Further Reading

Population of States

More than a quarter of World Bank members are "small states" - countries with a population under 1.5 million. There are roughly 150 larger states, but 90 independent states and depending jurisdications that are smaller. These countries vary greatly in their level of development and the size of their economies. They are also spread out geographically, with most of them clustered in the Caribbean, the Pacific, and in Africa. Despite their diversity, these countries share a common set of development challenges. Three out of four of developing small states are islands or widely dispersed multi-island states; others are land-locked, and some are located far from major markets. Because of their size, small states are traditionally characterized by weak capacity in both the public and the private sector. They also tend to have larger public sectors than other countries. In some states, a widely scattered population adds to the challenge. Small states also lack sufficient institutional capacity to participate fully in international fora, which can profoundly affect their economies.