Biography
Naotaka Sugawara is a Senior Economist in the Prospects Group at the World Bank Group.
Previously, he was an economist in the Research Department of the International Monetary Fund and in the World Bank’s Office of the Chief Economist for Europe and Central Asia. He also worked in the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Unit of Europe and Central Asia Region and in the Development Research Group at the World Bank. He has numerous research publications related to economic growth, international economics and finance, fiscal policy, and financial sector development. He received a Master’s degree in International Development from the University of Pittsburgh and a B.A. in Political Science from Meiji University, Tokyo.
Profiles
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Global Forecasts for 2026
- The conflict in the Middle East, which started at the end of February 2026, led to a downgrade in global growth and an upward revision of global inflation for 2026
- Reflecting shortages of oil and natural gas supplies, with elevated hydrocarbon prices and transportation costs amid supply chain disruptions, the global inflation forecast for 2026 surged
- The global growth forecast was also revised down, though, as of April 2026, the forecast remained higher than the one made in mid-2025 when trade tensions and policy uncertainty had been heightened