Washington, Jan 16 (IANS) India is the key growth engine for the world, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday, noting that the country’s third-quarter growth came out stronger than expected.

“What we have seen in India is that India is a key growth engine for the world,” Julie Kozack, Director of IMF’s Communications Department, told reporters at a news conference here on Thursday.

She was responding to a query on the IMF’s assessment of India’s growth story in 2025.

Kozack said the IMF’s most recent assessment, conducted as part of its Article IV Staff Report, had projected India’s growth for the 2025–26 fiscal year at 6.6 per cent, largely anchored in strong domestic consumption.

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

The IMF’s World Economic Outlook update is scheduled for release next week.

“We will have a revised growth number for India at that time. But I think the bottom line for us on India is that it has been a key driver of global growth, and growth has been quite robust,” Kozack said.

“What we have seen since then is that the third quarter growth in India came out stronger than expected,” he said, adding that this development increases the likelihood of an upward revision to the IMF’s growth forecast.

“That makes it likely that we will be upgrading our forecast going forward,” she said.

The IMF is scheduled to release an updated edition of its World Economic Outlook next week, which will include revised projections for India and other major economies.

“We will have a revised growth number for India at that time,” Kozack said.

She emphasised that the IMF’s overall assessment of India remains positive, underscoring the country’s role in supporting global economic expansion amid uncertainty in many regions.

“But I think the bottom line for us on India is that it has been a key driver of global growth, and growth has been quite robust,” she said.

The World Economic Outlook update, due for release next week, is expected to provide a clearer picture of how recent economic data have reshaped the Fund’s projections for India, as well as the broader global economy.

–IANS

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