| BMI | body mass index |
| BMR | basal metabolic rate |
| CCTs | conditional cash transfers |
| CPI | consumer price index |
| DHS | demographic and health survey |
| FAO | Food and Agriculture Organization |
| FDI | foreign direct investment |
| GDP | gross domestic product |
| GNI | gross national income |
| HDI | Human Development Index |
| HDR | Human Development Report |
| IFI | international financial institution |
| ILO | International Labour Organization |
| IMF | International Monetary Fund |
| INGO | international non-governmental organisation |
| MDGs | Millennium Development Goals |
| MPI | Multidimensional Poverty Index |
| NGO | Non-governmental organisation |
| OECD | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |
| PPP | purchasing power parity |
| SAP | structural adjustment programme |
| SDGs | Sustainable Development Goals |
| UNDP | United Nations Development Programme |
| UNICEF | United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund |
| UNRISD | United Nations Research Institute for Social Development |
| WB | World Bank |
| WDR | World Development Report |