WEF Global Risks Report 2026 names geoeconomic confrontation top short-term threat

The World Economic Forum released the 21st Global Risks Report on January 14, 2026, ranking geoeconomic confrontation as the most severe short-term risk while keeping environmental risks atop the decade outlook. Indian companies face pressure to build supply-chain resilience and resource security even as immediate political attention shifts away from climate action.

The World Economic Forum published the 21st edition of its Global Risks Report on January 14, 2026, drawing on the Global Risks Perception Survey of over 1,300 experts. Geoeconomic confrontation climbed eight positions to top the short-term severity rankings, reflecting the strategic use of tariffs, sanctions, and investment restrictions. Half of respondents expect a turbulent two-year period, rising to 57 percent over the ten-year horizon. Misinformation and disinformation ranked as the second most severe short-term risk.

Businesses and governments worldwide are directly affected by the shift toward economic rivalry and fragmentation. The weaponization of trade and finance undermines multilateral institutions, exposing internationally exposed corporations to supply-chain disruption and resource insecurity. Rapidly digitalizing economies face heightened cyber insecurity, named a top national-stability threat in several regions. Over the ten-year horizon, the top three risks remain environmental: extreme weather, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, and critical changes to Earth systems, with developing nations most vulnerable.

Affected entities should integrate geopolitical volatility into long-term planning frameworks and treat supply-chain resilience and resource security as core strategic components. Organizations must move beyond a narrow growth focus to build systems capable of absorbing shocks from trade wars and digital vulnerabilities. Leaders should monitor the widening gap between short-term political priorities and long-term environmental needs, since adverse AI outcomes are projected to become the fifth most severe risk by 2036. Collective action remains essential in a fragmented multipolar order.

Key figure — Ten-year outlook sentiment: 57 percent of experts anticipate a turbulent or stormy period