Key Takeaways
- The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2026 describes a world entering an increasingly competitive era shaped by fragmentation, rivalry, and declining cooperation.
- Leaders and risk experts surveyed for the report anticipate continued global instability, with many expecting conditions to remain “turbulent” or even “stormy” over both the near and long term.
- Geoeconomic confrontation, misinformation and disinformation, and societal polarization rank as the top short-term global risks, while environmental threats dominate the long-term outlook.
The Global Risks Report 2026 paints a picture of an increasingly fragmented and competitive world, with geoeconomic confrontation, misinformation, and societal polarization emerging as the top short-term global risks facing governments, businesses, and communities.
The annual report, based on surveys of more than 1,300 global leaders and consultations with risk experts, outlines what the Forum describes as an emerging “age of competition” shaped by geopolitical rivalry, economic uncertainty, rapid technological change, and weakening trust in multilateral institutions.
According to the report, geoeconomic confrontation — including trade disputes, supply chain disruptions, export restrictions, and competition over critical resources — ranked as the most immediate global concern for 2026. The Forum warned that escalating economic competition could evolve beyond tariffs into broader economic conflict involving port blockades, canceled contracts, capital controls, and restrictions on strategic goods.
Misinformation and disinformation ranked as the second-highest short-term risk, followed closely by societal polarization. State-based armed conflict, which topped last year’s report, fell slightly in the rankings but remains among the most significant near-term concerns.
The report also highlighted growing anxiety surrounding economic instability. Risks tied to economic downturns, inflation, and asset bubbles all rose sharply in severity compared to previous years, with analysts warning that mounting debt levels and uncertainty surrounding emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing could create wider financial instability.
Technology-related risks featured prominently throughout the report. While AI and advanced technologies are expected to drive economic growth and innovation, the Forum warned that they also introduce new vulnerabilities tied to cyber insecurity, labor disruption, automated weapons systems, and information manipulation. Adverse outcomes linked to AI ranked among the fastest-rising long-term risks in the survey.
From a longer-term perspective, however, environmental threats dominate the report’s outlook. Over a 10-year horizon, respondents identified extreme weather events, biodiversity loss, and critical changes to Earth’s systems as the world’s most severe future risks. Environmental concerns accounted for five of the top 10 long-term risks identified in the report.
The report also emphasized growing concerns over political fragmentation and weakening global cooperation. Nearly 70% of respondents said they expect the international system to become increasingly multipolar and fragmented over the next decade.
Despite the report’s warnings, the Forum noted that future outcomes remain shaped by decisions governments, industries, and societies make now, stressing that cooperation and coordinated risk management remain critical as global threats continue to evolve in scale and complexity.
