In the latest report “Global Economic Perspectives”, the World Bank increased the forecast of world economic growth for 2026 from the previous 2.3 to 2.6 percent.
As stated in the report, global economic growth in 2025 is estimated at 2.7 percent, which is why only a slight slowdown in economic activity is expected in the current year.
The global economy has shown greater resilience than previously expected, despite increased trade tensions and growing political uncertainty, the World Bank points out.
During the previous year, economic growth was supported, among other things, by the growth of inventories, strong investor appetite for risk, as well as accelerated investments in artificial intelligence, while supply chains adapted to higher trade barriers.
Faster-than-expected growth capped a five-year global recovery from the recession in 2020, which is rated as the strongest in more than six decades. At the same time, this recovery masked significant differences between individual countries.
While developed economies have largely made a strong recovery, with nearly 90 percent of them above pre-pandemic levels of per capita income, more than a quarter of developing countries and emerging markets still have not reached 2019 levels. The poorest countries, as well as countries facing institutional instability, are particularly affected.
The Deputy Chief Economist of the World Bank, Ajhan Kose, warned that economic growth has slowed down in recent years, stating that in the period from 2023 to today it ranged between 2.6 and 2.8 percent, which is significantly below the average of 3.2 percent recorded in the decade before the pandemic, reports Tanjug.
