Contributors AcknowledgementsThe World Economic Forum would like to thank the members of the Community of Chief Economists for their thought leadership and guidance. We also thank the members of the broader core community of the Centre for the New Economy and Society for their ongoing commitment and contributions to addressing several of the factors presented in this outlook. Figures are based on 36 survey responses. We would like to thank, in particular, all community members who completed the survey and contributed to this edition of the outlook through community discussions. We are grateful to our colleagues in the Centre for the New Economy and Society for helpful suggestions and comments, particularly Kateryna Karunska and Sriharsha Masabathula in the Economic Growth and Transformation team and Eoin Ó Cathasaigh in the Impact Design and Coordination team. We are also grateful to Laurence Denmark, Martha Howlett and Oliver Turner for copyediting, graphic design and layout.The views expressed in this briefing do not necessarily represent the views of the World Economic Forum or those of its members and partners. This briefing is a contribution to the World Economic Forum’s insight and interaction activities and is published to elicit comments and further debate. World Economic Forum Attilio Di Battista Head, Economic Growth and Transformation, Centre for the New Economy and Society Philipp Großkurth Insight Lead, Economic Growth and Transformation, Centre for the New Economy and Society Saadia Zahidi Managing Director; Head, Centre for the New Economy and Society Members of the Community of Chief Economists Burin Adulwattana Kasikornbank Laura Alfaro Inter-American Development Bank André Almeida SONAE Mansueto Almeida Banco BTG Pactual Musaab Almulla Aramco Shusong Ba Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) Wayne Best VISA Annabel Bishop Investec Bank Marieke Blom ING GroupPiotr Bujak PKO Bank Polski Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Tomas Castagnino Accenture Juan Cerruti Banco Santander Samy Chaar Lombard Odier Pedro Conceição United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Fabien Curto Millet Google Adam Czyzewski ORLEN Gregory Daco EY-Parthenon Chief Economists’ Outlook January 26

Chief Economists Outlook January 2026