India key growth engine for world! IMF to upgrade country's outlook late January; cites strong Q3 growth figures

The International Monetary Fund has highlighted India's position in world economy, saying that New Delhi continues to play a crucial role in driving global economic growth, with recent indicators pointing to stronger-than-expected performance.

Addressing reporters during a media briefing on Thursday, IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack said that India has emerged as one of the world’s key growth engines, supported largely by robust domestic consumption. She noted that in the IMF’s Article IV staff assessment, growth for India in the 2025–26 financial year had been projected at 6.6%.




“So what we have seen in India is that India is a key growth engine for the world. India's growth in 2025, when we did our Article IV staff report, we had estimated growth for fiscal year 25-26 at 6.6%, which is based on the strong consumption growth,” Kozack said.

She explained that economic momentum has picked up further since the report was released. According to her, India’s third-quarter growth figures have surpassed expectations, increasing the chances of an upward revision in the IMF’s outlook.

“What we have seen since then is that the third quarter growth in India came out stronger than expected, and that makes it likely that we will be upgrading our forecast going forward,” she said.

Kozack also confirmed that the IMF’s January update will be released in the coming days, when a revised growth estimate for India will be made public. “We have our January real update coming in the next few days, so we will have a revised growth number for India at that time,” she stated.

Reiterating the Fund’s overall stance, Kozack said India has consistently contributed to global growth and continues to show resilience. “The bottom line for us on India is that it has been a key driver of global growth, and growth has been quite robust in India,” she said.

The IMF’s assessment indicates continued confidence in India’s economic trajectory, with growth supported by strong consumption. Attention is now on the forthcoming January update, which is expected to provide greater clarity on the IMF’s revised outlook for the country.