Report · International body
Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026
The 2026 edition argues that artificial intelligence, geopolitical fragmentation and unequal capabilities are redefining cyber risk.
- Organization
- World Economic Forum (WEF)
- Document date
- January 2026
- Type
- Report
- Language
- English
- Scope
- International
- Length
- 64 pages
What it contains
The Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026, produced by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with Accenture, draws on a survey of 804 qualified participants from 92 countries: 316 chief information security officers, 105 chief executive officers and 123 senior executives from other areas, including risk and technology officers. Some 94% expect artificial intelligence to be the factor that most changes cybersecurity this year, and 87% identify AI-related vulnerabilities as the fastest-growing cyber risk in 2025. Organisations assessing the security of AI tools rose from 37% in 2025 to 64% in 2026.
Geopolitics remains the main factor in mitigation strategies: 64% of organisations account for geopolitically motivated attacks and 91% of the largest ones changed their cybersecurity strategy because of geopolitical volatility. Some 31% have low confidence in their country’s ability to respond to major incidents (26% the year before) and, in Latin America and the Caribbean, only 13% are confident in that ability against attacks on critical infrastructure. Some 73% say someone in their network was affected by cyber-enabled fraud in 2025; chief executives rank it as their top concern, while security leaders prioritise ransomware and supply chain resilience.
On the supply chain, 65% of large companies see third-party vulnerabilities as their biggest challenge (54% in 2025), with limited visibility as the main risk in financial services, among other sectors. The report adds that, outside Europe and North America, more than half of chief executives admit they lack the capabilities for their cybersecurity goals, with 69% in Latin America and the Caribbean, and proposes actions to strengthen collective resilience. The results reflect the responses of the leaders surveyed, not a record of incidents.
Why it matters for risk management
It provides figures for comparing your own priorities (fraud, third parties, artificial intelligence) with those declared by the leaders surveyed, including those in the region. It is a study of executives’ perceptions, not a record of incidents, and regional figures should be read with the caution that belongs to a survey sample.
Summary prepared by the Dominican Republic Risk Management Club from a reading of the original document, with the source verified on 12 October 2026. It does not replace reading the official text and is not advice.
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