Company and project status

Development bank project status explained

Last checked 6 November 2026 · 3 sources

Short answer

World Bank project records carry one of four status labels: Pipeline, Active, Closed or Dropped ¹. They track the project cycle. An operation is initiated and prepared mainly by the borrower, assessed jointly with the Bank, then approved by the Bank's Board of Executive Directors ². During implementation the Bank prepares Implementation Status and Results Reports at least twice a year ². When an operation closes at the end of the loan disbursement period, the Bank compiles a self-evaluation, the Implementation Completion and Results Report, which the Independent Evaluation Group validates ².

World Bank status labels: Pipeline, Active, Closed, Dropped ¹
Records by status, 6 November 2026 query: Closed 14,602, Active 2,666, Dropped 1,909, Pipeline 700 ¹
Approval body: World Bank Board of Executive Directors ²
Progress reports: Implementation Status and Results Report, at least twice a year ²
Completion report: Implementation Completion and Results Report at completion and closing ²
Asian Development Bank data: Project data sheets for loans, grants and TAs ³

The four World Bank status labels

The World Bank projects database groups records under four status values: Closed, Active, Dropped and Pipeline ¹. A query on 6 November 2026 returned 14,602 Closed, 2,666 Active, 1,909 Dropped and 700 Pipeline records ¹. The same query reported a total of 22,729 records. The four status counts do not add up to that total ¹.

The labels are short. The project cycle and the documents attached to each project explain what stage a project has reached.

How the labels match the project cycle

The World Bank says the task of identifying and proposing operations for its financing lies mainly with the borrower ². Operation implementation is the responsibility of the borrower, and the Bank provides implementation support and checks fiduciary controls ².

Cycle stage	Who leads	Main public document
Initiation	Mainly the borrower, with the Bank's team ²	Project or Program Information Document ²
Preparation	The borrower, with Bank advice ²	Assessments and feasibility studies by the borrower ²
Assessment	Borrower and Bank jointly ²	Review of design, outcomes and timetable ²
Negotiation and approval	Bank team, then the Board of Executive Directors ²	Project Paper, Program Paper or Program Document ²
Implementation support	The borrower, with Bank support ²	Implementation Status and Results Report ²
Completion and self-evaluation, then validation	The Bank, then the Independent Evaluation Group ²	Implementation Completion and Results Report ²

Reading approval, active and closing

Board approval is the point where the Project Paper, Program Paper or Program Document, with other financial and legal documents, goes to the Board of Executive Directors for consideration and approval ². A news report that a project is approved refers to this step. It does not mean money has been spent.

During implementation the implementing agency reports on progress, and the Bank prepares an Implementation Status and Results Report after joint reviews held at least twice a year ². The latest of these reports is the best guide to where an active project stands.

When an operation is completed and closed, the Bank compiles an Implementation Completion and Results Report. It assesses outcomes, challenges and lessons, and checks compliance with Bank policies and use of resources ².

Who checks the result

The Independent Evaluation Group is independent of Bank management and reports to the Executive Board ². The World Bank says the group validates 100% of the self-evaluations that operational teams carry out on project completion, and conducts selected operation-level cluster evaluations ².

Other development banks

Each bank uses its own labels and its own documents. The Asian Development Bank describes its projects pages as project data sheets for loans, grants and technical assistance ³. It offers a download of all sovereign projects from 2005 onwards through the ADB Data Library ³.

Read each bank's status on its own terms. Do not assume that a label at one bank means the same as a similar label at another.

Common questions

What does Pipeline mean on a World Bank project?

It is one of four status values in the World Bank projects database ¹. The World Bank project cycle places initiation, preparation and assessment before Board approval ².

Who approves a World Bank project?

The Board of Executive Directors, after the Bank team finalizes the Project Paper, Program Paper or Program Document and other financial and legal documents ².

How often does the World Bank report on an active project?

The Bank prepares an Implementation Status and Results Report after joint reviews held at least twice a year ².

Where do I find Asian Development Bank project records?

On ADB's projects pages, which hold project data sheets for loans, grants and technical assistance ³.

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Sources

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