Transport

• Air Transport
• Gender & Transport
• Road Safety
• Shipping and Ports

Transport plays an important role in addressing the emerging jobs crisis as both a job creator and job connector. The transport sector directly employs around 200 million people worldwide, including pilots, engineers, truck drivers, maritime workers and others, and accounts for as much as 12% of GDP in many low-and middle-income countries. But transport’s biggest impact is its role in linking people to opportunity across every sector of the economy.

Creating efficient, resilient, and affordable transportation systems can unleash economic growth and create jobs but requires private sector mobilization in coordination with public spending. Each year through 2030, Low-and middle-income countries require $417 billion in resilient transport investments. These investments generate $4.2 trillion in net benefits, or $4 for every $1 invested.

The transport sector faces several persistent challenges. For many developing countries, basic access remains an issue: more than one billion people living more than 2km away from an all-weather road, and only half the world’s population has access to public transport. In many cities in the developing world,  less than half of jobs are accessible within an hour commute.

Inadequate transport has far-reaching consequences on the health, safety, and welfare of communities. Road crashes claim 1.19 million lives every year, 92% of them in developing countries.  Nearly 7 million people die prematurely each year from health conditions resulting from air pollution–to which transport is a significant contributor.

Finally, women only represent  12% of the transport workforce.  A lack of safe transport reduces the probability of  women participating in the labor force by an estimated 16.5%.

Modern, resilient transport is smart development.  When we build roads that connect people to markets, we build them to withstand floods, so they don’t need to be rebuilt.  When we create efficient public transport systems, we can connect people to jobs and opportunities. And when we modernize ports and logistics systems, we create resilient supply chains that businesses can count on.

With an active transport portfolio of nearly $45 billion as of end-February 2026 – including around $4 billion in own-account commitments by IFC – the World Bank Group is the largest provider of development financing for transport in the world. Our support is already benefiting 176 million people and is projected to provide access to sustainable transport to an additional 523 million people when completed.

• In FY25, the World Bank approved   53 new transport operations for a total of $11.2 billion.
• All World Bank transport projects approved in FY25 include climate co-benefits, which means they directly contribute to reducing countries’ GHG emissions and/or enhancing climate resilience.
• Since FY17, the Transport Global Department has committed $24.9 billion in low-carbon and climate resilient actions through 232 projects.

To achieve greater impact and results, the World Bank Group hosts several high-profile initiatives that foster effective coordination between global transport stakeholders:

• The Global Facility to Decarbonize Transport (GFDT) is a multi-donor trust fund managed by the World Bank that aims to accelerate innovation and investment in climate-smart mobility solutions in low and middle-income countries. By funding critical work such as feasibility studies, capacity building, and pilot projects, GFDT lays the groundwork for the initiation of World Bank-financed transport decarbonization projects. GFDT donors include Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom. In its first two years, GFDT has funded 18 programs, which in turn have catalyzed $480 million in World Bank financing for green mobility projects.
• Sustainable Mobility for All (SuM4All) is a global coalition of 56 international organizations and companies with a shared ambition towards sustainable mobility and achieving it in countries. Through thought leadership, advocacy, and concrete action in countries on sustainable mobility, SuM4All has emerged as the premier platform for international cooperation on transport and mobility issues, globally.
• The World Bank-managed  Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF)  supports efforts in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) to halve their road traffic fatalities and serious injuries. It does this by providing funding, knowledge, and technical assistance to scale up efforts of LMICs to build their institutional and delivery capacities; informing road safety investments financed by the World Bank and other Multilateral Development Banks; and delivering global road safety knowledge products and capacity building initiatives.
• The World Bank’s Africa region hosts the Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP), a partnership of 42 African countries, eight regional economic communities, continental institutions (African Union Commission and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa), public and private sector organizations, international development agencies and other partner organizations. SSATP’s work program focuses on regional integration, urban mobility, and road safety—three pillars that will lay the foundation for efficient, safe, and sustainable transport systems across Africa.

• In  Quito, Ecuador, the new metro system  connects up to 400,000 daily passengers to 780,000 jobs while saving 67,000 tons of CO2e each year. This project is notable for its universal design, which accommodates persons with disabilities. Half of all managerial positions tied to the metro are held by women. And the metro connects low-income residents, who previously lacked transport options, with the downtown.
• The Bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Dakar, Senegal, is the first all-electric bus system on the African continent. It aims to improve transport for 320,000 daily commuters and make 170,000 jobs newly accessible by public transport. The system will reduce congestion and emissions, equivalent to getting 260,000 cars off the road. The Dakar BRT provides a very strong example of all World Bank Group entities coming together to execute a project – including collaboration with private investors and other MDBs and supported by more than $23 million in MIGA guarantees.

• A World Bank $338.6 million supported-program is helping six Pacific countries by upgrading about 150 km of roads, eight maritime sites, and one airport to enhance climate resilience. Funded through grants from the International Development Association (IDA), it benefits 380,000 people—45% of the population in Micronesia, Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. This initiative builds on over $1.1 billion in World Bank investments in transport resilience, energy, and digital development in the Pacific.
• Tanger Med Port Complex (2025): The Tanger Med Port Complex has received support from the World Bank Group through its private-sector arms, IFC and MIGA, which have helped mobilize financing and guarantees for port expansion and modernization projects. These investments—including support for a €476 million expansion and upgrades to truck and passenger terminals—aim to strengthen Morocco’s role as a global logistics hub and boost trade connectivity between Africa, Europe, and global markets.

• Global Facility to Decarbonize Transport (GFDT)
• Sustainable Mobility for All (SuM4All)
• Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF)
• Africa Transport Policy Program
• Public – Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF)