The World Economic Forum (WEF) evaluates Azerbaijan as one of the countries in the Central Asia region, taking steps to enhance competitiveness in the economy, APA-Economics reports.
In the Forum’s report, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan are identified as countries working to strengthen the region’s economic potential. However, it is noted that progress in this direction is uneven across the region.
The WEF report, citing forecasts from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), states that overall economic growth in Central Asia is expected to reach 5.2% in 2026. According to the forecast, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are expected to lead in growth, Uzbekistan will demonstrate stable growth, and Kazakhstan, despite a slowdown in growth pace, is projected to outperform many similar countries.
The report notes that 59 percent of chief economist respondents in the region expect moderate economic growth in the coming year. At the same time, the share of those expecting strong and very strong growth has more than doubled compared to the previous report.
According to the WEF survey, about 40 percent of respondents in the region believe that investments in artificial intelligence will have little or very little impact on economic growth. At the same time, 79 percent of respondents indicated that they expect moderate inflation in 2026.
Eighty-five percent of chief economists noted that they do not expect changes in monetary policy in Central Asia, while 88 percent of respondents do not expect changes in fiscal policy.
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