The World Bank One Year After The Commission's Report to Congress

The World Bank, including IDA, disbursed to its client countries $24 billion in 1999 and $18.5 billion in 2000. The budgeted cost for making and managing these disbursements is relatively high, almost $1.5 billion or more than 7% of average disbursements. The cost to the donor countries is higher still, a multiple of the operating costs paid by the Bank. The Commission estimated the cost of the principal development banks to U.S. taxpayers at $5 billion per annum.