GENEVA (AN) — Services have become the dominant source of growth and employment in the world’s least developed countries, but their expansion has yet to deliver higher productivity, better jobs or rising incomes, according to a new report by U.N. Trade and Development.
The Least Developed Countries Report 2025, approved by governments and launched at UNCTAD's headquarters on Tuesday, examines whether services can serve as a pathway to structural transformation. Its conclusion is conditional: services can support development only when they are linked to productive sectors and supported by targeted investment in skills, infrastructure and digital capacity.
