Topics

Human Development

Human development is a cornerstone issue in the face of global challenges that further affect people’s access to education, basic health care, food, and employment opportunities. The World Bank’s Human Development work covers projects and programs in the fields of Education, Health, Nutrition & Population (HNP), Social Protection & Labor, Children & Youth, HIV/AIDS, and Development Dialogue.

In recent years, IEG has undertaken a number of evaluations of World Bank Group’s support to human development issues. These evaluations aim to provide an opportunity for the institution to learn from the past experiences and to inform emerging strategies and programs.

RECENTLY RELEASED
World Bank Support to Education Since 2001: A Portfolio Note
An IEG review of the education lending portfolio found that Education Sector projects most often aimed to improve the quality of education inputs, increase access to schooling, and improve the equity and efficiency of education; one in five projects had an explicit objective to improve learning. Click here to download the document.

Did you know that...
The share of children completing primary education rose from 78 percent in 1991 to 85 percent in 2007

About 178 million children under age five in developing countries have low height for their age and 55 million have low weight for height

More than half of countries are not on track to halve the share of children who are underweight by 2015

Over 3 billion people under the age of 24 in the world today, comprising 47% of the world's population
Relevant Studies
Social Safety Nets
A Portfolio Note: World Bank Support to Education since 2001
From Schooling Access to Learning Outcomes: An Unfinished Agenda
An Evaluation of World Bank Support to Primary Education
Improving Effectiveness and Outcomes for the Poor in Health, Nutrtion and Population: An Evaluation of World Bank Group Support Since 1997