Ways to revive global growth

The world economy's growth engine is losing steam, prompting questions about its medium-term prospects. This event features a presentation of chapter 3 from the latest IMF World Economic Outlook. This chapter delves into the drivers behind the growth decline and identifies a significant and widespread slowdown in total factor productivity as a key factor, partly driven by increased misallocation of capital and labor between firms within sectors. Demographic pressures and a slowdown in private capital formation further precipitated the growth slowdown. Absent policy action or technological advances, medium-term growth is projected to fall well below prepandemic levels. To bolster growth, urgent reforms are necessary to improve resource allocation to productive firms, boost labor force participation, and leverage artificial intelligence for productivity gains. Addressing these issues is critical, given the additional constraints high public debt and geoeconomic fragmentation may impose on future growth.