Global Risks Report 2026

What it contains

The 2026 edition draws on the Global Risks Perception Survey, which gathered responses from more than 1,300 experts from academia, business, government, international organizations and civil society, collected between 12 August and 22 September 2025. The analysis covers three horizons: the current year (2026), up to 2028 and up to 2036.

The first chapter presents the survey results. Half of respondents (50 %) expect a turbulent or stormy outlook over the next two years, 14 percentage points more than in the previous edition, and 57 % expect it over ten years (62 % in the previous edition). Only 1 % anticipate calm in each horizon. Geoeconomic confrontation is the risk that the most respondents (18 %) consider capable of triggering a material global crisis in 2026, followed by state-based armed conflict (14 %). In the two-year severity ranking, the top risks are, in this order, geoeconomic confrontation, misinformation and disinformation, societal polarization, extreme weather events, state-based armed conflict and cyber insecurity; over ten years, extreme weather events, biodiversity loss and critical change to Earth systems lead.

Economic risks climb the most over two years: economic downturn rises eight positions to 11th, inflation rises eight to 21st and an asset bubble burst rises seven to 18th. The second chapter develops six in-depth analyses, including multipolarity without multilateralism, values at war, an economic reckoning and infrastructure endangered.

Summary prepared by the Dominican Republic Risk Management Club from a reading of the original document, with the source verified on 7 October 2026. It does not replace reading the official text and is not advice.

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