AI boom prompts economists to lift 2026 growth forecasts beyond MTI’s upgraded 4.5-5.5% range

Regional economies have also bumped up their growth expectations amid the stronger-than-expected surge

Tessa Oh
Published Tue, Aug 11, 2026 · 05:35 PM
    • The 5.9% year-on-year GDP growth in Q2 exceeds the median 5.8% forecast in a Bloomberg poll.
    • The 5.9% year-on-year GDP growth in Q2 exceeds the median 5.8% forecast in a Bloomberg poll. PHOTO: YEN MENG JIIN, BT

    [SINGAPORE] Private-sector economists have raised their full-year growth forecast for Singapore, after the official forecast was raised to 4.5 to 5.5 per cent, from 2 to 4 per cent previously – with at least one bank’s revised forecast sitting above the top end of the upgraded range.

    The revision, announced on Tuesday (Aug 11), comes on the back of a better-than-expected first half of 2026, during which the economy expanded 6.1 per cent year on year.

    Economists largely attributed the stronger-than-expected performance to AI-related investment in the region’s electronics, semiconductor and precision engineering sectors, which fed through to Singapore’s manufacturing and export-linked industries.