国际货币基金组织警告说，经济衰退对世界各地经济体的打击比最初的估计严重，而且全球经济复苏将需要更长时间。该组织星期三发表半年一次的全球经济展望报告，认为这次经济衰退到目前是自从上世纪30年代以来最严重的。
报告说，现在估计全球经济今年将收缩1.3%，并说持续存在的全球金融体系问题以及信贷短缺，显示2010年复苏迟缓。国际货币基金组织预测，世界最大经济体美国的情况更悲观。
报告预计美国经济今年将收缩2.8%，而且2010年不会有任何增长。国际货币基金组织还预测，日本经济今年将收缩6.2%，欧元地区将收缩4.2%。此外，预测俄罗斯经济也将收缩，而中国经济将增长，但是速度将减缓。
The International Monetary Fund warns that the recession is hitting economies around the world harder than first predicted and that it will take even longer for the global economy to recover. The IMF released its semi-annual World Economic Outlook Wednesday, calling the recession the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s “by far.”
It says it now expects the global economy to shrink by 1.3 percent this year and says lingering problems with the global financial system, and a lack of available credit, indicates a sluggish recovery in 2010. The IMF forecast for the United States, the world’s largest economy, is even bleaker.
The report forecasts the U.S. economy will shrink 2.8 percent this year and will not see any growth in 2010. The IMF also predicts the Japanese economy will shrink 6.2 percent this year, while the euro zone (European countries using the euro as their currency) will contract by 4.2 percent.
Russia’s economy also is expected to shrink, while China’s economy will grow, but at a slower pace.