But risks are rising, including from the concentration of tech investment and the negative effects of trade disruptions, which may build over time

The 3.3 percent rate for 2026 would match last year’s pace. Booming investment in artificial intelligence is buttressing global output.

The United Nations is forecasting that the global economy will grow by 2.7% this year. That's slightly lower than last year’s estimate, citing the impact of higher U.S. tariffs, economic uncertainties and geopolitical tensions.

The global economy was set to grow more rapidly than previously expected, but is nonetheless on course for its weakest decade in half a century, according to the bank’s economists.

Global growth is projected to remain broadly steady over the next two years, easing to 2.6% in 2026 before rising to 2.7% in 2027, an upward revision from the June forecast.

Eswar Prasad, Professor of Economics at Cornell University and former head of the IMF’s China division, said breaking out of the doom loop will be difficult as the challenges are structural. He noted that progress will require engaged citizens focused on shared prosperity,

The global economy showed notable resilience in 2025, performing better than anticipated despite repeated shocks and heightened uncertainty. Trade flows continued to expand, and overall activity held up more strongly than many expected.

The global economy will suffer only a little from the current tariff turmoil, according to the average economist forecasting major countries. Back in December, world economic growth had been expected to run 2.8% in 2025 and 2.9% in 2026. As of June 2025 ...

They are only half-right. It is true that protectionism has not yet derailed growth. But industrial policies and tariffs have also failed in their central aim: arresting the decline of manufacturing jobs. That suggests the world economy is merely coping with populism, rather than flourishing under it.

At the moment of writing, the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is only four months away. At the same time, Israel has resumed bombing Gaza after the failure of a weak U.S.-brokered peace agreement. The deal had briefly ...