Growth in the New Economy Towards a Blueprint 2026

Figure 2 shows the estimated growth potential of industries between 2025 and 2030, measured combining executives’ expectations with GDP forecasts produced by the IMF.19 Information technology (IT) services emerges as the dominant sector in terms of expected contribution to economic growth between 2025 and 2030, with a score of 11.5 – well ahead of all other industries. This pronounced lead points to the increasingly central role of digital transformation in driving future economic growth. A second tier of sectors – advanced manufacturing (7.7), healthcare (7.1), and accommodation and leisure (6.8) – also demonstrates strong expected growth potential, reflecting a combination of industrial upgrading and the continued expansion of service-oriented economies linked to demographic and evolving consumer trends. These are followed by agriculture (5.3) and a group of mid-ranking sectors, including energy and utilities, financial services, and media, entertainment and sport, each with moderate scores in the range of 4.7– 4.9. At the lower end of the distribution, sectors such as real estate, insurance and pensions, electronics, and chemicals and materials are less frequently identified as key growth drivers. From a regional perspective, contributions to sectoral scores are broadly distributed but reflect differences in both executives’ expectations for each industry and growth forecasts for each region, with Southern Asia, Europe and Northern America representing the largest regions for growth in most industries. In particular, Southern Asia is expected to lead growth within advanced manufacturing, medical and healthcare services, energy technology and utilities, financial services and capital markets, education and training, among other industries. Growth in IT services, accommodation and leisure, and infrastructure is expected to be particularly localized in Europe. Northern America is expected to be the main region for growth in media, entertainment and sports, professional services, oil and gas, and insurance and pensions management, while Latin America and the Caribbean are expected to be the main hotspot for agriculture, forestry and fishing, as well as mining and metals. 16 Growth in the New Economy: Towards a Blueprint