The 21st edition of this annual report marks the second half of a turbulent decade. The report analyses global risks through three timeframes to support decision makers in balancing current crises and longer-term priorities. It finds that .

Chapter 1 presents the findings of the Global Risks Perception Survey 2025–2026, which captures insights from over 1,300 experts worldwide. It explores risks in the current or immediate term (in 2026), the short-to-medium term (to 2028) and in the long term (to 2036). Chapter 2 explores the range of implications of these risks and their interconnections, through six in-depth analyses of selected themes including quantum technology and artificial intelligence.

Key findings

• Uncertainty is the defining theme in 2026.
• Multilateralism is in retreat.
• Economic risks are intensifying.
• Technological risks are growing, largely unchecked.
• Rising societal and political polarisation is intensifying pressures on democratic systems.
• Environmental concerns are being deprioritised.
• Protectionism, strategic industrial policy and active influence by governments over critical supply chains all signal a world growing more intensely competitive.