The World Bank is one of the world’s largest sources of development assistance. Our mission is to fight poverty with passion and professionalism for lasting results. We are not a bank in the common sense; we aim to help people help themselves and their environment by sharing knowledge and providing financial and technical assistance.

The World Bank recognizes that transparency and accountability are essential to the development process and central to achieving the Bank’s mission to alleviate poverty. The Bank’s commitment to openness is also driven by a desire to foster public ownership, partnership and participation in development from a wide range of stakeholders. As a knowledge institution, the World Bank’s first step is to share its knowledge freely and openly. Statistics and data are a key part of that knowledge and are easily accessible on the web for all users. This includes data related to the World Bank’s financials and covers portions of the Bank’s investments, assets it manages on behalf of global funds, and financial statements.