Myanmar is expected to meet only half of infrastructure investment needs by 2040, according to Global Infrastructure Outlook report, a global study of infrastructure investment needs and gaps covering seven sectors of energy, telecommunications, airports, ports, railway, roads and water. The forecast results in diminished hopes for Myanmar to lift the estimated population of 51 million out of poverty by then. The country is estimated worst among the countries surveyed for the report, which explores the annual infrastructure trends, needs and gaps up to 2040.
The report, a G20-initiated assessment forecasting for five regions and 50 countries, provides a far-reaching analysis of Myanmar’s infrastructure deficit and its ability to close the gap. The publication estimates infrastructure investment needs for all the nations up to 2040 and compares them with projected infrastructure investments for the same time frame, and calculates the ‘gap’. Myanmar comes with the biggest gap, estimated to be worth $112 billion.
Many African nations are also likely to encounter sizeable infrastructure disparities in the coming decades, while some South Asian countries fare poorly in the report as well, including India (with a forecast investment gap of $526 billion), Bangladesh ($192 billion) and Pakistan ($124 billion).
Global Infrastructure Outlook uses World Economic Forum data to assess the 50 countries’ current basic quality of infrastructure, and it analyses their infrastructure spending over the past 10 years and estimates such investment between the present and 2040. Using the resulted data, the report forecasts the likely gap between infrastructure investment and requirements by 2040. The report is authored by G20-backed Global Infrastructure Hub and Oxford Economics, a British global advisory firm providing reports, forecasts and analytical tools on 200 countries, 100 industrial sectors and over 4,000 locations.
Founded in 1999, G20 is an international forum participated by governments and central bankers from 20 major economies, currently comprising Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.
