South Asia faces its worst economic performance in 40 years because of the coronavirus, the World Bank has said.

The effects will unravel decades of progress in the region’s battle against poverty. Economies such as India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan have reported relatively few virus cases but experts fear they could be the next hotspots. The South Asia region is home to 1.8 billion people and some of the world’s most densely populated cities.

“South Asia finds itself in a perfect storm of adverse effects. Tourism has dried up, supply chains have been disrupted, demand for garments has collapsed and consumer and investor sentiments have deteriorated,” said the World Bank report.(BBC)…[+]