15th October 2025
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IMF confirms Spain’s lead as fastest-growing advanced economy for two years in a row

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has once again identified Spain as the fastest-growing advanced economy in the world.

In its latest update, the IMF revised Spain’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for this year upward by 0.4 % from its spring estimate, bringing it to 2.9% – surpassing even the Spanish government’s own projection of 2.7%. ALSO READ: Spanish economy grew faster in second quarter than initially estimated.

For 2026, the IMF anticipates growth of 2%, which is two-tenths of a point higher than its earlier forecast.

This continued momentum cements Spain’s position as the leading growth performer among advanced economies for the second year running.

By contrast, the eurozone as a whole is projected to expand by just 1.2%, with Germany barely advancing at 0.2% and France expected to grow by 0.7%. The IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook, published Tuesday to coincide with its annual meeting, places US growth at 1.2%.

Spanish government sources have highlighted the country’s resilience and economic leadership despite ongoing geopolitical tensions and global trade uncertainties. Inflation in Spain, meanwhile, is forecast to ease to an average of 2.4% in 2025 and 2.1% in 2026, according to the same IMF projections.

The report notes that the global economy is adapting to ‘an environment reshaped by new policy measures’. While some of the recently imposed higher tariffs ‘were softened through subsequent agreements and readjustments’, the overall climate remains ‘volatile’, the IMF states.

Consequently, although global growth expectations in the October World Economic Outlook have been revised slightly upward from the April 2025 forecast, they still remain lower than the pre-policy-change projections.

The IMF expects global GDP growth to slow from 3.3% in 2024 to 3.2% in 2025, and 3.1% in 2026. Advanced economies are predicted to grow by roughly 1.5%, while emerging and developing markets will expand at a slightly faster pace.

Inflation, the IMF adds, is set to keep declining worldwide, though unevenly: it is expected to stay above target in the United States—with risks tilted to the upside—and subdued elsewhere.

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