Economic growth statistics show how quickly production is changing across countries, regions, industries, and time periods. The figures below distinguish observed results from estimates and forecasts, and separate quarterly movements from year-on-year changes.
Contents
- Global growth and income groups
- Regional and country forecasts
- Per-capita growth and convergence
- OECD quarter-on-quarter growth
- OECD year-on-year growth
- U.S. industries and states
Global growth and income groups
The World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects—June 2026 reports that world real GDP grew 2.8% in 2023 and 2.9% in 2024. It estimates 2.9% growth in 2025, then forecasts a slower 2.5% in 2026 and a rebound to 2.8% in 2027. The 2025 figure is an estimate; the 2026 and 2027 figures are forecasts. (Global Economic Prospects—June 2026)
For 2026, the same World Bank outlook places advanced-economy real GDP growth at 1.5%, compared with 3.6% for emerging-market and developing-economy real GDP. Middle-income-country real GDP is forecast to grow 3.9%. These group measures describe different parts of the world economy, so they should not be treated as alternative estimates of one identical country set. (Global Economic Prospects—June 2026)
The weighting method also matters. World real GDP growth calculated with purchasing-power-parity weights is forecast at 2.9% in 2026, while world trade volume of goods and nonfactor services is forecast to grow 2.9%. The equal percentage does not mean output and trade are the same measure: one is real GDP growth and the other is the growth of trade volume. (Global Economic Prospects—June 2026)
Reading these measures together requires keeping three distinctions in view. First, real GDP removes the effect of price changes, while real per-capita GDP also relates output to population. Second, a forecast is an expectation for a future period, whereas a reported quarterly or annual result describes a period that has already been measured. Third, the reference interval changes the interpretation: Q1 2026 quarter-on-quarter growth captures one quarter of momentum, while Q1 2026 year-on-year growth compares the same quarter across two years. A country can therefore have a positive result under both measures but show very different percentages, as the OECD figures demonstrate for the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom. (Global Economic Prospects—June 2026; OECD GDP Growth Q1 2026—OECD Statistics Release, May 2026)
| World Bank measure | Period | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| World real GDP | 2023 | 2.8% |
| World real GDP | 2024 | 2.9% |
| World real GDP estimate | 2025 | 2.9% |
| World real GDP forecast | 2026 | 2.5% |
| World real GDP forecast | 2027 | 2.8% |
| Advanced-economy real GDP forecast | 2026 | 1.5% |
| Emerging-market and developing-economy real GDP forecast | 2026 | 3.6% |
Regional and country forecasts
The World Bank’s 2026 regional forecasts range from 1.6% in the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan to 6.3% in South Asia. East Asia and Pacific real GDP is forecast to grow 4.2%, Europe and Central Asia 2.1%, Latin America and the Caribbean 2.2%, and Sub-Saharan Africa 4.0%. These are real GDP growth forecasts for the named regions and period, not measurements of household income. (Global Economic Prospects—June 2026)
Country forecasts show substantial variation within regions. China is forecast to grow 4.2% in 2026 and Indonesia 5.0%, while Thailand is forecast at 1.7%. In Europe and Central Asia, the Russian Federation is forecast at 0.8%, Türkiye at 2.8%, and Poland at 3.1%.
Latin American forecasts include 1.9% for Brazil and 1.3% for Mexico. Saudi Arabia is forecast to grow 3.1% in 2026. In Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria is forecast at 4.1% and Ethiopia at 8.0%. The Ethiopia figure is the highest country forecast among the countries listed here, but it remains a forecast rather than a completed observation. (Global Economic Prospects—June 2026)
Per-capita growth and convergence
Aggregate GDP growth does not show how output changes relative to population. The World Bank projects real per-capita GDP growth in Sub-Saharan Africa at 1.6% in 2026 and an average of 2.0% annually in 2027–28. For low-income countries, real per-capita GDP growth was forecast at 2.1% in 2025 and is forecast to average 2.7% annually in 2026–28. (Global Economic Prospects—June 2026)
The outlook also identifies a longer-run convergence concern. Real per-capita income across emerging and developing economies excluding China and India is projected to face about 10 years of lost convergence with advanced economies by 2028. This is a projection about relative income convergence, not a claim that every country in the group will experience the same path.
Demographics add another dimension to the growth challenge. About 1.2 billion young people in emerging and developing economies are projected to reach working age between 2025 and 2035. That is a population projection covering a decade; it is not itself a forecast of jobs, GDP, or productivity. (Global Economic Prospects—June 2026)
OECD quarter-on-quarter growth
The OECD’s May 2026 statistical release reports seasonally adjusted real GDP changes from the previous quarter for Q1 2026. The OECD area and G7 each grew 0.4%. The European Union grew 0.2%, while the euro area grew 0.1%.
Among the individual economies listed, the United Kingdom recorded the strongest quarter-on-quarter increase at 0.6%. Japan and the United States each grew 0.5%, while Canada grew 0.4%. Germany grew 0.3%, Italy 0.2%, and France recorded 0.0%. These percentages describe change from the immediately preceding quarter, not growth over the previous year. (OECD GDP Growth Q1 2026—OECD Statistics Release, May 2026)
| Economy or group | Q1 2026 real GDP change from previous quarter, seasonally adjusted |
|---|---|
| OECD area | 0.4% |
| European Union | 0.2% |
| Euro area | 0.1% |
| G7 | 0.4% |
| Canada | 0.4% |
| France | 0.0% |
| Germany | 0.3% |
| Italy | 0.2% |
| Japan | 0.5% |
| United Kingdom | 0.6% |
| United States | 0.5% |
OECD year-on-year growth
On a year-on-year basis, seasonally adjusted real GDP in the OECD area grew 1.8% in Q1 2026. The G7 grew 1.7%, while the European Union grew 1.0% and the euro area 0.8%. This comparison covers Q1 2026 against Q1 2025, so it answers a different question from the quarter-on-quarter figures above. (OECD GDP Growth Q1 2026—OECD Statistics Release, May 2026)
The United States had the highest year-on-year growth among the individual economies listed, at 2.7%. France and the United Kingdom each grew 1.1%, Canada grew 0.6%, Italy 0.7%, Japan 0.4%, and Germany 0.3%. The euro area’s 0.8% result and the European Union’s 1.0% result reflect their respective aggregates rather than a simple average of the country figures. (OECD GDP Growth Q1 2026—OECD Statistics Release, May 2026)
U.S. industries and states
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reports that U.S. real GDP increased at a 2.2% annual rate in Q2 2026. In the same quarter, real value added increased at a 2.5% annual rate in private services-producing industries and 2.3% in private goods-producing industries. Government real value added increased at an annual rate of less than 0.1%. These industry figures describe annualized rates for the quarter, not four separately observed quarters. (GDP by Industry)
The BEA’s Q1 2026 state release reports that real GDP increased in 46 states and the District of Columbia. Washington recorded the largest state real GDP increase, at 4.5%. South Dakota recorded the largest state real GDP decrease, at 1.6%. The state figures are quarterly real GDP changes for Q1 2026; they should not be read as annual results unless the source explicitly annualizes them. (GDP by State)
Together, the industry and state measures show why a national growth rate can conceal different local and sectoral experiences. In Q2 2026, private services and private goods both recorded annualized increases above 2%, while government value added was nearly unchanged. In Q1 2026, growth was positive in 46 states and the District of Columbia, but the largest reported state increase and decrease still differed by 6.1 percentage points. (GDP by Industry; GDP by State)