World Bank Group Mobilizes Record $112 Billion as Developing Economies Need Jobs

Private capital mobilized for lower-middle-income countries rose from $14 billion in FY22 to $37 billion in FY26, with upper-middle-income countries recording an increase from $12 billion to $50 billion.

The World Bank Group mobilized a record $112 billion in private capital in fiscal year 2026, bringing more investment into developing economies facing growing pressure to create jobs and expand opportunities. The amount was more than three times the $35 billion mobilized in FY22, taking total financing and mobilization to well over $200 billion when combined with the Group's own funding.

The results follow three years of changes designed to make the institution faster, easier to work with and better connected across its public and private sector operations. For communities seeking reliable electricity, stronger businesses and employment opportunities, the value of this financing will depend on how effectively it supports investment that improves everyday life.

Investment Grows Across Developing Markets

Private capital mobilized for lower-middle-income countries rose from $14 billion in FY22 to $37 billion in FY26, with upper-middle-income countries recording an increase from $12 billion to $50 billion. Across Africa, the amount climbed from approximately $9 billion to $22 billion, representing growth of nearly 150 percent and showing a wider reach for investment across the continent.

Low-income countries remained among the toughest places to attract private investment, with mobilization holding at about $3 billion. Regional and local investors are increasingly joining global investors in financing businesses in lower-income economies, adding sources of funding in markets where securing capital can be difficult.

The Group has introduced a single point of contact in each country across its public and private sector work and begun developing integrated country strategies shaped by national needs. Its Private Sector Investment Lab has helped identify practical investment barriers, informing work on business regulations, local-currency financing, foreign-exchange challenges, equity tools and ways to bring larger institutional investors into developing markets.

Guarantees Beat the 2030 Target Early

The World Bank Group issued more than $25 billion in guarantees during FY26, exceeding its target of $20 billion in annual issuance by 2030 four years ahead of schedule. Growth was led by the World Bank Group Guarantee Platform, established in 2024 to give clients and investors a simpler, single access point for guarantee products across the institution.

Guarantees are part of a broader effort to make investment more accessible by addressing risks and obstacles that can prevent projects from securing funding. World Bank Group President Ajay Banga linked the record mobilization to changes in how the institution operates, stressing that the real measure of success is whether the money creates opportunities and jobs in developing economies.

Turning More Capital Into Employment

The employment challenge gives the financing figures a human dimension: an estimated 1.2 billion young people in developing economies will reach working age over the next 10 to 15 years, against projections of only around 420 million new jobs. The private sector creates nine out of every 10 jobs in these economies, making business investment central to expanding employment opportunities.

The Group's jobs strategy combines investment in human and physical infrastructure, regulations that support businesses and help for private companies to grow. It focuses on infrastructure and energy, agribusiness, healthcare, tourism and value-added manufacturing, five sectors with substantial employment potential that received 55 percent of total financing, including the Group's own funding and mobilized capital, in FY26.

Work to attract a broader range of investors includes the Group's originate-to-distribute approach, which develops ways to package investments and distribute them to institutional investors at greater scale. Connecting those pools of long-term capital with opportunities in developing economies could help more businesses secure financing, with the Group's next challenge being to turn record investment into lasting economic opportunity.