As the world approaches 2026, global economic trends are sketching a new picture of power realignment. The IMF’s October 2025 report projects that the BRICS nations—comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran—are on a growth path averaging 3.8% in 2025 and 3.7% in 2026, while the G7 bloc will see a modest 1.0% and 1.2% respectively.
At the top of the BRICS list, Ethiopia shines with forecast growth of 7.2% in 2025 and 7.1% in 2026, reflecting the rapid rise of African economies under the umbrella of South–South cooperation. Next is India, which remains Asia’s primary growth engine with rates of 6.6% and 6.2% for the same years. China, too, continues to play a leading role in the world economy, with growth of 4.8% in 2025 and 4.2% in 2026—slower than in past decades but still formidable.
Among Middle Eastern countries, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE are expected to post solid growth rates of around 4–5%, showcasing a renewed image of economic power from the southern shores of the Persian Gulf. Iran, with projected growth of 0.6% in 2025 and 1.1% in 2026, is charting a gradual yet positive course—one that could lead to sustainable expansion if stability-oriented policies persist.
In contrast, the advanced G7 economies—the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Canada—are expected to grow by less than 2%, signaling structural stagnation and saturated productive capacity. The United States leads the group with 2.0% and 2.1% growth, while Germany, at 0.2% and 0.9%, is forecast to experience the weakest expansion among the industrial powers.
This widening growth gap points to a gradual shift of the world’s economic center of gravity from the West toward the East and the Global South. The rapid expansion of the BRICS bloc is not only driven by younger populations and heavy infrastructure investment but also reflects a broader transformation in the global financial order—one marked by a growing desire among nations to reduce their dependence on the dollar and Western-dominated systems.
In this light, BRICS is evolving from a symbolic political alliance into an effective economic bloc that could, by 2030, account for more than half of global growth—a trajectory that will undoubtedly carry profound geopolitical implications for the world’s future.
NOURNEWS