IMF revises down global economy forecast

Global output is projected to decline by 4.9 per cent in 2020, 1.9 percentage points below the IMF's April forecast, followed by a growth at 5.4 per cent in 2021, indicating a grimmer economic outlook as the pandemic continues to ripple across the globe, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Compared to our April World Economic Outlook forecast, we are now projecting a deeper recession in 2020 and a slower recovery in 2021," IMF Chief Economist Gita Gopinath said in a virtual news conference on Wednesday, noting that these projections imply a cumulative loss to the global economy over two years of over $12 trillion from the crisis.

"The downgrade from April reflects worse than anticipated outcomes in the first half of this year, an expectation of more persistent social distancing into the second half of this year, and damage to supply potential," Gopinath said.

The multilateral lender is projecting a synchronized deep downturn in 2020 for both advanced economies, and emerging market and developing economies, noting that over 95 per cent of countries are projected to have negative per capita income growth this year.

Advanced economies are projected to contract 8 percent this year, 1.9 percentage points lower than the forecast in the April WEO, according to the updated report.

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