The world economy will expand 4.3 percent this year as stronger-than-expected growth in the United States, China and elsewhere balances weakness in Europe and Japan, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday.
The 2005 growth forecast is unchanged from a previous projection made by the Fund in its semi-annual world economic outlook, but the pattern of growth is very different from that presented in its last forecast in September 2004.
The IMF now expects the U.S. economy to grow 3.6 percent this year, up from a previous 3.5 percent projection, but sees Japanese gross domestic product rising just 0.7 percent, down from 2.3 percent.
