April 17 (SeeNews) - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that it expects Serbia's economy to grow by 3.5% this year, revising upwards its previous forecast of 3% growth made in October.
Serbia’s economy will expand by 4.5% next year, the global lender said in the April edition of its World Economic Outlook report published on Tuesday.
The latest IMF forecast is in line with the latest World Bank forecast of 3.5% economic growth in Serbia this year. Last year, Serbia's economic output expanded by an estimated 2.5%.
Serbia's average consumer price inflation is seen slowing to 4.8% in 2024 from 12.4% last year, before easing further to 3.1% in 2025, the IMF said.
The country's current account deficit is projected to expand to 3.9% of GDP in 2024 from 2.6% in 2023. In 2025 the current account deficit is expected to expand to 4.7% of GDP.
The IMF projects that the GDP of the Emerging and Developing Europe area will grow to 3.1% in 2024, after expanding by 3.2% last year, before slowing to 2.8% in 2025. The region includes Bosnia, Romania, Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro and North Macedonia.