IMF Warns of Divergent Global Growth Driven by AI as Just 32 Countries Dominate

The International Monetary Fund projects global economic growth at 3.1% in 2026 and 3.4% in 2027, warning of an increasingly divergent, K-shaped expansion where just 32 countries drive 95% of total growth, down from 54 nations earlier in the year. AI capital expenditure has buoyed advanced economies like the U.S., projected to grow 2.3% in both years. However, severe energy shocks and regional conflict weigh heavily on energy-importing economies and Gulf nations, with Saudi Arabia forecast to contract 3.3% as crude assumptions point to an average of $96 per barrel in 2026.