The data on women at work call us to action Haishan FuRobin Mearns October 16, 2026 This page in: English (+ +...+...)

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/opendata/the-data-on-women-at-work-call-us-to-action At the current pace of change, it could take 350 years for women to participate in the labor market at the same rate as men. That is not a typo. It is what the data tell us when we trace the trajectory of women's labor force participation from 1990 to today across countries worldwide. This sobering finding lies at the heart of Shaping the Future of Women in the Workplace featured in the 2026 edition of the Atlas for Global Development. Shaping the Future of Women in the Workplace Women face persistent barriers when it comes to participating in the labor force. And those who do work are more likely to be in vulnerable employment, earn lower wages, and shoulder the majority of domestic and care responsibilities, highlighting slow and uneven progress toward gender equality at work. https://data360.worldbank.org/en/atlas/gender-and-jobs/ Atlas of Global Development 2026 The Atlas of Global Development 2026 presents interactive storytelling and data visualizations on key global trends related to people, prosperity, our planet, infrastructure, and digital transformation. https://data360.worldbank.org/en/atlas/

Momentum is building for better data in the Caribbean, but more work lies ahead Isabella Contreras RengifoJacobus de HoopJonathan LainAnna Luisa PaffhausenZander PrinslooUmar Serajuddin October 16, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/opendata/momentum-is-building-for-better-data-in-the-caribbean--but-more- A decade ago, someone trying to understand poverty dynamics in the Caribbean would have hit a wall. They would have encountered statistical office websites with limited information on the data collected, survey data locked in filing cabinets, and no clear channels to request access even when data existed.

Bangladesh Shows Why Results Must Outlast Projects Lisandro MartinJean Pesme October 16, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/endpovertyinsouthasia/bangladesh-shows-why-results-must-outlast-projects The most important result of a development project is what a country can keep doing after the project ends. Bangladesh shows why financing helped build a solar market that reached millions of households. Simpler business procedures opened routes for entrepreneurs. Stronger standards improved conditions inside factories. Behind these results lies a larger achievement: the capacity to keep delivering.

Women’s Leadership: A Research Round-up from the Accelerating Development Outcomes Conference Kathleen BeegleAna Maria Munoz-BoudetMichael O’SullivanMariana Viollaz October 19, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/impactevaluations/women-s-leadership--a-research-round-up-from-the-accelerating-de This past September 10-11 the World Bank Group, LSE, and the Gates Foundation convened a global conference on Women’s Leadership: Accelerating Development Outcomes. The inaugural conference, the first in a series, focused on causal evidence on barriers, impacts and policies to advance women’s representation, voice and power. A total of 48 papers were presented across sessions, complemented by keynotes from Matthias Doepke, Rohini Pande, and Amanda Clayton.

Land registration as an opportunity to expand women's land rights: Early insights from Senegal Nelsy AffoumSokhna BaAletheia Amalia DonaldLaetitia LonghiAndré Teyssier October 20, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/developmenttalk/land-registration-as-an-opportunity-to-expand-women-s-land-right Owning land can open important pathways out of poverty. Yet, in Senegal, most women have no formal claim to it. In fact, only 6% own agricultural land and just 2.5% own their homes. This inequality can begin early, when daughters are overlooked as land is passed down within families. Over time, this leaves women with fewer assets, less access to credit, and less protection in the event of divorce or widowhood. Large-scale registration programs therefore present both a risk and an opportunity: they can extend formal land ownership to millions, but they can also cement existing inequalities if women’s and girls’ inclusion is not deliberately built into the process.

Measuring disaster-related crop losses: How far can household surveys take us, and what new research is needed? Giulia PonziniPhilip Randolph Wollburg October 20, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/opendata/measuring-disaster-related-crop-losses--how-far-can-household-su Natural hazards are striking agricultural systems more often and at greater cost. In 2024, recorded disasters exceeded the twenty-year average, at a direct cost of around US$242 billion (CRED, 2025). Direct damages, though, are only the costs that get counted. Once losses to health, education, livelihoods, ecosystems, and supply chains are added, the global toll rises to closer to US$ 2.3 trillion per year; UNDRR, 2025). A large share of that damage lands on farms: FAO estimates that disasters destroyed US$3.26 trillion in crop and livestock production between 1991 and 2023, an average of US$99 billion a year, or 4 percent of global agricultural GDP, with Africa bearing the heaviest relative burden at 7.4 percent (FAO, 2025). For the 3.8 billion people whose livelihoods depend on agrifood systems — especially for smallholders who rely on crops for both income and food — these losses are a recurring threat to consumption, nutrition, and long-term development.

Accountability makes development banks more effective Armand NzeyimanaIbrahima Dit Thierno LoLisandro Martin October 20, 2026 This page in: English العربية

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/arabvoices/accountability-makes-development-banks-more-effective Every dollar entrusted to a development bank carries an obligation to improve lives and demonstrate that it has. The evidence that allows the public to hold us accountable must also guide the decisions that make us effective. The stakes are rising. The OECD reports that official development assistance dropped by 23% in 2025, its largest recorded fall, with a further decline projected for 2026. Countries face mounting pressure on development finance, and every allocation carries a greater opportunity cost. Public confidence depends on a credible answer to a direct question: what difference does our work make?