Photo: Collected
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cut its forecast for Bangladesh’s economic growth in the 2026-27 fiscal year (FY27) once again. It has now been put at 3.2 percent, down from the 3.5 percent given in July this year.
The forecast was given in the World Economic Outlook (WEO) report published in Bangkok on Tuesday on the occasion of the 2026 Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank Group.
At the same time, the organisation said inflation in Bangladesh could rise to 10.9 percent in the 2026-27 fiscal year. In last April’s forecast, the rate had been put at 6 percent. In the first three months of the current fiscal year, overall inflation in the country was 8.32, 8.26 and 8.34 percent respectively.
A few days before this IMF forecast, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) had also cut their growth forecasts for Bangladesh.
On 6 October, the World Bank set its forecast for Bangladesh’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the 2026-27 fiscal year at 3.4 percent. The organisation cited weaknesses in the energy and banking sectors, stagnation in investment and continued inflationary pressure as reasons for the slowdown in economic activity. The World Bank also forecast that inflation could remain at a high level of 8.6 percent in the current fiscal year.
Before that, last September, the Manila-based ADB cut its forecast for Bangladesh’s growth in the 2026-27 fiscal year to 4 percent from the earlier 4.5 percent.
The ADB’s Asian Development Outlook (ADO), September 2026 report said serious structural deficiencies in the energy sector, the crisis in the banking sector and continued inflationary pressure will remain obstacles to Bangladesh’s economic expansion in the 2026-27 fiscal year too. The organisation also forecast that inflation in the country could rise to 9 percent in the current fiscal year.
