ICELAND will be the world's worst economic performer in the coming year, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, a sister organisation to The Economist. The tiny country will see growth shrink by nearly 10% following the spectacular collapse of its banks in the global financial crisis. Countries with free-falling currencies, burst housing bubbles and a heavy reliance on finance and trade will also suffer. Qatar will grow by over 13%, and many sub-Saharan African countries will also perform strongly. China is still in the top ten but will grow at a considerably more sedate pace than in recent years. Global growth is set to be a feeble 0.9%.

EPA