Issue Uneven pathways to prosperity

Summary

This issue describes routes to prosperity diverging sharply between countries. UNDP argues that prosperity now depends on capabilities, resilience and the ability to adapt, not only on income growth. After the pandemic, countries with stronger institutions, fiscal room and human capital recovered faster, while others remain trapped in low growth, and the 2020s could become the slowest-growing decade since the 1960s. Debt, climate and environmental stress, and labour market disruption narrow the path forward even where poverty headlines improve, as extreme poverty still affects 46% of people in sub-Saharan Africa. Technology deepens the split by raising productivity for some while exposing gaps in skills, social protection and finance for others, making past development gains look fragile.