A Catalyst for Development
Since its inception in 1960, the International Development Association (IDA) has been helping the world's poorest cou
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In 2024, IDA will work with donors and borrowing countries to replenish resources that we will use to deliver on global development goals.
• The developing world faces a daunting crisis. Nearly 700 million people live in extreme poverty and, over the next five years, people in one of every four developing countries will be poorer than they were before COVID-19. Violence and severe weather events fueled by climate change continue to displace people, disrupt food supply, and exacerbate poverty, particularly in fragile and conflict- affected regions.
• More than half of low-income countries are in, or at high risk of, debt distress. The crisis is particularly difficult for countries with weak credit ratings, which face sharply elevated borrowing costs in the context of fiscal duress.
• At the same time, there is a historic opportunity to accelerate change. Demographic shifts, particularly in Africa, the largest and youngest continent, present a major opportunity to speed up sustainable growth and development—supported by targeted investment, applied knowledge, and good governance.
IDA21—the 21st replenishment round since 1960 will work to end poverty on a livable planet. IDA21 will improve lives with a particular focus on women and youth, increasing prosperity, combating climate change and preserving biodiversity, building resilient societies, accelerating digitalization, creating jobs, and building the infrastructure needed to support and sustain economic growth.
• Ongoing dialogue will build consensus for action. Specific priorities and the financing framework are currently being developed in consultation with IDA donors and recipients.
• Unprecedented challenges call for unprecedented ambition. To meet the unprecedented challenges of our time, IDA21 donor commitments need to match the global ambition for change.
Donors meet every three years to replenish IDA resources and review its policy framework. Officials from the donor governments (known as “IDA Deputies”) and representatives of borrowing member countries ensure that IDA’s policy and financing frameworks are responsive to country needs and current challenges. IDA also engages with civil society organizations (CSOs), foundations and think tanks around the world when developing its policy frameworks.
Key dates:
- March 18-19: 1st IDA21 Replenishment Meeting
- April 22-23: 1st IDA21 Replenishment Meeting
- June 18-21: 3rd IDA21 Replenishment Meeting
- October 28-29: 4th IDA21 Replenishment Meeting
- December 10-11: Final Pledging and Replenishment Meeting
- IDA is an engine of global development: IDA helps to improve conditions of life for 1.5 billion people in the world’s poorest countries. As a result of IDA commitments, between 2012 and 2023, 1.18 billion people received essential health services, 117 million people gained access to improved water services, and 92 million people obtained new or improved electricity services.
- IDA helps countries chart their own future: IDA is a partnership between donor and recipient nations, We work with countries to achieve sustainable growth so they can chart their own future, free of donor support. Since 1960, 36 nations have graduated from IDA, and many have gone from recipient to donor.
- IDA is bang for buck. In IDA20, IDA donor dollars translate into nearly four dollars for development: IDA21 will build on the innovative financial model that combines donor funding and lending reflows with capital market borrowing. In IDA20, $23.billion in donor contributions underpinned a total replenishment volume of $93 billion – an effective and transparent use of taxpayer funds.
For more than twenty years, IDA has been using its Results Measurement System (RMS) to evaluate the effectiveness of its support in achieving desired outcomes. Over time, the RMS has evolved into a comprehensive accountability framework that monitors and communicates the collective results achieved by IDA during each replenishment cycle.
The RMS is periodically updated to reflect the changing nature of IDA’s business and incorporates lessons learned from policy implementation. It offers insights into IDA’s efficiency in terms of organization and operations and allows IDA to inform donors about the impact of their contributions.
The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) is one of the largest and most effective platforms for fighting extreme poverty in the world’s low-income countries.
IDA aims to reduce poverty on a livable planet by providing financing, policy advice, and knowledge for programs that boost economic growth, build resilience, and improve the lives of poor people around the world.
IDA is a multi-issue institution and supports a range of development activities across different sectors that pave the way toward equality, economic growth, job creation, higher incomes, and better living conditions.
IDA is the world’s largest source of development finance for low-income countries. IDA lends money on concessional terms.
IDA credits have a zero or very low interest charge and repayments are stretched over 30 to 40 years.
More than half of active IDA countries receive all, or half, of their IDA resources on grant terms, which carry no repayments. Grants are targeted to low-income countries at higher risk of debt distress.
Since 1960, IDA has provided about $533 billion for investments in 115 countries. In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, IDA’s commitments totaled $34.2 billion, of which $7.3 billion were grants.
In FY23, eight of IDA’s top borrowers are from Africa: Tanzania, Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Senegal.
IDA’s country-led model supports national priorities and looks beyond single issues to improve education, health, water and sanitation, agriculture, infrastructure, and institutions—the fabric of thriving societies.
We work with countries to achieve sustainable growth so they can chart their own future, free of donor support. Since 1960, 38 nations have graduated from IDA, with many returning as donors, e.g. China, Chile, India, South Korea, and Turkey.
Representatives of IDA donor governments and borrower countries come together every three years to replenish IDA’s funds and review IDA’s policies.
The replenishment process consists of negotiations that last a whole year to come up with a funding amount and themes that will be funded.
The amount of funds raised or the replenishment envelope consists of contributions from IDA donors, the World Bank’s own contributions, repayments, and financing raised from the capital markets.
Through this financing model, IDA has a financial leveraging capacity that transforms one donor dollar into nearly four dollars for development impact.
Since its founding in 1960, IDA has had 20 replenishment cycles. The current cycle, known as IDA20 covers July 2022 to June 2025. The $93 billion IDA20 package was made possible by donor contributions from more than 50 high- and middle-income countries totaling $23.5 billion.
IDA20 was designed to meet the unprecedented need in developing countries brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. IDA20 is focused on Building Back Better from the Crisis: Towards a Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Future focusing on ofive special themes: Human Capital; Climate; Gender; Fragility, Conflict, and Violence; and Jobs and Economic Transformation; and ofour cross-cutting issues: Crisis preparedness; Debt; Governance and Institutions; and Technology.
IDA is currently mobilizing resources and developing a policy package for the next replenishment (IDA21) which will cover July 2025 to June 2028. The replenishment process for IDA21 will conclude in December 2024. The World Bank’s goal is to make IDA21 the largest replenishment ever.
Multiple crises have set back global development, putting millions of lives and livelihoods at risk, and left many poor countries heavily in debt. IDA’s 21st replenishment will respond to these challenges and seize the opportunity for change.