The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted an increase in Nigeria’s economic growth from 4.2% in October 2025 to 4.4% in 2026, citing improved macroeconomic conditions and reform momentum. The revised outlook was published in the IMF’s January 2026 update of the World Economic Outlook (WEO) Update, titled “Global Economy”, and unveiled on Monday. The updated forecast was released on Monday in the IMF's January 2026 update of the World Economic Outlook.
Nigeria's prognosis has been upgraded by the Fund as part of a broader evaluation of the state of the world economy, which the Fund believes will be largely steady in the years to come.
Overall, the data indicate that Nigeria's improved prognosis is not an isolated correction but rather consistent with a slow but broad regional economic strengthening.
Nigeria's updated estimate draws on a period of substantial economic adjustment characterised by attempts to restore macroeconomic equilibrium and policy changes.
The IMF had predicted Nigeria's growth in 2026 at 4.2% in its October 2025 World Economic Outlook, citing persistent worries about inflation, budgetary restrictions, and structural limitations.