1d ago

Ranked: The World's Fastest-Growing Economies

The global economic outlook for 2026 remains resilient despite heightened uncertainty, geopolitical disruptions and energy shocks. In its October 2026 World Economic Outlook, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects global growth of 3.1%, revising its forecast up by 0.1 percentage points from July.

Growth has been supported by investment in artificial intelligence (AI) and strong fiscal support, helping offset some of the drag from rising energy costs. Underneath this resilience, there's an increasingly divergent growth trajectories across economies.

Guyana stands out, with real GDP projected to expand by 22.3% in 2026, driven by its rapidly expanding oil sector. Taiwan Province of China follows at 10.7%, benefiting from the AI investment boom and strong technology demand. Together, they illustrate how commodity production and technology-led investment are shaping the upper end of the global growth rankings.

African economies are also prominent on the list. South Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Benin are projected to record strong growth, while Central Asian economies, including the Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, are also poised for robust expansion.

This chart ranks 18 fastest expanding economies by their projected real GDP growth rates for 2026, as these economies navigate with deftness in a year marked by geopolitical uncertainty and energy shocks.

Key Takeaways:

Guyana is projected to record the world's fastest growth at 22.3% in 2026, driven by expanding oil production and strong activity across non-oil sectors.
Taiwan leads the Asia-Pacific economies in this ranking, with projected growth of 10.7%, as strong technology demand and AI-related investment support economic activity.
South Sudan and Ethiopia are projected to grow by 10.5% and 9.2%, respectively, placing them among the fastest-growing economies in Africa.
The Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are projected to expand by 9.0%, 7.8% and 7.3%, respectively, reflecting strong growth across Central Asia.
Vietnam is projected to expand by 8.4% in 2026, supported by resilient manufacturing, strong domestic demand and rising exports.
Georgia is projected to grow by 7.2% in 2026, supported by domestic demand, investment, services and exports.
India is projected to grow by 7.0%, remaining the fastest-growing major economy in this ranking. Resilient domestic demand, public investment and services exports continue to support its growth outlook.

Note: Figures are IMF projections for 2026. The ranking covers 18 selected economies and is not an exhaustive list of all economies worldwide.

Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Economic Outlook, October 2026.

Access here: https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/NGDP_RPCH@WEO/OEMDC/ADVEC/WEOWORLD

https://data.imf.org/en/datasets/IMF.RES:WEO

https://www.imf.org/en/publications/weo/issues/2026/10/13/world-economic-outlook-october-2026

Where Data Tells the Story

Home

Support

Creators

Legal

Ranked: The World's Fastest-Growing Economies

Key Takeaways: