Global Development Finance 2011: External Debt of Developing Countries is a continuation of the World Bank's publications Global Development Finance, Volume II (1997 through 2009) and the earlier World Debt Tables (1973 through 1996). As in previous years, GDF 2011 provides statistical tables showing the external debt of 128 developing countries that report public and publicly guaranteed external debt to the World Bank's Debtor Reporting System (DRS). It also includes tables of key debt ratios for individual reporting countries and the composition of external debt stocks and flows for...

The lives of women around the world have improved dramatically, at a pace and scope diffi cult to imagine even 25 years ago. Women have made unprecedented gains in rights, education, health, and access to jobs and livelihoods. More countries than ever guarantee equal rights in property, marriage, and other domains. Gendergaps in primary schooling have closed in many countries, while in a third of all countries girls now outnumber boys in secondary school. And more young women than men attend universities in 60 countries. Women are using their education to participate more in the labor force:...

Jobs provide higher earnings and better benefits as countries grow, but they are also a driver of development. Poverty falls as people work their way out of hardship and as jobs empowering women lead to greater investments in children. Efficiency increases as workers get better at what they do, as more productive jobs appear, and less productive ones disappear. Societies flourish as jobs bring together people from different ethnic and social backgrounds and provide alternatives to conflict. Jobs are thus more than a byproduct of economic growth. They are transformational they are what we...

Tenth in a series of annual reports comparing business regulation in 185 economies, Doing Business 2013 measures regulations affecting 11 areas of everyday business activity: Starting a business Dealing with construction permits Getting electricity Registering property Getting credit Protecting investors Paying taxes Trading across borders Enforcing contracts Closing a business Employing workers The report updates all indicators as of June 1, 2012, ranks economies on their overall ease of doing business, and analyzes reforms to business regulation identifying which economies are strengthening...

A new look and new ways to access the world s premier source of development data Looking for accurate, up-to-date data on development issues? World Development Indicators (WDI) is the World Bank s premier annual compilation of data about development. Compiled from officially-recognized international sources, WDI presents the most current and accurate global development data available, including national, regional and global estimates. This year s print edition and e-book have been redesigned to allow users the convenience of easily linking to the latest data on-line. What you will find in the...