IMF says Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan GDP to contract 1.3pc in 2026

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Reuters. (2026, October 22). IMF says Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan GDP to contract 1.3pc in 2026. Dawn. https://www.dawn.com/news/2038985/imf-says-middle-east-north-africa-and-pakistan-gdp-to-contract-13pc-in-2026

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Dawn · collected 2026-10-22 · by Reuters

Quick Summary

The International Monetary Fund forecasts a contraction of 1.3% in GDP for Pakistan, the Middle East, and North Africa in 2026 due to disruptions caused by the war between Iran and the US-Israeli alliance. The IMF predicts an economic rebound to 6.6% growth in 2027 but warns that energy production disruptions could worsen the outlook. The forecast highlights varied impacts across oil-exporting and importing economies, with importers proving more resilient due to factors like remittances and tourism.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-22, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

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Written for “IMF GDP Forecast For Mena And Pakistan” on 2026-10-22, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.25, but all 1 of its quote(s) are attributed speech - words the article quotes from someone, not the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
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Leaning score withheld for article 99141: attributed speech only · logged 2026-10-22

Story

📰 IMF GDP Forecast For Mena And Pakistan
Economy/Business · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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10
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Uncertain
30%
3 of 10 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
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71/100
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1
Economy/Business
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Dawn · 2073 article(s) · 3 correction(s) detected
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Who wrote this

Reuters
659 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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🔮 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday forecast a sharp drop in economic output in Pakistan, the Middle East and North Africa this year due to the US-Israeli-led war against Iran, followed by a rebound to 6.6 per cent growth in 2027, while warning that further energy production disruptions could worsen the outlook.
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Also by Reuters
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Topics

IMF Iran Israeli Pakistan The International Monetary Fund

Subjects

IMF ORG · 8× Dubai GPE · 1× Iran GPE · 1× Israeli NORP · 1× Pakistan GPE · 1× The International Monetary Fund ORG · 1×

Narrative

The IMF underscored the mantra it delivered during last week’s annual meetings, urging policymakers to prioritise maintaining price stability, while preserving fiscal sustainability, maintaining central bank independence and enacting structural reforms to boost productivity and create jobs.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-22
🔮 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday forecast a sharp drop in economic output in Pakistan, the Middle East and North Africa this year due to the US-Israeli-led war against Iran, followed by a rebound to 6.6 per cent growth in 2027, while warning that further energy production disruptions could worsen the outlook.

Claims (10 extracted, 3 hedged)

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday forecast a sharp drop in economic output in Pakistan, the Middle East and North Africa this year due to the US-Israeli-led war against Iran, followed by a rebound to 6.6 per cent growth in 2027, while warning that further energy production disruptions could worsen the outlook. uncertain
disruptions → forecast → outlook
The IMF said the region’s output was expected to contract by 1.3pc as a result of the war’s impact on energy production, shipping, tourism, trade and confidence. asserted
output → say → production
Economic output would increase sharply in 2027, but output in those economies would generally stay below pre-war projections. asserted
output → increase → projections
The war’s impact had been substantial, but uneven, with oil-exporting economies directly affected by disruptions to energy production and shipping hit harder, and oil importers proving to be more resilient, the IMF said in its regional outlook released Thursday in Dubai. asserted
IMF → export → Dubai
The IMF said its baseline assumed that the conflict would abate in early 2027 and that trade would gradually normalise during the year, but it said the outlook remained clouded by “exceptionally high uncertainty.” asserted
outlook → say → uncertainty
“The main risks derive from further disruption to energy production and trade routes that could drive energy prices higher,” the IMF said in a statement outlining its key messages, noting external financial conditions could also tighten. uncertain
conditions → derive → messages
External financial conditions could also tighten if investors reassess AI-driven productivity gains and interest rates rise further amid heightened concerns about inflation and fiscal positions, it said. uncertain
it → tighten → inflation
Oil importers had proven more resilient, with domestic demand supported by remittances and tourism flows, favourable financial conditions, and prompt policy responses that safeguard consumers from higher commodity prices, the IMF said. asserted
IMF → prove → prices
Growth in the Caucasus and Central Asia was moderating toward a more sustainable pace, the IMF said, forecasting a 5.2pc rise in economic output in 2026 and 5pc in 2027. asserted
IMF → moderate → 2027
The IMF underscored the mantra it delivered during last week’s annual meetings, urging policymakers to prioritise maintaining price stability, while preserving fiscal sustainability, maintaining central bank independence and enacting structural reforms to boost productivity and create jobs. asserted
it → underscore → jobs
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