News

Developing countries take new steps towards stronger cooperation and a collective voice on debt.

• Trade projected to grow 4% in 2026.
• Economic growth in developing economies is projected to slow to 4% in 2026, while they face new technological and policy barriers.
• Most Asian economies show remarkable resilience and dynamic growth.
• AI is a key driver of dynamism in global trade, but gains are extremely concentrated.
• Rising economies of the Global South anchor regional and sectoral integration.

• 3.7 billion people live in countries where interest payments on public debt exceed spending on health or education.
• Developing countries paid almost $1 trillion in net interest on public debt in 2025, nearly three times the 2010 level.
• Narrowing the borrowing-cost gap with developed economies could save developing countries $500 billion a year in interest payments.
• New UNCTAD report identifies advancing the Borrowers’ Platform as one of the global actions needed to address structurally higher borrowing costs.

The continent drew about $70 billion in international investment in 2025, its third-highest year since 1990, as investors circle energy, minerals and infrastructure.

UNCTAD analysis shows how countries can use better data to move from broad capacity gaps to specific service needs to reduce plastic pollution.

International investment to the region rose 14% to $188 billion, but announced greenfield projects, a signal of future factories and jobs, fell by a third.

The quality, cost and availability of services directly affect competitiveness and participation in global value chains.

A coordinated global response is key to putting development at the centre, from the rules governing frontier technologies to the flow of investment and the transition to green industry.

A dedicated space for developing countries to collectively strengthen their voice is increasingly crucial as rising borrowing costs squeeze development spending.

Latest UNCTAD report documents the loss of decades of development gains, economic collapse in Gaza and tightening economic constraints in the West Bank.