The pandemic dealt a severe blow to the Italian people and their economy. GDP fell by nearly 9 percent in 2020, with much larger drops for contact-intensive services. Public and corporate debt increased strongly and preexisting vulnerabilities have likely worsened. The government is prioritizing...

The UK's rapid vaccination campaign enabled it to start to reopen the economy in the Spring of 2021. With highly accommodative policies, the recovery has been faster than expected. However, capacity constraints and rising price pressures have emerged while new Covid-19 variants have raised new...

The Canadian economy was operating at close to capacity and had strong policy buffers when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Economic and social restrictions put in place in March 2020 helped to mitigate the first wave of the virus, but they came at a significant cost. There was an unprecedented...

Denmark entered the pandemic on a strong economic footing and utilized its large policy space built over time to successfully address the crisis and lay the ground for a strong recovery. The outlook is for a rebound in activity, but uncertainty remains elevated with risks tilted to the downside....

The Israeli economy has weathered the COVID-19 crisis exceptionally well, but risks are high. With substantial fiscal and monetary support, real GDP growth reached 8.1 percent in 2021, driven by consumption and high-tech exports. The rapid vaccination campaign boosted confidence. The outlook is...

The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented. Israel's economic activity recorded a historic contraction, and the outlook remains challenging, with possible long-term scarring. Uncertainty is high, mainly driven by the evolution of the pandemic, the prospects for widespread...

This 2017 Article IV Consultation highlights the sound economic growth enjoyed by Israel, estimated at 4 percent in 2016 and supported by strong domestic demand and an export rebound. Unemployment declined to 4.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016, and wage increases have picked up....