Career pathways / Development Economist

How to become a Development Economist

Development economists produce the evidence that moves aid budgets: impact evaluations, growth diagnostics, poverty measurement. The World Bank, IMF and evaluation labs hire against graduate econometrics — this is the most quantitative role in the development world.

Who hires this role

Employer types: multilateral bank · intergovernmental · research institute

Representative employers: World Bank · IMF · ADB · J-PAL · IFPRI

Knowledge structure

Derived from the fields that feed this career — what the role actually draws on.

Quantitative analysiscore requirement
Policy & institutionscore requirement
Technical / digitalexpected
Languages & communicationexpected

What to study

Scholarships that fund this path

Schemes linked to the fields above in our verified database.

Frequently asked questions

What degree do you need to become a Development Economist?

Most Development Economist roles typically expect at least a PhD degree.

What should I study to become a Development Economist?

Master's fields that lead to a Development Economist career include: Development Economics.

Who hires Development Economists?

Development Economists work mainly in multilateral bank, intergovernmental, research institute, with representative employers such as World Bank, IMF, ADB, J-PAL.

Are there scholarships for this career path?

Yes — 4 scholarships in our database link to the fields that lead to a Development Economist career.

Built from our verified entity graph — employer lists are representative, not exhaustive. Global Study Prep is independent and not affiliated with any employer, university or scholarship programme.