IMF ups 2021 global growth forecast to 6% on back of U.S. stimulus The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday raised its forecast for global growth by 0.5 percentage point from its January estimate to 6.0 percent in 2021, reflecting a boost from the latest massive U.S. coronavirus economic relief package. The expansion would be the largest in four decades of publicly available data from the IMF, marking a sharp turnaround from a 3.3 percent contraction last year -- the worst peacetime decline since the Great Depression -- due to the coronavirus pandemic. Outdoor seats are full at a restaurant in Washington on April 5, 2021. (Kyodo)