CEOs worldwide: this year will be worse.

• Position: YOUR LIFE

Fewer chief executive officers than in 2014 think economic growth will improve over the next several months, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers' 18th Annual Global CEO Survey. Some 37% of CEOs feel global economic growth will improve in 2015, down from 44%. Significantly, 17% of CEOs believe global economic growth will decline; last year, seven percent felt that way.

Regionally, the results show wide variations. CEOs in Asia Pacific are the most optimistic about the global economy, with 45% anticipating improvement, followed by the Middle East (44%) and North America (37%). On the other hand, a mere 16% of CEOs in Central and Eastern Europe expect economic improvement. CEOs in emerging economies like India (59%), China (46%), and Mexico (42%) are more optimistic about the economy than those in developed economies like Germany (33%) and the U.S. (29%).

"The world is facing significant challenges: economically, politically, and socially," notes Dennis M. Nally, chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers International. "CEOs overall remain cautious in their near-term outlook for the worldwide economy, as well as for growth prospects for their own companies.

"While some mature markets like the U.S. appear to be rebounding, others like the Eurozone continue to struggle--and, while some emerging economies continue to expand rapidly, others are slowing. Finding the right...