Extreme Weather, Disinformation and Conflict Big Challenges, Notes World Economic Forum Report

The World Economic Forum has released its Global Risks Report for 2025.  

The Global Risks Report, currently in its 20th year, is the World Economic Forum’s leading publication on global threats.  

It has insights from over 900 global leaders, surveyed in late 2024, in various sectors to identify and analyse key risks across immediate, short- and long-term timeframes. The report aims to help leaders anticipate challenges and promote collective action for a more resilient future, by understanding the evolving global risk landscape. 

The report highlights growing global instability due to geopolitical, environmental, societal, and technological challenges. While economic risks are a concern, they have less immediate prominence compared to other threats, which are interconnected with geopolitical tensions. 

Immediate and short-term risks: 

• State-based armed conflict is identified as the most immediate global risk for 2025, with nearly 25% of respondents ranking it as the most severe threat.  
• Misinformation and disinformation are also critical risks, persisting for the second year as threats to societal cohesion, trust, and governance.  
• Other significant short-term risks include extreme weather events, social division, and cyber-espionage. 

Long term risks:  

• Environmental risks dominate, with extreme weather events, biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and resource shortages seen as major concerns over the next decade.  
• Pollution is also ranked highly, signalling growing awareness of its health and environmental impacts.  
• Technological risks related to misinformation, disinformation, and AI’s adverse outcomes are increasing. 

Most respondents expect a turbulent future, with two-thirds anticipating a fractured global landscape by 2035. As the global system becomes increasingly fragmented, the need for effective co-operation is more critical than ever.  

The report emphasises the urgency of rebuilding trust, strengthening global partnerships, and encouraging collaboration to address these interconnected challenges.  

Read the full report here.