Global ranking · 49 economies · World Bank data
Fastest-Growing Economies 2026
Fastest-Growing Economies 2026: 49 economies ranked by GDP growth, with nominal & PPP figures, 10-year trends, regional breakdowns, charts and a downloadable dataset. Ireland leads at 12.3%; Sweden ranks 30th of 49 at 1.5% (2025). Source: World Bank. Free to cite.
Executive summary
This index ranks 49 of the world's largest economies by GDP growth, using World Bank Open Data for cross-country comparability, and goes beyond a single snapshot: it shows the nominal figure, a ten-year history, a regional breakdown and the biggest movers. Ireland leads at 12.3% (2025); Finland is lowest among those ranked at 0.2%. Sweden ranks 30th of 49 at 1.5% (2025). As reference points, the EU stands at 1.5%, the OECD at 1.8% and the world at 2.9%. Every figure carries its World Bank series and reference year, and the complete dataset is free to download as CSV and JSON under a CC BY 4.0 licence.
Key findings
Ireland tops the ranking
Ireland has the highest GDP growth among the 49 economies in this index at 12.3% (2025).
Source: World Bank Open Data · 2025 · confidence: High
Where Sweden ranks
Sweden ranks 30th of 49 at 1.5% (2025), below the OECD reference of 1.8%.
Source: World Bank Open Data · 2025 · confidence: High
Top five
The five highest by GDP growth are Ireland (12.3%), Viet Nam (8.0%), India (7.6%), Malaysia (5.2%), Indonesia (5.1%).
Source: World Bank Open Data · 2025 · confidence: High
Data vintage — July 2026
Figures reflect the most recent year available in the World Bank Open Data API for each economy (shown next to every value). This index of the fastest-growing economies by GDP growth regenerates automatically as new data is published.
Overview
Economic growth — the annual percentage change in real (inflation-adjusted) GDP — is the single most-watched macro number, because compounding small differences in growth produce vast differences in prosperity over a generation. This index ranks economies by their most recent annual real GDP growth.
Growth leadership rotates. Emerging economies with room to catch up typically grow faster than mature ones; a single year's figure is best read alongside the multi-year trend shown below, since one-off rebounds, commodity booms and statistical base effects can flatter a single year.
What drives the ranking
Real GDP growth is driven by growth in the labour force, in the capital stock and in productivity (how efficiently the two are combined). Fast-growers are usually catching up to the technological frontier; mature economies grow more slowly but from a much higher base.
Short-run growth also swings with the global cycle, interest rates and commodity prices — which is why the fastest-growing economy in any single year is often a small or recovering one, not a large stable one.
How it has changed over time
The chart tracks GDP growth for Ireland (the current leader) against Sweden over the past decade; the table below shows the top economies year by year.
| Country | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 7.7% | 5.0% | 7.2% | 16.3% | 7.5% | -2.5% | 2.6% | 12.3% |
| Viet Nam | 7.5% | 7.4% | 2.9% | 2.6% | 8.5% | 5.0% | 7.0% | 8.0% |
| India | 6.5% | 3.9% | -5.8% | 9.7% | 7.6% | 7.2% | 7.1% | 7.6% |
| Malaysia | 4.8% | 4.4% | -5.5% | 3.3% | 9.0% | 3.5% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Indonesia | 5.2% | 5.0% | -2.1% | 3.7% | 5.3% | 5.0% | 5.0% | 5.1% |
| Singapore | 3.2% | 1.2% | -3.6% | 10.1% | 4.0% | 1.5% | 5.3% | 5.0% |
| China | 6.8% | 6.1% | 2.3% | 8.6% | 3.1% | 5.4% | 5.0% | 5.0% |
| Saudi Arabia | 3.2% | 1.7% | -3.8% | 6.5% | 12.0% | 0.5% | 2.6% | 4.5% |
By region
Median GDP growth by world region among the ranked economies. Regional medians reveal patterns the country ranking alone can hide.
| Region | Economies | Median | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | 23 | 1.3% | 12.3% | 0.2% |
| Asia-Pacific | 12 | 4.7% | 8.0% | 0.5% |
| Americas | 7 | 2.3% | 4.4% | 0.6% |
| Middle East & Africa | 7 | 4.0% | 4.5% | 1.1% |
Biggest movers
The largest changes in GDP growth over the available window — where the action has been.
