IMF chief says new growth forecasts to reflect resilience amid trade shocks

The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) latest economic forecasts due next week will show the global economy’s continued resilience to trade shocks and “fairly strong” growth, IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva told Reuters on Jan 15.

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In an interview during a visit to Kyiv to discuss the IMF’s loan to Ukraine, Ms Georgieva suggested the IMF could again revise its forecasts slightly upwards as the World Bank did this week.

In October, the IMF raised its 2025 global economic growth forecast to 3.2 per cent from 3 per cent in July as the drag from US tariffs was less than initially feared. It kept its 2026 global growth outlook unchanged at 3.1 per cent.

Asked what the January forecasts would show after the upgrade in October 2025, Ms Georgieva said: “More of the same — that the world economy is remarkably resilient, that trade shock has not derailed global growth, that risks are more tilted to the downside, even if performance now is fairly strong.”