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Global trade growth to slow to 1.7% in 2025 — IMF

The report cites increased protectionism and trade restrictions globally for the downgraded forecast

WASHINGTON, April 22. /TASS/. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reduced its forecast for this year’s global trade growth by 1.4 percentage points to 1.7% in annual terms, it said in its latest report on the world economic outlook.

For 2026, the forecast is 2.5% growth, 0.8 percentage points lower than the IMF’s January forecast.

The report cites increased protectionism and trade restrictions globally for the downgraded forecast. "Under the reference forecast, trade policy uncertainty is assumed to remain elevated through 2025 and 2026," the projection says.

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