Bangladesh to surpass Malaysia, Vietnam in economy by 2030: IMF

Bangladesh’s economy could reach $677 billion by 2030, according to a forecast by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). By this time, it will surpass the economies of countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand in terms of gross domestic product (GDP). This was stated in a report titled ‘The $150 Trillion Global Economy in 2030’ by Canadian media outlet Visual Capitalist. The IMF forecast said the size of the global economy would grow further over the next four years. By 2030, the global economy could exceed $150 trillion. A large part of this growth will come from emerging economies in Asia.

The information has emerged based on the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) ‘World Economic Outlook’ forecast. According to the forecast, the United States will remain the world’s largest economy in 2030. Its nominal gross domestic product (GDP) could reach $37.7 trillion. China will remain in second place, with its GDP potentially reaching $26 trillion. Germany will remain in third place, with its economy potentially reaching $6.2 trillion. Between 2026 and 2030, the combined economies of the United States, China and Germany could grow by more than $10 trillion. China will play the biggest role in this growth.

However, the gap between Germany and India in the race to become the third-largest economy is very small. Germany’s potential GDP in 2030 could be $6.178 trillion, while India’s could be $6.173 trillion. That means the gap between the two countries would be only $5 billion. If the current growth trend continues, India could surpass Germany in terms of nominal GDP. However, based on purchasing power parity (PPP), India’s economy is already nearly three times larger than Germany’s.

Asia’s combined economic output could reach $55.7 trillion by 2030. This will account for more than one-third of the global economy. After China and India, Japan will be Asia’s third-largest economy. The country’s GDP could reach $5 trillion. It will be followed by South Korea and Indonesia. Their potential GDPs are $2.3 trillion and $2.1 trillion, respectively.

Japan was once the world’s second-largest economy. However, the country’s economic growth has slowed over several decades. China surpassed Japan in 2010. Germany then surpassed Japan in 2024. The combined size of Europe’s economy could reach $37 trillion in 2030. Europe will account for around one-fifth of the global economy. The combined nominal GDP of the member states of the European Union (EU) could reach $26.5 trillion. Germany will have the largest economy in this group. It will be followed by France and Italy. The potential GDPs of the three countries are $6.2 trillion, $4 trillion and $3 trillion, respectively.