WEF’s September 2026 Chief Economists’ Outlook shows a sharp rise in confidence over India’s growth prospects, even as geopolitical tensions and energy prices remain key risks.
India has emerged as the economy with the strongest growth outlook among major economies covered in the World Economic Forum’s September 2026 Chief Economists’ Outlook.
According to the report, 74 per cent of surveyed chief economists expect India to record strong or very strong growth over the next 12 months, up sharply from 52 per cent in May.
Overall, 98 per cent of economists surveyed expect India to see moderate or stronger growth over the coming year. The report also noted that India’s growth forecast for 2026-27 was raised to 6.7 per cent in August, supported by resilient domestic demand. However, higher energy prices remain a drag on the outlook.
India leads major economies
India’s growth outlook was stronger than that of other regions covered in the survey. In South-East Asia, 73 per cent of economists expect strong or very strong growth. China faces a more mixed outlook, with 31 per cent of respondents expecting weak growth over the next 12 months.
Europe remains the weakest-performing region, with 61 per cent of economists anticipating weak or very weak growth.
Global outlook improves
The WEF survey also points to a significant improvement in global economic sentiment. Only 45 per cent of chief economists now expect global economic conditions to weaken over the next 12 months, compared with 89 per cent in May. Meanwhile, 56 per cent expect conditions to remain unchanged or strengthen.
More from BusinessInflation concerns have also eased. The share of economists expecting global inflation to rise has fallen to 50 per cent from 94 per cent in May.
Geopolitics remains biggest risk
Despite the improved outlook, risks remain substantial. Geopolitical conflicts were identified by 97 per cent of respondents as a major source of global economic uncertainty, followed by potential asset-price corrections at 58 per cent.
Only 25 per cent expect the global economy to become more resilient over the next year. Economists said future resilience will increasingly depend on economic diversification and flexible supply chains, cited by 78 per cent of respondents. Technological acceleration and innovation followed at 67 per cent, while energy-market adaptation was cited by 61 per cent.
