IMF Capacity Development

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The IMF provides technical assistance and training—known as capacity development—as one of its core functions.
Capacity development accounts for around a third of the IMF’s annual spending.
It is available to all members upon their request and is tailored to a country’s specific needs.
Capacity development can help countries improve tax collection and bolster public finances; modernize monetary and exchange rate policies; develop legal systems; strengthen governance; and collect and disseminate data to inform decision-making.
The factsheet was last updated in April 2025.

Strengthening the capacity of institutions—including central banks, finance ministries, revenue administrations, statistical agencies, and financial sector supervisory agencies—results in more effective policies and greater economic stability.
The IMF works with member countries to modernize their economic policies and make institutions more effective by providing demand-driven, tailored technical assistance and training focused on issues that are critical to economic stability and growth.
Capacity development can help countries improve tax collection, modernize monetary and exchange rate policies, develop legal systems, strengthen governance, collect and disseminate data, and much more.

Capacity development is available to all IMF members upon request and is tailored to each country’s specific needs.

Delivery modes:
- IMF headquarters staff meet with country officials in person or remotely.
- IMF staff may work in the country as resident advisers.
- The IMF operates a global network of regional capacity development centers.
- Classroom and online training are offered for officials in member countries.
Funding:
- Capacity development accounts for around a third of the IMF’s annual spending.
- External partners finance more than half of the IMF’s capacity development activities through support to regional capacity development centers, thematic funds, and bilateral projects.

Tax collection and public finance management.
Monetary and exchange rate policy modernization.
Legal system development.
Governance strengthening.
Collection and dissemination of economic and statistical data.
Other institution-building activities across central banks, finance ministries, revenue administrations, statistical agencies, and financial sector supervisory agencies.

The IMF’s policy advice and lending work help identify areas where capacity development can have the greatest impact.
Capacity development work helps to increase member countries’ understanding and implementation of IMF policy advice.

The IMF Executive Board oversees capacity development to assess its impact and effectiveness.
The Executive Board last reviewed the capacity development strategy in 2024.
The IMF is working to improve how it plans and monitors capacity development.
Evaluations measure technical assistance and training across the IMF to determine:
- The degree to which technical assistance has improved macroeconomic stability, public finance management systems, financial governance, and the quality of economic statistics.
- Whether training has improved job performance of government officials and enhanced their ability to analyze economic developments and assess policy effectiveness.

global network of regional capacity development centers](https://www.imf.org/en/Capacity-Development/how-we-work)