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NEW DELHI: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised India’s GDP growth forecast for 2026–27 to 7 per cent from 6.4 per cent estimated in July. IMF hailed resilient domestic demand and robust service activities in the country. The global financial institution has also upgraded its FY28 projection to 7 per cent, keeping India among the world’s fastest-growing major economies despite elevated global crude oil prices shock, geopolitical tensions and an increasingly uneven global economic outlook. The IMF forecast, thus reflects India’s economic resilience, pushed by solid policy framework amid global headwinds.
In its October 2026 World Economic Outlook (WEO), the IMF raised its growth projection for FY27 by 0.6 percentage points and its FY28 estimate by 0.3 percentage points, reflecting stronger-than-expected economic momentum.
“India stands out with upward revisions, reflecting sustained momentum and growing evidence of stronger growth potential supported by favourable demographic dynamics, a large and expanding domestic market and continued structural reforms”, the IMF said.
India’s strong domestic market and services activity have helped sustain economic expansion, while favourable demographics and structural reforms support its longer-term growth potential. The economy recorded GDP growth of 7.8 per cent year-on-year in the April–June quarter, with strong investment and manufacturing activity contributing to the expansion, IMF statement reiterated.
The latest IMF revision follows a series of upgrades by international institutions. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the World Bank have raised their FY27 growth forecasts to 7.1 per cent, while the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has also projected growth of 7.1 per cent.
S&P Global Ratings, Moody’s Ratings and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have estimated growth at around 7 per cent, while Fitch Ratings expects the economy to expand by 6.9 per cent. The broad-based upgrades underline confidence in India’s domestic economic momentum, despite steep external shocks.
While, India marks a strong economic growth, on the other hand, the IMF projects global economic growth at 3.1 per cent in 2026, marginally higher than its July estimate of 3 per cent. Its forecast for 2027 remains unchanged at 3.4 per cent. The IMF cautioned that the global economy remains resilient, but its resilience is becoming increasingly fragile and uneven. Geopolitical tensions, energy-market disruptions and commodity-price volatility continue to threaten the outlook.
Advanced economies are projected to grow by 2.1 per cent in 2026, compared with the 1.7 per cent forecast in July. For example, Germany’s growth estimate has been raised to 1.3 per cent from 0.7 per cent, while the United Kingdom’s projection has increased to 1.3 per cent from 1 per cent.
In contrast, emerging market and developing economies such as India are expected to grow at a solid and steady rate. On the other hand, slower growth is projected in countries such as China, Russia and Brazil, alongside economic pressures in parts of West Asia. India’s upgraded forecast comes despite these global headwinds.
Higher oil prices could increase India’s import bill, widen its current account deficit and raise transportation and production costs. These pressures could also affect household purchasing power and business investment. This is cosidered as a prickle in India’s steady economic growth trajectory. Geopolitical conflicts, including tensions involving the United States and Iran and the continuing Russia–Ukraine war, pose additional risks through potential disruptions to energy supplies and international supply chains.
This sustained increases in energy and food prices could complicate efforts to contain inflation in India. Globally, as well, inflation is expected to reach 4.7 per cent in 2026 before moderating to 4.1 per cent in 2027. However, India’s strong policy framework, economic & structural reforms, FTAs, sustained investment and domestic demand will act as shock absorbers to maintain economic momentum.
The IMF’s latest projections place India in a comparatively strong position at a time when global growth prospects are diverging. India is pitched as one of the fastest growing economies amid global headwinds.
