IMF sees economic growth with higher inflation for Mideast

The International Monetary Fund says the Middle East is expected to see significant economic growth this year of around 4% after the turmoil wrought by the coronavirus pandemic

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- The Middle East is expected to see significant economic growth this year, but also soaring inflation and food prices, as coronavirus vaccines are unevenly rolled out across the region, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday.

The lender's new report projects that the region's economies will grow by around 4%, while inflation will reach 17% this year in oil-importing countries. It said the situation is particularly dire in countries already facing severe economic crises, such as Lebanon and Afghanistan. The IMF said globally, inflation is rising in part due to pandemic-related supply shortages. Food prices have soared to their highest level since 2014, with an expected increase of nearly 28% in 2021.

Across the Middle East, about 7 million more people are estimated to have entered extreme poverty over the course of 2020, compared to the fund’s projections before the coronavirus pandemic. The IMF warned that uneven recovery from the global health crisis could lead to “a permanent widening of existing wealth, income, and social gaps and, ultimately...less inclusive societies.”

In one example of that uneven recovery, the Gulf Arab oil-exporting nations of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar will see inflation peak at just 2.8% this year compared to the the Mideast's oil-importing nations, where average inflation will climb to 17% in 2021 before dipping to just under 10% in 2022, according to the IMF's forecast.