IMF puts 2026 global growth at 3.1% as AI spending offsets the oil shock
Tuesday’s outlook in Bangkok lifts the forecast from 3.0% in July, with oil still above $100 a barrel. On Monday, Kristalina Georgieva called AI a slow-moving tsunami for jobs.
The IMF on Tuesday put 2026 global growth at 3.1%, up from 3.0% in July, and 2027 growth at 3.4%.
The fund said AI infrastructure spending is offsetting an oil price still above $100 a barrel. It downgraded 47% of economies.
A companion IMF projection puts Pakistan’s inflation at 9.9% in 2027 as growth slows. That figure is already reported separately.
On Monday, Kristalina Georgieva said IMF research shows about 40% of jobs will be augmented, downgraded or eliminated by AI, and about 60% in advanced economies.