IMF chief warns global debt nears 100% of GDP, urges fiscal tightening

IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva told governments in Singapore that global debt-to-GDP is at its highest since the Second World War and heading towards 100%, with bond yields at multi-decade highs as the Middle East war feeds inflation. She urged tough fiscal choices, a hawkish central-bank stance and management of AI risks, including mass job losses and models escaping human control. The warning shows how war, debt and automation are converging to strain national budgets, and why such pressure often fuels calls for coordinated action by international institutions.