According to the Worldwatch Institute's latest Vital Signs Update, microfinance has continued to grow, benefiting communities and the environment. This snapshot of important microloan data and trends reveals that:

The number of microborrowers increased by 17 percent in 2006.
The global loan portfolio grew by 34 percent in 2006.
The average microloan size is currently $1,026.
Women account for 98 percent of borrowers in Asia and two thirds of borrowers in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Asia currently leads the world in total borrowers, with nearly 113 million, but Latin America reported the fastest growth in borrowers in 2006. The number of microborrowers has increased by an average of 29 percent annually between 2001 and 2006. Many analysts are optimistic about the future, while others are concerned that increasingly commercially oriented institutions will move microfinance away from its original goal of reducing poverty.

Read the Vital Signs Update: Microfinance Surging