers to women's employment in South Asia

How a World Bank Program is Turning Creativity into Jobs for Women in Sierra ...

By pairing a Creative Economy Diagnostic with a women-focused accelerator, Sierra Leone’s CreatiFi program is helping translate creative talent into an economic development catalyst.

Creating Pathways for Women’s Empowerment and Employment in Somalia

The World Bank–supported Rajo Kaaba ("Building Hope") Program is providing scholarships for Somali women and girls for higher education in nursing, midwifery, and education across 25 universities. It is working to equip ...

Women Who Never Give Up: Making Effort Pay Off

Rural and Indigenous women in Guatemala are strengthening livelihoods through agriculture while protecting forests and ecosystems vital to their communities, demonstrating that economic empowerment and conservation can ...

Mend the Gap, Unleash Potential: Addressing Barriers to Women's Economic ...

A new World Bank Group report finds that closing the labor force gap between men and women could raise GDP per capita by up to 14% across Europe and Central Asia.

Boosting Women’s Economic Power in Eastern and Southern Africa

These stories from Eastern and Southern Africa show that when women work, communities prosper and economies grow.

India - International Women's Day 2026

Stories of #HumWomaniya: Women who lead from the front

From sleeping on a papyrus mat to building a production facility for working ...

Jolly Okot, a former war abductee from Northern Uganda, leads a growing network of women entrepreneurs through WEND Africa. With backing from the World Bank–funded GROW Project, her production facility will expand to ...

From refugee to real estate visionary: Nyager Guet’s journey in South Sudan

A former South Sudanese refugee and lawyer who founded Rolling Acres Real Estate Ltd to provide affordable housing in South Sudan. The World Bank-funded South Sudan Women's Social and Economic Empowerment Project (...

Empowering Women Entrepreneurs Living with Disabilities in the Democratic ...

The TRANSFORME Project in the DRC is expanding inclusive economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs, including those living with disabilities. With the World Bank’s support, over 23,500 women completed ...

Expanding Access to Skills: Supporting Young Women Through Ethiopia’s TVET ...

Ethiopia's Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) reforms are empowering women with practical, market-relevant skills—aligning training programs with the demands of the labor market, the reforms are ...

Women’s Financial Empowerment at the Heart of a Developed India

As India charts its course toward Viksit Bharat 2047, it will need a financial system that not only includes women but also strengthens their economic power by giving them control over money, decisions, and assets at ...

Breaking Barriers: How Financial Inclusion Is Unlocking the Potential of Women ...

By offering tailored loan products and financial services, banks in Uzbekistan are empowering women entrepreneurs to expand their businesses.

Mexico: Advancing Women's Financial Inclusion

Addressing the financial access gap for women entrepreneurs could improve Mexico’s economic development and competitiveness.

Empowering Caribbean women: The key to unleashing economic potential

Caribbean countries have come a long way in granting women equal economic opportunities, thanks to groundbreaking reforms but there are still many challenges to overcome.

Cash Transfers are Helping Women Create Businesses and Regain Hope in South ...

Skilling and Supporting Women Entrepreneurs in Rural Tamil Nadu

Female Economic Empowerment in the Fields of Honduras

In southern Honduras, hundreds of rural women have turned crops into a source of personal income, resilience, and opportunity for their families.

IFC-backed $100m initiative to boost women-owned businesses in developing world