Highlights

Through succinct explanations and presentation of key figures, Development and Globalization: Facts and Figures surveys major developments in the world economy over the past 40 years. Aimed at a broad audience, including readers with little or no background in economics, it describes in a straightforward manner the evolution of developing countries, particularly in the context of globalization. The publication is a quick-reference tool for evaluating the growth prospects of developing countries. It also gives an overview of UNCTAD´s work to identify the best policies and practices for developing countries to adopt in their quest for efficient economic and social progress and well-being.

Development and Globalization: Facts and Figures covers 43 topics in the following areas:

• population and economic trends
• external finance and debt
• foreign direct investment
• transnational corporations and foreign affiliates
• international trade in merchandise and services
• production, trade and pricing of commodities
• production and trade of manufactures
• information and communication technologies

The explanatory texts complement the tables and graphs by highlighting key data and situating it in the context of the broader topic. For each topic, a "To learn more" section highlights UNCTAD secretariat activities and points to a selection of UNCTAD publications and reference documents offering detailed analysis of the issues discussed and means of accessing other relevant information. For some subjects, there is a focus on selected country groups, in particular the least developed countries.