Banque Mondiale (34 pages).
COVID-19’s global impact on infrastructure was widespread and swift. The pandemic has left many countries struggling to repay their debts, and a handful of countries defaulted in 2020. Meanwhile, some governments have shifted to prioritize healthcare and social welfare programs. As a result, infrastructure spending took a back seat in 2020.
Since the start of 2020, existing infrastructure projects were delayed or cancelled due to supply-chain disruptions, travel and shipping restrictions, and other obstacles. Decreased demand or required renegotiations also prevented or delayed many projects already in pipelines from achieving financial closure. Public debt globally has risen to record levels, and sovereign credit ratings have been downgraded across the developing world. The growing uncertainty amid the pandemic has also increased the risk for private sector participants in key infrastructure sectors, especially transport.
Nevertheless, as countries bounced back from initial lockdowns, and vaccination rollouts buoyed hopes of a return to normalcy, infrastructure investments rose in the second half of the year. Investment commitments to infrastructure are a cornerstone of efforts to combat climate change, and these efforts will take centre stage in the global economic recovery from the pandemic.
Points clés :
- Investment commitments of US$45.7 Billion in 252 projects in 2020 (-52% / 2019)
- Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) dominated investments with commitments of US$14 billion, a 54% decrease from 2019 of total investment.
- East Asia and Pacific (EAP), which usually out-invests all other regions, came in third, with commitments of US$9.5 billion, a 75% decrease from 2019.
- South Asia (SAR) was the region with the second highest investment level in 2020, with commitments of US$10.2 billion, an 18% decrease from 2019.
- Europe and Central Asia (ECA) saw investment commitments of US$4.6 billion, a 42% drop from 2019. The region’s investment levels increased 1.5 times from the first half of the year.
- Investment in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) hit US$1.2 billion dollars, an increase from 2019 but a decrease from previous years.
- Sub-Saharan African (SSA) received US$6.3 billion, a 7% increase in investment levels from 2019. It was the only region other than MENA to report an increase.