New Delhi: India continues to have the strongest economic growth outlook among the major regions covered by the World Economic Forum’s Chief Economists Outlook, with GDP growth projected at 6.7 per cent for 2026-27.
The September 2026 edition of the report attributed the outlook to continued resilience in domestic demand. The survey covered 10 major economies and regions, including the US, Europe, China, Japan, India, Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, Central Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
A total of 92 chief economists from the public and private sectors contributed to the survey.
Stronger Growth Expectations For India
The report showed a significant improvement in sentiment towards India. About 74 per cent of surveyed chief economists expect strong or very strong economic growth in India, up from 52 per cent in May.
Overall, 98 per cent of respondents expect moderate or stronger growth in India over the next 12 months.
The outlook comes against the backdrop of continued domestic economic activity, although the report noted that sustained employment creation remains important.
Unemployment Remains Relatively Stable
According to the report, 70 per cent of chief economists expect India’s unemployment rate to remain broadly unchanged over the next 12 months. Meanwhile, 17 per cent expect unemployment to increase and 13 per cent anticipate a decline.
The unemployment rate among people aged 15 years and above fell to 5 per cent in August from 5.1 per cent in July. Labour force participation also increased from 55.4 per cent to 55.6 per cent during the same period.
The report said the developments point to relatively stable labour market conditions alongside strong economic activity.
Inflation Expectations Moderate, Policy Outlook Stable
The WEF report also noted that inflation expectations for India have moderated since May. Around 55 per cent of chief economists expect moderate inflation over the next 12 months, while 45 per cent anticipate high inflation.
This compares with 61 per cent of respondents expecting high or very high inflation in May.
Consumer price inflation rose to 4.8 per cent in August, moving above the Reserve Bank of India’s 4 per cent medium-term target while remaining within the 2-6 per cent tolerance band.
A majority of respondents, or 67 per cent, expect monetary policy to remain unchanged, while 24 per cent anticipate tightening. The policy rate was kept at 5.25 per cent in August with a neutral stance.
Fiscal policy is also expected to remain broadly stable, with 72 per cent of respondents anticipating no major change and 22 per cent expecting a looser fiscal policy.
Latest GDP Data Points To Stronger Expansion
The WEF survey was completed on August 20, before India’s latest GDP figures were released on August 31.
Those figures showed that India’s economy expanded by 7.8 per cent in the first quarter of FY27, prompting several institutions to revise their growth forecasts upwards.
Moody’s subsequently raised its FY27 GDP growth projection for India to 7 per cent from 6 per cent earlier, citing the resilience of the Indian economy amid the war in West Asia.
The latest data and revisions come after the WEF survey and therefore were not incorporated into its 6.7 per cent FY27 growth outlook.