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IMF predicts steady global growth that's still low by historical standards

Apr 16, 2024
The institution says the world economy continues to show “remarkable resilience.”
IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas speaks during a press briefing at the IMF-World Bank Group spring meetings at IMF headquarters in Washington D.C., on Tuesday.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. economy among the few bright spots at World Bank/IMF annual meeting

Oct 10, 2023
The meetings are being held in Morocco, still struggling to recover from a severe earthquake just a month ago. The contrast with the U.S. could not be more stark. The IMF says the U.S. is the only major economy where output has returned to pre-pandemic levels.
In its latest World Economic Outlook, the International Monetary Fund raised its forecast for U.S. economic growth.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

IMF downgrades global economic growth in its latest report

Jan 25, 2022
The IMF's Gita Gopinath talks about the challenges facing the global economy as the world enters its third year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The global economy did rebound quite strongly in 2021," says the IMF's Gita Gopinath. "The problem is that countries have recovered at very divergent paces." Above, Gopinath at a 2021 interview.
Pedro Ugarte/AFP via Getty Images

Vaccine access is "principal fault line" in global economic recovery — IMF

Jul 28, 2021
The International Monetary Fund has raised its economic growth forecast for economies with relatively high vaccination rates and lowered it for those where rates are low.
Increasing vaccine access around the world "is clearly the No. 1 policy priority," says Malhar Nabar of the IMF. "That's the only way we're going to really beat back this pandemic."
Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images

IMF projects 6% global growth, driven in part by U.S. GDP growth

Apr 6, 2021
Financial stimulus policies are driving economic growth, but not all economies are recovering at the same speed.
The IMF is projecting 6.4% growth in the U.S. in 2021 and 3.5% growth in 2022.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

IMF warns global growth will be lopsided

Apr 5, 2021
It may take years for much of the world to match the U.S. and China, where bigger vaccine rollouts have sped up economic recovery.
As some countries recover, interest rates rise, making it harder for the economies of other countries to rebound.
Karen Bleier/AFP via Getty Images

IMF encourages countries affected by COVID to keep spending on safety net

Oct 13, 2020
For the world's poorest, the pandemic has exacerbated their situation.
A woman walks past a promotional poster for the virtual 2020 International Monetary Fund annual meetings, outside their  headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 13, 2020.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

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The IMF predicts the global economy will shrink by 5% this year

Jun 24, 2020
That means fewer jobs and more debt. And the U.S. may be in for even worse.
A man passes graffiti about the coronavirus in Beirut, Lebanon. The IMF is predicting a world-wide downturn of 5% as people spend less money while stuck at home due to COVID-19.
Patrick Baz/AFP via Getty Images

This crisis is hard on us. It's even harder on countries that aren't rich.

May 21, 2020
Capital has fled emerging markets on a massive scale. Currencies are down, debt burdens are rising and people are falling into poverty.
A family walks down the street in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The value of that nation's currency, the real, has plummeted.
Rodrigo Paiva/Getty Images

IMF says global economy will shrink 3% this year because of COVID-19

Apr 14, 2020
IMF economists talked to epidemiologists and tried to estimate how much COVID-19 restrictions will affect the economy.
Forecasts could change dramatically based on policy decisions made around the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Karen Bleier/AFP via Getty Images