For the second time in a year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) worsened its forecast for global economic growth in 2022 – to 3.2% from 3.6% (4.4% growth was expected in January). For 2023, the estimate has been lowered to 2.9% from the 3.6% growth expected in April (in January, the IMF forecast global GDP growth of 3.8%).
Such an assessment is given in the World Economic Outlook Update: Gloomy and more uncertain, published by the IMF on Tuesday.
The IMF lowered the growth forecast for the economies of emerging market and developing countries for 2022 to 3.6% from 3.8%, for 2023 – to 3.9% from 4.4%.
The growth forecast for China’s economy this year has been significantly reduced to 3.3% from 4.4% (in January, an increase of 4.8% was expected), in 2023 to 4.6% from 5.1%.
India’s GDP growth estimate is also downgraded to 7.4% from 8.2% in 2022 and to 6.1% from 6.9% in 2023, respectively.
At the same time, the growth forecast for the Brazilian economy has been raised to 1.7% from 0.8% in 2022 and lowered to 0.9% from 1.4% in 2023.
The forecast for GDP growth in developed countries in 2022 is downgraded by 0.8 percentage points to 2.5% and by 1 p.p. – up to 1.4% – in 2023.
There is also a serious reduction in the forecast for US GDP growth: in 2022 – by 1.4 p.p. to 2.3%, in 2023 – by 1.3 p.p. up to 1%.
The economy of the eurozone countries this year, according to the IMF, will grow by 2.6%, which is 0.2 percentage points. less than the previous forecast. For 2023, the estimate deteriorated more significantly – an increase of 1.2% compared to the previously expected 2.3%.
The forecast for Italian GDP growth in 2022 was raised to 3% from 2.3%, in 2023, on the contrary, it was reduced to 0.7% from 1.7% (was 2.2%). The forecast for Spain for the current year is reduced by 0.8 percentage points. – up to 4% and by 1.3 p.p., up to 2% in 2023
The German economy in 2022 will grow, according to the IMF, only by 1.2%, previously expected to grow by 2.1%, in 2023 growth will slow down to 0.8% compared to the previous forecast of 2.7%.
For France, the assessment has been reduced for the current year by 0.6 percentage points. – up to 2.3% and by 0.4 p.p. for 2023 – up to 1%.
The UK economic growth forecast for 2022 is reduced by 0.5 p.p. – up to 3.2%, for 2023 – by 0.7 p.p. – up to 0.5%. Japan’s GDP is expected to grow by 1.7% in 2022-2023 (down 0.7 percentage points this year and 0.6 percentage points next).
The fund improved its assessment of the dynamics of the Russian economy in 2022, expecting it to fall by 6%, and not by 8.5%, as predicted in April. At the same time, the forecast for 2023 has worsened: according to the Fund, the decline in the RF GDP will be 3.5% compared to the previous forecast of 2.3%. In January, the Fund predicted the growth of the Russian economy in 2022 by 2.8%, in 2023 – by 2.1%.
The IMF states: the risks for the updated global forecast are overwhelmingly shifted to the downside. A war in Ukraine could lead to a sudden halt in gas imports from Russia to Europe; slowing down inflation may prove more difficult if labor market deficits exceed expectations or inflation expectations cannot be anchored; tightening conditions in the global financial market is fraught with debt crises in developing countries; new outbreaks of COVID-19 and lockdowns, coupled with further escalation of problems in the real estate sector, could further slow China’s growth; geopolitical fragmentation could hinder the development of world trade, the IMF lists risk factors. In an alternative forecast scenario in which these risks materialize, global GDP growth will slow down to 2.6% and 2% in 2022 and 2023. respectively.
