Fastest-Growing Economies by Real GDP Growth in 2025
Which Economies Recorded the Highest Real GDP Growth in 2025?
According to the IMF World Economic Outlook April 2026, South Sudan had the highest estimated real GDP growth in 2025 at 46.1%, followed by Guyana at 19.3% and Libya at 15.9%. The ranking measures the annual percentage change in inflation-adjusted gross domestic product from 2024 to 2025.
This is a single-source numeric ranking based on IMF WEO indicator NGDP_RPCH. It covers the 20 highest confirmed country and economy values. All 20 rows are IMF estimates for 2025; the ranking does not calculate independent country projections or present the estimates as finalized national statistical-office results.
Unit: annual percent change. Direction: higher growth ranks higher. IMF information cutoff: April 1, 2026. Data checked: July 27, 2026. Supplemental IMF country reports are used only to explain exceptional results.
South Sudan ranks first after an IMF-estimated 26.1% contraction in 2024.
Mongolia is the 20th entry, still double the 3.4% world growth estimate.
Annual percent change; IMF WEO April 2026; world benchmark 3.4%.
20 IMF estimates; no independently modeled country values.
How to Read a One-Year Real GDP Growth Ranking
Real GDP growth measures the change in economic output after removing price effects. It is therefore more suitable for comparing production growth than nominal GDP growth, which can rise because of inflation or exchange-rate movements.
The fastest-growing economies are not necessarily the largest, richest or most stable. A high one-year rate can reflect recovery from a previous contraction, restored commodity production, a small statistical base, reconstruction, rapid investment or unusual multinational-company transactions.
The leading results illustrate these differences. South Sudan’s 46.1% estimate follows a 26.1% contraction in 2024. Guyana’s expansion remains closely connected to oil production and strong non-oil investment. Libya’s result is mainly linked to recovering oil output. Ireland’s 12.3% GDP growth was driven largely by multinational exports and investment effects; the IMF estimates that real GNI*, a better guide to the domestic Irish economy, grew by about 4.0%.
Top 10 Economies by Estimated Real GDP Growth
The Top 10 contains several different growth stories rather than one common model. The first three rates are unusually high, while the gap narrows sharply from Ireland in fourth place to Senegal in tenth.
Top 10 economies by 2025 real GDP growth, IMF WEO April 2026
| Rank | Economy | Growth | Region / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Sudan, Republic of | 46.1% | Africa; IMF estimate for 2025; rebound follows a 26.1% contraction in 2024. |
| 2 | Guyana | 19.3% | Latin America & Caribbean; IMF estimate for 2025; oil-led expansion. |
| 3 | Libya | 15.9% | Africa; IMF estimate for 2025; growth driven mainly by recovering oil output. |
| 4 | Ireland | 12.3% | Europe; IMF estimate for 2025; GDP boosted by multinational exports and investment effects. |
| 5 | Kyrgyz Republic | 11.1% | Central Asia & Caucasus; IMF estimate for 2025. |
| 6 | Ethiopia | 9.2% | Africa; IMF estimate for 2025. |
| 7 | Taiwan Province of China | 8.7% | East Asia & Pacific; IMF estimate for 2025. |
| 8 | Tajikistan | 8.4% | Central Asia & Caucasus; IMF estimate for 2025. |
| 9 | Vietnam | 8.0% | East Asia & Pacific; IMF estimate for 2025. |
| 10 | Senegal | 7.9% | Africa; IMF estimate for 2025. |
Values are annual percent change in real GDP. Equal values are ordered alphabetically only to provide a stable display order.
Chart: Top 20 Confirmed Entries
South Sudan is a clear outlier. Guyana and Libya form a second high-growth tier, while the other 17 economies range from 6.8% to 12.3%.
Methodology
The ranking uses IMF WEO indicator NGDP_RPCH, real GDP growth in annual percent change. The target year is 2025 and the source vintage is the World Economic Outlook April 2026. The numeric ranking is based on one source so that every row follows the same definition, publication vintage and country coverage.
Metric and unit
Real GDP growth is the annual percentage change in inflation-adjusted output. The 2025 value compares real activity in 2025 with 2024.
Direction and rank
Values are sorted from highest to lowest. Rank is calculated from the numeric IMF value rather than from descriptive text.
Coverage
The table includes the 20 highest country or economy values with confirmed 2025 data. IMF regional and analytical aggregates are excluded.
Value status
All rows are IMF estimates for 2025. They may incorporate reported data but can still change in later WEO vintages or national accounts revisions.
Ties and rounding
Values are displayed to one decimal place, matching IMF DataMapper. Equal displayed values are ordered alphabetically without changing the value.
Conflict handling
Different releases are not averaged. The IMF WEO April 2026 value is retained for every ranked row to preserve cross-country comparability.
Inclusion requires an economy name, numeric value, unit, target year, status, source and row-level note. Entries marked “no data” are excluded. Region labels are editorial navigation groups and should not be interpreted as IMF analytical classifications.
No independent projection formula is applied. The table reproduces IMF estimates and sorts them from highest to lowest. Supplemental IMF country reports are used only for interpretation, including the South Sudan base effect, Guyana’s oil-led expansion, Libya’s oil-output recovery and the difference between Irish GDP and GNI*.
The main limitation is that a one-year percentage change can be dominated by low-base effects, commodity production, conflict recovery, data revisions or multinational transactions. This metric does not measure GDP size, GDP per capita, productivity, household income, inequality, fiscal sustainability or long-term potential growth.
Main Ranking: Top 20 Fastest-Growing Economies
Search by economy, filter by region or value status, change the sort order, or switch between Top 10, Top 20 and all confirmed rows. Without JavaScript, the full ranking remains visible.
