On the 19th, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released an update to its World Economic Outlook report in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, slightly raising its forecast for global economic growth in 2026.
The IMF pointed out that uncertainty factors such as trade tensions and heightened geopolitical conflicts may still exert greater pressure on global economic activity.
The report predicts that the world economy will grow by 3.3% in 2026, 0.2 percentage point higher than the October forecast last year; for 2027, growth will be 3.2%, unchanged from last October’s forecast.
The IMF noted that the global economy faces significant trade disruptions and uncertainties triggered by the United States, but thanks to stronger-than-expected fiscal stimulus, accommodative financial conditions, flexibility in the private sector, and improved policy frameworks, it still shows a certain resilience.
The report anticipates that growth for emerging market and developing economies will remain above 4.0% from 2026 to 2027, while advanced economies are projected to grow by 1.8% and 1.7% in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
The report forecasts that the global headline inflation rate will drop from 4.1% in 2025 to 3.8% in 2026, and further decline to 3.4% in 2027.