An employee works on the production line of a robot vacuum cleaner factory of Matsutek in Shenzhen, China August 9, 2019.

Global economic growth is likely to be the worst this year since the Great Recession as headwinds from the coronavirus and other factors build, according to Bank of America.

Gross domestic product growth worldwide is projected to slow to 2.8% for 2020, which BofA Global Research said would be the first sub-3% reading since the recession and financial crisis ended in mid-2009.

The biggest weight is the coronavirus outbreak, which has slammed economic activity in China as the disease spreads. BofA economists say the U.S-China trade war, political uncertainty, and weakness in Japan and some regions of South America also are part of the "large spillover effects" weighing on output.

"Extended disruptions in China should hurt global supply chains. Weak tourist flows will be another headwind for Asia," BofA economist Aditya Bhave said in a note. "And limited outbreaks, similar to the one in Italy, are possible in many countries, leading to more quarantines and weighing on confidence."