Top 10 Risks 2025: Environment ranks 2, Disasters intensify

According to the Global Risks Report 2025—the 20th edition since its launch in 2006 by the World Economic Forum (WEF)—the Global Risks Perception Survey (GRPS) for 2024–2025 reflects a world that is becoming increasingly fragile. 

This fragility stems from rising geopolitical tensions, environmental crises, and technological challenges, all of which converge into critical risks that could inevitably undermine global stability.

This year’s report gathers insights from over 900 experts worldwide across academia, business, and public policy sectors to analyze trends and risks within three timeframes, aimed at helping decision-makers balance concurrent crises: the short term (up to 2 years), the medium term (2–5 years), and the long term (5–10 years).

Top 10 Most Concerning Risks in the Short Term (within 2 years)

While the Global Risks Report 2025 ranks 33 major global risks, the 10 most concerning risks identified by survey respondents in the short term are:

Geopolitical tensions leading to armed conflict – 23%

Extreme weather events – 14%

Economic confrontation – 8%

Misinformation and disinformation – 7%

Societal polarization – 6%

Economic downturn – 5%

Significant shifts in the global system – 4%

Lack of economic opportunity or unemployment – 3%

Erosion of human rights and/or civil liberties – 2%

Inequality – 2%

The report highlights that these risks do not occur in isolation but are deeply interconnected. For example, geopolitical conflicts can have environmental repercussions, while misinformation can exacerbate societal divisions. Addressing these challenges requires genuine collaboration among governments, the private sector, and civil society.

The overall outlook on global risks remains largely similar to last year’s—if not more pessimistic. As the world heads into 2025, the global situation appears to be drifting even further away from the notion of “stability.”

This edition of the Global Risks Report reflects growing fragility and fragmentation across multiple dimensions—geopolitical, environmental, social, economic, and technological. These dimensions are closely intertwined and deeply impact one another.

Over the past year, the world has faced increasingly persistent and severe negative forces, including wars and conflicts erupting in various regions, extreme weather events driven by climate change, rising social and political tensions in many countries, and the unchecked growth of technology, which has accelerated the spread of misinformation and disinformation on a massive scale.

The world is now entering an era of division that many observers believe is more severe than anything seen since the Cold War. The latest Global Risks Perception Survey (GRPS) reveals the following:

52% of respondents believe the world will experience greater uncertainty over the next two years.

31% expect high volatility.

5% anticipate a global catastrophic event in the short term.

When combining all three groups of respondents, it was found that negative perceptions of the future increased by 4% compared to the previous year. This reflects growing concern that 2027 and the years beyond could be even more dire.

While the short-term outlook is already troubling, anxiety intensifies when looking ahead over the next decade. As many as 62% of respondents expect the world to face severe or deeply disruptive events, reflecting a lack of confidence in the current governance systems to effectively address rising vulnerabilities.

These concerns are not unfounded. Social, political, and economic institutions in many countries are increasingly showing signs of inefficiency in dealing with global challenges—ranging from climate change and inequality to unregulated technological advancements and the rise of nationalism and economic protectionism.

Disasters Are Becoming More Frequent and Severe

The Global Risks Report 2025 clearly states that environmental risks are emerging as one of the most urgent and accelerating global threats of the past two decades. This is especially evident when looking at the real impacts observed over the past decade, as well as future projections that point to a worsening situation at an accelerating rate.

Two Decades of Risk: Environmental Threats Consistently Among the Top

Since the first Global Risks Report was published in 2006, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has observed that environmental risks—including natural disasters, climate change, and ecosystem collapse—have intensified and occurred with increasing frequency. Among the 33 risks covered in this year's report, environmental risks are ranked as those that have deteriorated the most when comparing the short-term (2-year) and long-term (10-year) outlooks.

Extreme Weather and Loss of Biodiversity

In the next 10 years, extreme weather events—such as heatwaves, massive floods, and intense wildfires—are expected to become chronic and persistent issues, holding the #1 global risk ranking for the second consecutive year. Meanwhile, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse are ranked second, although this reflects a notable decline from their previous short-term risk ranking.

Younger Generations Are Increasingly Aware of Environmental Issues

The Global Risks Perception Survey (GRPS) also reveals a significant generational gap in how environmental risks are perceived. People under the age of 30 express the highest concern about pollution, ranking it as the third most severe risk for 2035, higher than any other age group surveyed.

Public vs. Private Sectors: A Divide on Pollution

Another key highlight from the report is the disparity between the public and private sectors in evaluating pollution risk. Governments consider pollution one of the top 10 risks over the next decade, while the private sector does not rank it as a priority. This indicates a potential awareness gap that could delay effective policy responses. The report emphasizes that pollution must be addressed before 2035 to avoid serious impacts on human health and ecological balance.

An Era Calling for “New Mechanisms” to Restore the Planet

In a world where risks are increasingly interconnected and borderless, traditional approaches to crisis management may no longer be sufficient. Today’s complex challenges demand effective international cooperation, enhanced mechanisms for technological governance, greater economic resilience, and—perhaps most critically—a renewed trust in social and political institutions.

Mark Elsner, Head of the Global Risks Initiative at the World Economic Forum, stated:

“From geopolitical conflicts to climate change, we are facing interlinked crises that require coordinated collective action. There is an urgent need for new efforts to rebuild trust and foster renewed global collaboration. The consequences of inaction could resonate for generations to come.”

Source: Weforum