The World Bank has published a new report entitled 1997 World Development Indicators, which draws on the expertise of dozens of international organizations along with statistics from over 200 economies, to offer a comprehensive picture of the state of the world. The report "starts from the premise that development is about the quality of life," said World Bank President James Wolfensohn. "It places people and poverty reduction first, at the centre of the development agenda where they belong."

The report includes statistics on people, including population, life expectancy and infant mortality; economic overviews on emerging economies and smaller developing ones; markets and technology, including the number of computers per every1000 people in developed and developing countries; and statistics on the environment, such as safe drinking water and energy consumption per capita.

Contact:

Phil Hay
World Bank
1818 H Street NW
Washington DC 20433
USA
Tel.: +1.202.473 1796
Fax: +1.202.522 2632
E-mail: phay@worldbank.org