Where Data Tells the Story
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World Bank redraws the income map for FY27
The World Bank has released its annual reclassification of country income groups, and the FY27 update brings a clutch of upgrades worth noting. Jordan, Micronesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam have all moved from lower-middle to upper-middle income status, while Togo climbs out of the low income bracket entirely, graduating to lower-middle.
The thresholds themselves have shifted too. High income status now requires gross national income per capita above $14,375, with upper-middle income spanning $4,636 to $14,375. Lower-middle income covers $1,176 to $4,635, and anything at or below $1,175 remains classified as low income.
The map tells a familiar story of uneven progress. Much of West and Central Africa remains clustered in the low income category, alongside Yemen and a scattering of states in the Horn of Africa. Meanwhile Southeast Asia continues its steady climb, with Vietnam and the Philippines both crossing into upper-middle territory this cycle, a marker of the region's export-led growth over the past decade.