World Bank Vice President for South Asian region Annette Dixon has said her agency will continue to support Bangladesh to become a middle income country.

‘My discussion was focused on the things that we can support Bangladesh to take it to a middle-income status within the next few years,’ she told reporters after her meeting with Finance Minister AMA Muhith at his office at Bangladesh Secretariat on Tuesday.

Dixon said she discussed the further support in all aspects of the country’s development.

The donor agency's South Asian chief said that for the last decade, the economy of Bangladesh has been growing and this has resulted in a substantial reduction of poverty. Around 16 million people came out of poverty in the last 10 years which is an outstanding success.  

She observed that the economy has been improving with an average 6 percent growth year on year. ‘This helped heavily reduce poverty and raise living standard here.’

World Bank's Bangladesh country director Johannes Zutt, senior advisor Hasan Zaman and lead economist Salman Zayedi were present at the meeting.