| Country | Change | Δ | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | -9.9% → 4.4% | +14.3% | 2020–2025 |
| Philippines | -9.5% → 4.4% | +13.9% | 2020–2025 |
| Spain | -10.9% → 2.8% | +13.8% | 2020–2025 |
| India | -5.8% → 7.6% | +13.3% | 2020–2025 |
| United Kingdom | -10.0% → 1.4% | +11.4% | 2020–2025 |
| Greece | -9.2% → 2.1% | +11.3% | 2020–2025 |
| Malaysia | -5.5% → 5.2% | +10.6% | 2020–2025 |
| Nigeria | -6.4% → 4.0% | +10.4% | 2020–2025 |
Full ranking — 49 economies
Complete ranking by GDP growth, most recent World Bank data, with world region. Region aggregates (EU, OECD, World) appear in the At-a-glance box as reference points.
| # | Country | Gdp Growth | Region | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ireland | 12.3% | Europe | 2025 |
| 2 | Viet Nam | 8.0% | Asia-Pacific | 2025 |
| 3 | India | 7.6% | Asia-Pacific | 2025 |
| 4 | Malaysia | 5.2% | Asia-Pacific | 2025 |
| 5 | Indonesia | 5.1% | Asia-Pacific | 2025 |
| 6 | Singapore | 5.0% | Asia-Pacific | 2025 |
| 7 | China | 5.0% | Asia-Pacific | 2025 |
| 8 | Saudi Arabia | 4.5% | Middle East & Africa | 2025 |
| 9 | Philippines | 4.4% | Asia-Pacific | 2025 |
| 10 | Egypt | 4.4% | Middle East & Africa | 2025 |
| 11 | Argentina | 4.4% | Americas | 2025 |
| 12 | Nigeria | 4.0% | Middle East & Africa | 2025 |
| 13 | United Arab Emirates | 4.0% | Middle East & Africa | 2024 |
| 14 | Turkiye | 3.6% | Middle East & Africa | 2025 |
| 15 | Poland | 3.6% | Europe | 2025 |
| 16 | Israel | 2.9% | Middle East & Africa | 2025 |
| 17 | Denmark | 2.9% | Europe | 2025 |
| 18 | Spain | 2.8% | Europe | 2025 |
| 19 | Colombia | 2.6% | Americas | 2025 |
| 20 | Czechia | 2.6% | Europe | 2025 |
| 21 | Chile | 2.5% | Americas | 2025 |
| 22 | Thailand | 2.4% | Asia-Pacific | 2025 |
| 23 | Brazil | 2.3% | Americas | 2025 |
| 24 | United States | 2.2% | Americas | 2025 |
| 25 | Greece | 2.1% | Europe | 2025 |
| 26 | Portugal | 1.9% | Europe | 2025 |
| 27 | Ukraine | 1.8% | Europe | 2025 |
| 28 | Netherlands | 1.8% | Europe | 2025 |
| 29 | Canada | 1.7% | Americas | 2025 |
| 30 | Sweden | 1.5% | Europe | 2025 |
| 31 | United Kingdom | 1.4% | Europe | 2025 |
| 32 | Australia | 1.4% | Asia-Pacific | 2025 |
| 33 | Switzerland | 1.3% | Europe | 2025 |
| 34 | Iceland | 1.3% | Europe | 2025 |
| 35 | Japan | 1.2% | Asia-Pacific | 2025 |
| 36 | South Africa | 1.1% | Middle East & Africa | 2025 |
| 37 | Norway | 1.1% | Europe | 2025 |
| 38 | South Korea | 1.0% | Asia-Pacific | 2025 |
| 39 | Russia | 1.0% | Europe | 2025 |
| 40 | Belgium | 1.0% | Europe | 2025 |
| 41 | France | 0.8% | Europe | 2025 |
| 42 | Romania | 0.7% | Europe | 2025 |
| 43 | Austria | 0.6% | Europe | 2025 |
| 44 | Mexico | 0.6% | Americas | 2025 |
| 45 | Italy | 0.5% | Europe | 2025 |
| 46 | Hungary | 0.5% | Europe | 2025 |
| 47 | New Zealand | 0.5% | Asia-Pacific | 2025 |
| 48 | Germany | 0.2% | Europe | 2025 |
| 49 | Finland | 0.2% | Europe | 2025 |
Scoreboard (machine-readable data)
Every headline indicator with its value, period, source and confidence. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
| Indicator | Value | Period | Source | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 12.34 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Viet Nam | 8.02 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| India | 7.57 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Malaysia | 5.17 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Indonesia | 5.11 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Singapore | 5.03 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| China | 4.96 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Saudi Arabia | 4.5 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Philippines | 4.4 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Egypt | 4.39 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Argentina | 4.37 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Nigeria | 4.01 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| United Arab Emirates | 3.99 % | 2024 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Turkiye | 3.6 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Poland | 3.57 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Israel | 2.93 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Denmark | 2.93 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Spain | 2.82 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Colombia | 2.64 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Czechia | 2.58 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Chile | 2.46 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Thailand | 2.44 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Brazil | 2.29 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| United States | 2.16 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Greece | 2.07 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Portugal | 1.86 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Ukraine | 1.82 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Netherlands | 1.78 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Canada | 1.74 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Sweden | 1.54 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| United Kingdom | 1.39 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Australia | 1.35 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Switzerland | 1.3 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Iceland | 1.28 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Japan | 1.19 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| South Africa | 1.11 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Norway | 1.09 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| South Korea | 1.01 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Russia | 1 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Belgium | 0.98 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| France | 0.84 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Romania | 0.68 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Austria | 0.62 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Mexico | 0.56 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Italy | 0.54 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Hungary | 0.51 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| New Zealand | 0.46 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Germany | 0.24 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
| Finland | 0.17 % | 2025 | World Bank Open Data | High |
Methodology & verification
Economies are ranked by GDP growth using the World Bank Open Data API, which harmonises national statistics for cross-country comparison. Each value is the most recent year available for that economy, shown alongside the figure; the trend table uses each economy's reported history. Economies with no reported value are omitted rather than estimated. Region aggregates (EU, euro area, OECD, World) are reference points, not ranked. A single year of growth can be distorted by base effects (a rebound from a prior contraction), commodity windfalls or data revisions. The multi-year table below gives a truer picture of sustained performance. Confidence: High (official multilateral source).
Data dictionary
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| metric | string | World Bank indicator code : country ISO3 |
| label | string | Country name |
| value | number | GDP growth value |
| unit | string | % |
| period | string | Reference year |
| geography | string | Country |
| source_url | string | World Bank indicator page |
Frequently asked questions
Which country has the highest GDP growth?
Ireland, at 12.3% (2025). Source: World Bank Open Data.
Where does Sweden rank by GDP growth?
Sweden ranks 30th of 49 at 1.5% (2025). Source: World Bank.
What are the top five by GDP growth?
Ireland (12.3%), Viet Nam (8.0%), India (7.6%), Malaysia (5.2%), Indonesia (5.1%). Source: World Bank.
How is GDP growth defined?
GDP growth (annual %), as reported by the World Bank. See the methodology and glossary for details.
How many economies are ranked?
49 of the world's largest economies, plus the EU, OECD and World aggregates as reference points.
What is the caveat with this metric?
A single year of growth can be distorted by base effects (a rebound from a prior contraction), commodity windfalls or data revisions. The multi-year table below gives a truer picture of sustained performance.
Where does the data come from?
The World Bank Open Data API, which harmonises national statistics for cross-country comparison. Every figure shows its reference year and links to its World Bank indicator page.
How current is it, and how often does it update?
Each figure is the latest year the World Bank reports for that economy. The index regenerates automatically as new data is released.
Can I download this ranking?
Yes — the full ranking is available as CSV and JSON under a CC BY 4.0 licence, free to reuse with attribution to Affärslivet.
Glossary
- Gdp Growth
- GDP growth (annual %) — as reported by the World Bank. ↗
- World Bank Open Data
- A free, authoritative database of harmonised economic indicators for every country. ↗
- Purchasing-power parity (PPP)
- A conversion that equalises the price of a comparable basket of goods across countries, so output and incomes can be compared in real terms rather than at market exchange rates. ↗
- Nominal (current US$)
- A value converted at prevailing market exchange rates and not adjusted for differences in price levels. ↗
- GNI per capita
- Gross national income per person — like GDP per capita but including net income earned abroad; useful where cross-border corporate flows are large. ↗
- Reference year
- The year a figure applies to; it can differ across countries because national statistics are published on different schedules. ↗
- Region aggregate
- A World Bank grouping (e.g. European Union, OECD, World) whose value is a weighted regional total or average, shown here for reference rather than ranked. ↗
How to cite this report
APA
Affärslivet Research. (2026). Fastest-Growing Economies 2026. Affärslivet. Version 1.1. https://xn--affrslivet-s5a.com/en/reports/fastest-growing-economies
MLA
Affärslivet Research. "Fastest-Growing Economies 2026." Affärslivet, 2026-07-01, https://xn--affrslivet-s5a.com/en/reports/fastest-growing-economies.
BibTeX
@techreport{affarslivet_fastest_growing_economies,
title = {Fastest-Growing Economies 2026},
author = {{Affärslivet Research}},
year = {2026},
note = {Version 1.1},
url = {https://xn--affrslivet-s5a.com/en/reports/fastest-growing-economies}
}