This Report is the thirteenth in the annual series addressing major development issues. Like its predecessors, it includes the World Development Indicators, which provide selected social and economic data on more than 120 countries. The Report addresses the most pressing issue now facing the development community: how to reduce poverty. lt's main conclusions are summarized below.

The world economy enjoyed moderate growth in the closing years of the decade. But the auspicious picture was not uniform. The industrial countries saw favorable developments in growth, trade, and investment. Real per capita incomes grew (and poverty declined) in South Asia and, even more markedly, in East Asia. But in some countries of Latin America and in most of Sub-Saharan Africa, real per capita incomes, living standards, and investment have slipped. For the poor in these countries, the 1980s was a lost decade.