The global economic slowdown, a series of financial crises and the rebuilding of Afghanistan have increased the amount of money being lent by the World Bank.

World Bank's top 10 borrowers

Turkey $3.55bn India $2.2bn Brazil $1.6bn Pakistan $800m Argentina $735m Mexico $660m Vietnam $593m China $563m Colombia $482m Tanzania $402m

The Bank's loans to developing countries rose to $19.5bn in the financial year that ended in June, 13% higher than a year earlier.

Turkey was the top borrower in the aftermath of its financial crisis, more than doubling the Bank's hand-outs to the European and Central Asian region.

In sharp contrast, the tough stance adopted with Argentina following its meltdown meant that overall financing to Latin America eased by 18%.

Unlike the International Monetary Fund (IMF), its sister organisation, the World Bank does not provide macro-economic support, instead targeting lending at projects on the ground.

Debt relief

There was no significant increase in the amount of money given to Sub-Saharan Africa under the bank's interest-free loans scheme.

But the IMF-World Bank joint programme to reduce the debt burden on the poorest countries, led to more than 20 African countries qualifying for debt relief.

That is eventually expected to release about $40bn of financing for development purposes, according to the World Bank.

"Whether by providing a safety net for the Caribbean tourism industry, or committing grants to get reconstruction underway in Afghanistan, the World Bank is striving to help the poorest in this difficult period," said Bank president James Wolfensohn.