Page 66 - IBT December 2020

Economic Forecast

TO GRADUATE,

OR NOT TO

GRADUATE?

By Nasirra Ahsan

2018 was a glorious year for
Bangladesh. The country had
some of the highest growth
rates in South Asia, a stable
export market and products
and it had just met all three
eligibility criteria for leaving
the LDC category over the next
six years; national income per
capita, human asset index
(HAI), economic vulnerability
index (EVI). Bangladesh
willingly embraced its
graduation journey and added
landmarks to its development
milestones. Then China
sneezed, the world caught the
cold and the CoronaVirus
brought the global economy to
a standstill. With the second
of two triennial reviews to
take place in late February
2021, the nation asks if it is
ready to graduate from the
LDC category? %