The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has once again revised Bangladesh’s GDP growth forecast downward for the fiscal year 2026, projecting it at 4.9 per cent, down from 5.4 per cent in July and 6.5 per cent in April.

 

 

According to the IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook released yesterday, the global lender expects inflation in Bangladesh to ease to 8.8 per cent in the year 2025-26 and further decline to 5.5 per cent in the following fiscal year. The IMF’s new forecast aligns closely with recent projections from other global institutions – the World Bank has estimated growth at 4.8 per cent, while the Asian Development Bank (ADB) expects 5 per cent for the year 2025-26.

 

 

The World Bank last week noted cautious optimism about Bangladesh’s economic rebound but warned that the recovery could be hindered by structural weaknesses in the banking sector and heightened political uncertainty ahead of national elections. Meanwhile, the interim government has set a more ambitious growth target of 5.5 per cent, surpassing projections made by international agencies.