In 2023 the combined GDP of the LDCs was 10 per cent below the level it would have reached had the pre-pandemic (2010-2019) growth trend been sustained. As a result at least an additional 15 million people in LDCs are now living in extreme poverty with their governments severely constrained in their ability to sustain adequate investments in public services or invest in advancing development progress. The Report highlights the urgent need for concerted action to restore fiscal space in LDCs through the lasting resolution of the debt crisis reform of the international financial architecture and the mobilization of climate finance to enable needed investments towards low-carbon transition and green structural transformation. Without which the SDGs and sustainable development cannot be realised. The Report advances several recommendations aimed at advancing the reform of global development finance which in its current state is deficient in terms of its quantity quality structure cost and ease of accessibility. The Report also contains a detailed analysis of the possible role of central banks in shaping the financing of sustainable development and green structural transformation in LDCs. While the contribution of central banks to dealing with climate change has been discussed in developed countries this is the first time this type of analysis is done in the context of the LDCs.

This publication takes stock of 50 years of development experience since the establishment of the LDC category in 1971. Most LDCs growth has been erratic and they have not closed the income gap with other developing countries. This stems largely from the inefficacy of domestic and international policies in addressing structural impediments to structural transformation i.e. low level of productive capacities excessive export orientation limited policy space weak state capacity technological backwardness limited entrepreneurial development and insufficient investment in human capital formation. For the coming decade the report proposes an overhaul of development policies and strategies in favour of initiatives that are centred on the development of productive capacities and led by a developmental state which successfully aligns foreign agents’ dealings with LDCs to national development goals and priorities.

This report provides a comprehensive source of socio-economic analysis and data on the world's most impoverished countries. It calls for least developed countries (LDCs) to ensure that external finance from all sources is directed to national development priorities and urges the international community to scale up its support toward this goal. Persistent shortfalls in domestic savings in the least developed countries make them heavily dependent on external finance. The least developed countries are most dependent on official development assistance. Official development assistance is essential for LDCs to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and eventually escape aid dependence.

This report focuses on the role of access to modern energy in economic structural transformation - a critical issue both for the least developed countries (LDCs) and for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The report focuses on the particular circumstances challenges and experiences of the LDCs. Second the report focuses on transformative energy access - an approach to universal access that goes beyond basic household needs to provide the means for structural transformation of LDCs' economies through the development of more productive modern activities and sectors. Third it shows the role of structural transformation in increasing energy access by generating sufficient additional demand for electricity for productive uses. Finally it presents new estimates of the investment costs of universal access to electricity and transformative energy access in LDCs.

The Least Developed Countries Report 2013 analyses the employment challenge of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Demographic projections indicate that around 225 million people in LDCs will be entering the labour force until 2030. Hence creating sufficient and decent employment opportunities for all will be a real challenge. However recent experience shows that the link between growth and employment in LDCs is not automatic. The LDC Report 2013 aims to raise awareness and galvanize the attention of policymakers to the magnitude of the problem. It also reviews and analyses recent labour market performance of the LDCs compares it with the future needs in relation to job creation and elaborates concrete policy recommendations for growth with employment.

In light of the current economic difficulties facing traditional development partners and the non-sustainable and non-inclusive nature of performance of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) over the last decade LDC governments need new development paths to tap into dynamic growth poles in the South. This publication explores the role of South-South cooperation and regional developmentalism and finds that in order to benefit from evolving South-South relations LDCs need to transform into Catalytic Development States that are highly sensitive to LDC vulnerabilities and offer new policy agendas.

The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are a group of countries that have been classified by the United Nations as least developed in terms of their low GDP per capita their weak human assets and their high degree of economic vulnerability. This Report argues that the impact of the global economic crisis is likely to be so severe in LDCs that “business as usual” is no longer possible. The crisis offers the necessity and opportunity for change. The Report sketches out a concrete alternative economic strategy and a fresh agenda for LDC policymakers which includes institutional capacity-building and the strengthening of the market-complementing developmental State.

The Least Developed Countries are a group of 50 countries that have been identified as “least developed” in terms of their low GDP their weak human assets and their high degree of economic vulnerability. The 2007 edition of the Report focuses on national and international policies that promote knowledge as a catalytic input to the development of productive capacities in the Least Developed Countries. The Report discusses mechanisms and policies to enhance technology transfers to these countries; the role of intellectual property rights and related incentive systems; and the ways in which foreign aid can be used to promote technological learning and innovation capabilities in the Least Developed Countries.

This annual report reviews recent economic trends in the least developed countries (LDCs) focusing on their efforts to escape the poverty trap. The 2004 edition examines the relationship between international trade and poverty within LDC’s and identifies national and international policies that can make trade a more effective mechanism for poverty reduction in these countries. It also reveals the obstacles faced by LDCs when they implemented deep trade liberalization measures in the 1990s. The report is a valuable source of information for government officials academics researchers the media and members of public and private sector interested in the social and economic advancement of developing countries.

What the world's poorest countries need most is not simply debt relief but a 'New Deal' in international development cooperation contends UNCTAD in its Least Developed Countries 2000 Report. Almost two thirds of the 48 least developed countries (LDCs) have an external debt burden which is unsustainable according to international criteria. The report also states that past efforts to substantially decrease their debt service payments have failed and recent attempts to finally resolve the debt problem through the Heavily Indebt Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative are not very promising. The LDCs also looks at economic growth and social trends in the LDCs in the 1990s financing development and ways in which new approaches to partnerships can increase the effectiveness of aid.

The main focus of the 1998 Least Developed Countries Report is an analysis of how different aspects of the multilateral trading system affect opportunities and constraints for least developed countries (LDCs) to enhance their participation in the world economy. The Report examines the evolving interface between trade issues and the development objectives of LDCs. It analyses in particular several aspects of the multilateral trading system which traditionally have not been the main focus of concern to LDCs but which are rapidly becoming important as these countries attempt to diversify their economies and enhance their involvement in the global economy. The Report also focuses on two other issues: implementation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements by LDCs and how implementation by the developed countries is likely to affect LDCs; and how the process of accession could be expedited for the LDCs which are not members of WTO while ensuring that they enjoy the same rights and concessions as current LDC members.

Reviews recent socio-economic development in the least developed countries (LDCs) and the progress in the implementation of support measures. Chapters deal with such issues as possibilities of further debt-relief role of micro-enterprises and the role of women and environmental problems in the LDCs. The main theme of the 1996 Report is the impact of globalization and liberalization on the LDCs.