Top 20 economies by 2025 real GDP growth, IMF WEO April 2026
| Rank | Economy | Growth | Region / note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Sudan, Republic of | 46.1% | Africa; IMF estimate for 2025; rebound follows a 26.1% contraction in 2024. |
| 2 | Guyana | 19.3% | Latin America & Caribbean; IMF estimate for 2025; oil-led expansion. |
| 3 | Libya | 15.9% | Africa; IMF estimate for 2025; growth driven mainly by recovering oil output. |
| 4 | Ireland | 12.3% | Europe; IMF estimate for 2025; GDP boosted by multinational exports and investment effects. |
| 5 | Kyrgyz Republic | 11.1% | Central Asia & Caucasus; IMF estimate for 2025. |
| 6 | Ethiopia | 9.2% | Africa; IMF estimate for 2025. |
| 7 | Taiwan Province of China | 8.7% | East Asia & Pacific; IMF estimate for 2025. |
| 8 | Tajikistan | 8.4% | Central Asia & Caucasus; IMF estimate for 2025. |
| 9 | Vietnam | 8.0% | East Asia & Pacific; IMF estimate for 2025. |
| 10 | Senegal | 7.9% | Africa; IMF estimate for 2025. |
| 11 | Uzbekistan | 7.7% | Central Asia & Caucasus; IMF estimate for 2025. |
| 12 | India | 7.6% | South Asia; IMF estimate for 2025. |
| 13 | Benin | 7.5% | Africa; IMF estimate for 2025. |
| 14 | Georgia | 7.5% | Central Asia & Caucasus; IMF estimate for 2025. |
| 15 | Zimbabwe | 7.5% | Africa; IMF estimate for 2025. |
| 16 | Armenia | 7.2% | Central Asia & Caucasus; IMF estimate for 2025. |
| 17 | Bhutan | 7.1% | South Asia; IMF estimate for 2025. |
| 18 | Rwanda | 7.0% | Africa; IMF estimate for 2025. |
| 19 | Niger | 6.9% | Africa; IMF estimate for 2025. |
| 20 | Mongolia | 6.8% | East Asia & Pacific; IMF estimate for 2025. |
Primary numeric source: IMF World Economic Outlook April 2026, NGDP_RPCH, target year 2025. Data checked: July 27, 2026.
Insights from the Top 20
Key Insight
South Sudan’s 46.1% estimate is more than twice Guyana’s 19.3% and about 13.6 times the IMF world estimate of 3.4%.
Notable Pattern
The ranking falls sharply after the first three economies. Ireland is fourth at 12.3%, while places six through twenty are clustered between 6.8% and 9.2%.
Regional Concentration
Africa contributes eight of the 20 entries. The page’s Central Asia and Caucasus group contributes five more, giving the two groups 13 places combined.
Outlier
The full Top 20 range is 39.3 percentage points. Excluding South Sudan reduces the range to 12.5 points, showing how strongly one rebound estimate shapes the chart.
What the Results Mean
The table compares estimated changes in inflation-adjusted output during 2025. It does not rank economies by total GDP, income per person, stability or long-term growth quality.
South Sudan’s result should be read as a rebound from a sharply reduced 2024 base. Guyana and Libya show how oil production can produce very high national growth rates. Ireland demonstrates a different risk: multinational exports and investment transactions can move GDP much more than domestic activity. The IMF’s 4.0% estimate for Irish real GNI* is therefore an important companion measure to the 12.3% GDP result.
These are IMF estimates rather than independently calculated forecasts. Later WEO releases and national statistical revisions can change both values and ranks. For longer-term analysis, compare this table with multi-year real GDP growth, GDP per capita, investment, productivity, inflation, public debt and current-account indicators.
FAQ
Which economy had the highest estimated real GDP growth in 2025?
South Sudan ranks first at 46.1% in the IMF World Economic Outlook April 2026 dataset.
Why is South Sudan’s growth estimate so high?
The 46.1% estimate follows a 26.1% contraction in 2024. That makes the 2025 rate primarily a rebound from a much lower output base.
Are these finalized national GDP figures?
No. They are IMF WEO estimates for 2025 and may change in later IMF vintages or national accounts revisions.
Why does Ireland rank fourth?
Ireland’s 12.3% GDP growth was driven largely by multinational exports and investment effects. The IMF estimates real GNI*, a better measure of domestic activity, grew by about 4.0%.
Why can a small economy outrank a large economy?
The ranking measures percentage growth rather than total output. A smaller economy can grow faster from a lower base while remaining much smaller in absolute GDP.
How are equal growth rates ranked?
Economies with equal displayed IMF values are ordered alphabetically to create a stable row order. Their growth values are not adjusted.
Sources
IMF World Economic Outlook Database, April 2026
Primary numeric source for the ranked 2025 real GDP growth estimates, the annual-percent-change unit and the world benchmark.
IMF World Economic Outlook, April 2026
Publication-vintage context and confirmation that estimates were based on information available through April 1, 2026.
https://www.imf.org/en/publications/weo/issues/2026/04/14/world-economic-outlook-april-2026
IMF DataMapper — Real GDP Growth, 2024
Supporting source for South Sudan’s 26.1% contraction in 2024, used to explain the 2025 rebound.
https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/NGDP_RPCH%40WEO/SSD?year=2024
IMF 2026 Article IV Consultation with Ireland
Context for Ireland’s multinational-led GDP growth and the 4.0% estimate for real GNI* in 2025.
IMF 2025 Article IV Consultation with Guyana
Context for Guyana’s oil production, non-oil growth and infrastructure investment. It is not used to replace the April 2026 WEO ranking value.
IMF 2025 Article IV Consultation with Libya
Context for Libya’s dependence on oil production and the oil-led rebound. It is not used to replace the April 2026 WEO ranking value.
