Just 32 countries are driving 95% of global growth as the IMF warns of an increasingly uneven economy
Source: Fortune ·
The IMF raised its 2026 growth forecast to 3.1%, but warned that the AI boom and soaring energy costs are widening economic divides.
From the source
The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday slightly upgraded its outlook for the world economy for this year, while warning of growing risks from rising debt, including the financial frenzy around artificial intelligence. The IMF says it expects the global economy to grow at a 3.1% pace this year. That’s up from its July forecast for 3.0% growth and well below the 3.5% expansion in 2025. Growth in 2027 should rebound to 3.4%, it said in its latest Economic Outlook. The report, released as world economic and financial leaders gathered in Bangkok for the fall meetings of the IMF and World Bank, predicts that growth in the United States will remain steady at 2.3% in 2026 and 2027. Collectively, advanced economies will grow 2.1% this year, up from 2.0% in 2025, and then slow to 1.9% growth next year, it said. The forecasts are based on a nearly 41% increase in oil prices this year, at an average of $96 a barrel. Global inflation is foreseen at 4.7% in 2026, falling to 4.1% next year.…