The World Economic Forum (WEF) released the 21st edition of its annual Global Risks Report (January 2026). The report analyses global risks through three timeframes (i.e., current or immediate term (in 2026), the short-to-medium term (to 2028), and in the long-term (to 2036)) to enable decision-makers to balance current crises and longer-term priorities.
Human Level’s Take:
The latest WEF Global Risks Report paints a picture of a world that is increasingly uncertain, volatile and polarised, shaped by intersecting geoeconomic, technological, economic, societal and environmental risks
At the same time, the multilateral system is under growing strain. Declining respect for the rule of law and rising protectionism are undermining international cooperation, disrupting trade and investment, and increasing the risk of conflict. As national interests take precedence over collective action, the global community’s ability to address systemic challenge - such as climate change and global health and economic instability - continues to weaken
In the immediate term, geoeconomics confrontation was selected as the top risk most likely to trigger a significant global crisis in 2026 by 18% of respondents. This is followed by state-based armed conflict(14%), extreme weather events (8%), social polarisation (7%), misinformation and disinformation (7%), economic downturn (5%) and the erosion of human rights and/or civic freedoms (4%)
Technological risks, particularly from AI and automation, emerge as a critical trend with significant human rights implications. Access to AI remains highly uneven: adoption in North America is three times higher than in Sub-Saharan Africa, while data centre capacity is concentrated in the United States, Europe and Eastern Asia. AI-driven automation could displace workers on a historic scale, especially in rapidly restructuring labour markets, eroding professional identity and social cohesion and fuelling alienation, backlash and political discontent. Unemployment is also associated with higher risks of depression, anxiety and psychological distress, while AI may further weaken critical thinking, collaboration and mental wellbeing
AI also poses significant environmental risks. Generative AI models can consume up to 4,600 times more energy than traditional software, contributing to pollution, e-waste and water insecurity in regions with large data centre buildouts
When it comes to addressing AI-specific human rights risks, businesses can embed skills development and job transition planning into AI deployment, fund scalable reskilling infrastructure, incentivise job creation in emerging sectors, and support high-risk groups such as youth, workers in routine service and administration roles, and older workers
Despite the scale of these challenges, the report underscores that outcomes are not predetermined. As WEF Managing Director Saadia Zahidi notes, “The future is not a single, fixed path but a range of possible trajectories, each dependent on the decisions we make today as a global community”
Some key takeaways:
Uncertainty as the defining theme of 2026: Uncertainty is the defining theme of the global risks outlook in 2026. The Global Risks Perception Survey (GRPS) - bringing together insights from over 1,300 experts across academia, business, government, international organisations, and civil society - showed that respondents viewed the short- and long-term global outlook negatively, with 50% of respondents anticipating either a turbulent or stormy outlook over the next two years, increasing to 57% of respondents when viewed over the next 10 years. Geoeconomics confrontation was selected as the top risk most likely to trigger a significant global crisis in 2026 by 18% of respondents. This is followed by state-based armed conflict, selected by a further 14% of respondents. The centrality of geoeconomics confrontation in the global risks landscape is not restricted to 2026, with respondents selecting it as the top risk over the next two years. This is due, in part, to the multilateral system being under pressure, with declining trust and respect for the rule of law and heightened protectionism threatening longstanding international relations, trade and investment and increasing the propensity for conflict. In addition, protectionism, strategic industrial policy and active influence by governments over critical supply chains signal a world growing more intensely competitive. As countries increasingly prioritise national interests over collective action, the capacity of the international community to address shared challenges such as climate change, global health and economic instability is called into question. Furthermore, economic risks, including both economic downturn and inflation, are intensifying and have shown the largest increases in ranking over the next two years. For instance, growing debt in both advanced and developing economies poses a risk in an environment with higher spending pressures and relatively high interest rates. While inflationary pressures are relatively subdued for the immediate term, higher tariffs, debt monetisation and other drivers could see a return of more widespread inflation concerns.
Technological risks are growing, largely unchecked: Misinformation and disinformation and cyber insecurity are top of mind for respondents, ranking #2 and #6 on the two-year outlook, respectively. In addition, adverse outcomes of AI is the risk with the largest rise in ranking over time, moving from #30 on the two-year outlook to #5 on the 10-year outlook. While technological advances offer major benefits across health, education, agriculture and infrastructure, they also create serious risks for labour markets, information integrity and military systems. AI raises significant human rights concerns, including unequal access: adoption in North America is three times higher than in Sub-Saharan Africa, and data centre capacity is concentrated in the United States, Europe and Eastern Asia. AI-driven automation could displace workers on a historic scale, particularly in regions experiencing rapid labour market restructuring. This may erode professional identity and social cohesion, increasing alienation, social withdrawal, and anti-government or anti-technology backlash. Unemployment is also linked to higher risks of depression, anxiety and psychological distress, while AI may further undermine critical thinking, collaboration and mental wellbeing. AI also poses environmental risks. Generative AI models can consume up to 4,600 times more energy than traditional software, contributing to pollution, e-waste and water insecurity in regions with large data centre buildouts. AI-generated deepfakes and widespread misinformation threaten trust in information, fragmenting the public sphere and eroding consensus on basic facts, which may further intensify societal polarisation. As militaries integrate AI into intelligence, surveillance, logistics and command systems, AI will increasingly shape threat perception and decision-making, with system failures potentially cascading across command and deterrence structures. To address these risks, businesses should embed skills development and job transition planning into AI deployment, fund scalable reskilling infrastructure, incentivise job creation in emerging sectors, and support high-risk groups such as youth, workers in routine service and administration roles, and older workers.
Societies are on edge and environmental concerns are being deprioritised: Rising societal and political polarisation is intensifying pressures on democratic systems, with extremist social, cultural and political movements challenging institutional resilience and public trust. This is likely to deepen over the next two years as technology becomes increasingly embedded in daily life and geoeconomics tensions persist - heightening the risks of increased digital distrust and dilution of socio-environmental progress. Inequality was selected by respondents as the most interconnected global risk for a second year running, followed by economic downturn. In the outlook for the next two years, a majority of environmental risks experienced declines in ranking. Extreme weather events moving from #2 to #4 and pollution from #6 to #9. Critical change to earth systems and biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse also declined, by seven and five positions, respectively, and are in the lower half of the risk list this year in the two-year outlook. In the long-term, however, environmental risks retain their ranking as the most severe risks, with extreme weather events identified as the top risk and half of the top 10 risks being environmental in nature.
