WASHINGTON: The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday raised its 2010 global economic growth forecast by 0.6 point, to 2.5 percent, but said recovery from recession would be sluggish.

The updated IMF forecast was marginally worse for 2009, showing a contraction of 1.4 percent across the global economy.

"The global economy is beginning to pull out of a recession unprecedented in the post-World War II era, but stabilization is uneven and the recovery is expected to be sluggish," the IMF said in an update to its semiannual World Economic Outlook.

"Financial conditions have improved more than expected, owing mainly to public intervention, and recent data suggest that the rate of decline in economic activity is moderating, although to varying degrees among regions.

"Despite these positive signs, the global recession is not over, and the recovery is still expected to be slow, as financial systems remain impaired, support from public policies will gradually diminish, and households in countries that suffered asset price busts will rebuild savings."