The World’s Worst Performing Economies in 2025

Key takeaways

• South Sudan is expected to be the worst performing economy this year as its oil exports stall, sparking hyperinflation and political instability
• Several advanced economies made the list, including Austria, Germany, Italy, Japan, France, and Switzerland

The impact of tariffs

The IMF is projecting sluggish or even negative growth for many advanced economies due to the implementation of widespread tariffs, which is disrupting global trade flows.

The IMF’s global growth forecast for 2025 has been downgraded to 2.8%, from 3.3% in January.