This photo, taken on the Israeli side of the border with Gaza, shows the sky above destroyed buildings in the northern Gaza Strip during the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas on January 13, 2025 It exploded, sending out billowing smoke.
Menachem Kahana | AFP | Getty Images
Risk experts ranked armed conflict, extreme weather and disinformation as the world’s biggest risks in the year ahead, according to a survey released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Wednesday.
In the World Economic Forum’s flagship Global Risks Report, nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents ranked national armed conflict as the most pressing issue in 2025.
For the second year in a row, misinformation and disinformation ranked as the top risk in the two-year time frame, while environmental issues such as extreme weather events, biodiversity loss Ecosystem collapse dominates ten-year risk rankings.
Extreme weather events, including heat waves, tornadoes and floods, figure prominently among short- and long-term risks. The climate crisis is causing extreme weather more frequently and more intensely.
The report comes as nearly 3,000 leaders from more than 130 countries prepare to attend the summit World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. The four-day event kicks off on Monday in the Swiss mountain village of Davos.
“Rising geopolitical tensions, a breakdown in global trust and the climate crisis are putting unprecedented pressure on the global system,” Mirek Dusek, managing director of the World Economic Forum, said in a statement.
“In a world of growing divisions and emerging risks, global leaders face a choice: foster cooperation and resilience or face complex instability. The stakes have never been higher,” Dusek said.
The survey considered short-term risks to 2025, short- to medium-term risks to 2027, and long-term risks to 2035. Provide information for this report.
‘The world is in a terrible state’
The World Economic Forum said that two years ago, armed conflict was seen as the main short-term risk, a development that reflected rising geopolitical tensions and an increasingly fragmented global landscape.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has previously warn The world is facing its most conflicts since World War II, such as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East and Africa.
Some other short-term risks identified in the latest World Economic Forum report include social polarization, cyber espionage, pollution and inequality.
“It’s clear that the world is in a serious situation, and the global risk landscape is like a squirrel’s nest, with interconnected and layered risks making it a very, very difficult business environment,” said Chief Commercial Officer Carolina Klint. control.
Bolger Brende, Chairman and CEO of the World Economic Forum, held a press conference to introduce the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting to be held in Davos, Geneva on January 14, 2025.
Fabrice Coferini | AFP | Getty Images
Clint said the risks don’t necessarily reflect a new trend, but one that is “becoming increasingly aggressive.”
“I think we’re going through an era of heightened economic tensions,” Clint said. “I think we have to recognize that fragmentation is not a theoretical problem. It’s something we need to face today. So it leads to a more complex and uncertain trading environment.”
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