Overview

 Updated October 2007

MENA Highlights
	Fast Facts
	Countries Eligible for Borrowing
	Lending by Theme and Sector (FY 07)
	Operations Approved  (FY 07)
	Population Living Below $1 and $2 a Day
	Gross Domestic Product Per Capita Index
	More data

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region has experienced in recent years high economic growth accompanied by strong job creation and declining unemployment. For this performance to be sustainable it needs to be supported by deeper structural reforms in countries of the MENA region.

The GDP growth rate for the region reached 6.3% in 2006 up from an average of 3.6% a year during the 1990s which is the strongest showing in more than 10 years despite the difficult conditions in Iraq, Lebanon and the West Bank and Gaza. The 2006 high growth rates was also the fourth in a row of robust growth performance, driven by high oil prices, economic recovery in Europe and reforms that are broadly going in the right direction. As a result, many jobs have been generated, primarily by the private sector as public employment rates slows down.

Indicators reveal that, between 2000-2005, employment grew at 4.5% per annum. This is the strongest rate of job creation among developing regions. However, productivity remains a concern and women are still less successful than men in finding employment. There is evidence of reform progress in trade, business environment and governance in MENA countries. Prospects for sustaining growth and reducing unemployment in the region at the current rates will depend primarily on advances in the structural reform agenda, which remains a substantial challenge for policymakers.

 For more information see: MENA Region Brief