UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations predicts global economic growth will be 2.7% this year, slightly lower than last year’s forecast. us tariffseconomic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions.
United Nations economists predict that growth will reach just 2.9% in 2027. This is still well below the average growth rate of 3.2% from 2010 to 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic devastated economies around the world. The forecast for 2025 is 2.8%.
“A combination of economic, geopolitical and technological tensions is reshaping the global landscape,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement Thursday. economic uncertainty and social vulnerability. ”
But U.N. economists said there was “unexpected resilience” to last year’s sharp hike in U.S. tariffs. This was supported by strong consumer spending and easing inflation, which helped maintain growth, but warned that fundamental weaknesses remained.
According to the United Nations’ World Economic Situation and Outlook Report, growth in Europe, Japan, and the United States is expected to remain generally stable.
In the United States, The United Nations said growth fell from 2.8% in 2024 to an estimated 1.9% in 2025, “as strong consumer spending and AI-related investment were partially offset by weakness in residential and commercial construction.”
The United Nations forecasts a very modest 2% increase in U.S. economic growth this year, and expects growth in 2027 to reach just 2.2%.
According to the United Nations, Japan’s economy is expected to grow by 0.9% this year and 1% in 2027, which is lower than the expected growth rate of 1.2% in 2025.
Regarding Japan, the economists said, “While consumer spending is expected to recover gradually, exports, especially autos, are likely to remain constrained by higher U.S. tariffs and policy uncertainty.”
The European Union’s economic growth rate is expected to fall from 1.5% in 2025 to 1.4% in 2026 “as exports weaken due to higher US tariffs and continued geopolitical uncertainty,” according to the report. However, it predicted that the growth rate would rise to 1.6% in 2027.
On a more positive note, the United Nations said it expects some large developing countries, including China, India and Indonesia, to continue to post strong growth.
Economists said they expected growth in the world’s least developed countries to rise from an estimated 3.9% in 2025 to 4.6% in 2026 and 5% in 2027, although the outlook for many low-income and fragile countries is expected to remain unfavorable. They cited the strong economic performance of Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Tanzania.
In East Asia, the United Nations states: economic growth This year, it is expected to be 4.4%, down from 4.9% last year. The world’s second-largest economy, China, is expected to grow by 4.6% in 2026 and 4.5% in 2027, which is expected to be slower than the 4.9% expansion expected in 2025.
“Temporary easing of trade tensions with the United States, including targeted tariff cuts and a one-year trade cease-fire, are helping to stabilize confidence,” the report said.
Africa is expected to see moderate economic growth from an estimated 3.9% in 2025 to 4% in 2026 and 4.1% in 2027, the report said. “However, high debt levels and climate-related shocks pose significant risks.”
In Latin America and the Caribbean, growth is expected to decline slightly from an estimated 2.4% in 2025 to 2.3% in 2026, before rising to 2.5% in 2027, although “the outlook remains broadly resilient.”
