The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, known as UNCTAD, expects global economic growth to slow to 2.6% in 2026, compared with a growth rate of 2.9% last year, amid the repercussions of the Middle East crisis for key economic and financial sectors.
Middle East crisis puts pressure on energy, trade and financial markets
The conference said the effects of the Middle East crisis were spreading to energy, trade and financial markets, linking developments in the region to the course of the global economy this year. These three markets are the channels UNCTAD identified when presenting its forecast of slower growth. UNCTAD's estimate puts expected global growth in 2026 below the level recorded the previous year.
This comes as the repercussions of the crisis spread from energy markets to trade flows and financial markets, according to the conference's assessment.
