Kristalina Ivanova Georgieva-Kinova, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), communicated a mixed view of the global economic situation. Despite presenting a growth trajectory, the world economy is progressing weakly, she acknowledged during a speech in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, as per the German News Agency.
Georgieva-Kinova underscored that the global economy has demonstrated notable resilience amidst various ongoing trials and tribulations. Nonetheless, despite a robust demand for services and headway in battling the spike in consumer prices, the global growth rate has lingered in a fragile state. It significantly trails the 3.8% annual average witnessed from 2000 up to the pre-COVID-19 pandemic era.
Notably, the IMF, in July of the previous year, released growth forecasts of 3% for both 2023 and 2024. Furthermore, the global economy expanded by a modest 3.5% in the past year.
Georgieva-Kinova elucidated that the world has forfeited approximately $3.7 trillion in economic output since 2020 owing to “sequential shocks”, notably pointing to the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The losses have been vastly unevenly distributed, with poorer nations shouldering a disproportionate share of the burden.
The IMF is poised to present its fresh economic forecasts next Tuesday during its annual meeting in Marrakech, Morocco. Georgieva-Kinova conveyed that battling surging inflation remains a paramount priority.