Murati shares IMF forecast published by Euronews: Kosovo among the countries with the highest economic growth

According to a forecast by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), cited by Euronews, Kosovo is expected to remain among the European economies with the highest growth rate over the next five years, even as the continent faces a broader economic slowdown.

Acting Finance Minister Hekuran Murati praised the report published by Euronews, which is based on IMF projections and ranks Kosovo among the countries expected to post the fastest economic growth in Europe in the coming years.

In the 2027-2031 period, the eurozone is expected to record average annual growth of only 1.2 percent, while smaller European countries, including those in the Western Balkans, are expected to move at a significantly faster pace.

The IMF forecasts that the European Union as a whole will post average growth of 1.4 percent per year, while the global economy is expected to grow by around 3.2 percent. At the same time, developing Asia is expected to grow by 4.6 percent annually, India by 6.5 percent, and Sub-Saharan Africa also by 4.6 percent.

According to the IMF assessment, Europe will continue to face structural obstacles such as high public debt, an aging population, low productivity, high energy prices, and geopolitical uncertainty, factors that are expected to keep economic growth below historical standards.

Despite this, Kosovo and the other Western Balkan states are projected to perform better than the eurozone average, benefiting from higher development rates and from the potential for convergence with Europe’s more advanced economies.

The IMF report also underscores that, in order to sustain long-term growth, countries must increase investment in infrastructure, education, and innovation, as well as consolidate public finances, so that economic development is increasingly driven by productivity rather than only by the expansion of the labor market.

Euronews reports that small European economies are expected to continue outpacing the eurozone’s growth rate even at the end of this decade, despite the difficulties facing the continent’s economies.