- Strong growth has occurred in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) as the transition economies adjust to market systems.
- The region’s middle-income countries have made a strong recovery from the transition shock of the 1990s; their growth exceeded 5 percent in 2005. However, a middle-income country can remain home to a large number of poor people. For example, in Turkey, life expectancy in Eastern Anatolia is nearly 10 years lower than the more affluent western region.
Investment Climate - The World Bank’s Investment Climate Surveys of the region show noticeable improvements in survey indicators of crime, corruption, and especially policy uncertainty.
Losing ground in key infrastructure areas By the early 1990s, ECA had universal access to most infrastructure services. However, since 1995, the region has slipped backward with a decline of about five percent of the share of population with access to improved water and nine percent of those with access to improved sanitation. The quality of the water network has deteriorated significantly. Phone access has expanded rapidly and access to electricity remains almost universal. |
Progress on ‘human development’ goals
The Czech Republic, a middle-income country, has rapidly reduced its already low under-five mortality rate from 13 per 1,000 births in 1990 to four per 1,000 births in 2004.
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