The report used the findings from the Global Risks Perception Survey conducted among 1490 experts in academia, business, government, and civil society. The survey conducted in September 2023 provided insights into the risks prevalent over the next decade in five critical areas: economic, environmental, geopolitical, societal, and technological. The report also received contributions from 55 colleagues across the World Economic Forum’s platforms.

Global risks in 2024 and 2034

The report focuses on risks in 2024 (Chapter 1) and 2034 (Chapter 2). The report identifies the following global risks:

• Cybersecurity failure
• Extreme weather
• Fossil fuel asset stranding
• Food crises
• Geopolitical risks
• Human-made environmental disasters
• Human-made technological disasters
• Income disparity
• Infectious diseases
• Misinformation and media manipulation
• Natural disasters
• Other risks
• Pandemic diseases
• Political risks
• Societal risks

Responding to global risks

In response to the global risks identified in the report, the authors suggest three types of strategies for governments, businesses, and civil society to mitigate their impact: Localised strategies, breakthrough endeavours, and collective actions (Chapter 3). The report suggests prioritising localised strategies, focusing on more granular efforts to identify and reduce risks affecting specific locations. Community mobilisation can help identify local environmental risks such as Bangladesh’s Cyclone Preparedness Program or Japan’s earthquake preparedness programs.

The report also suggests breakthrough endeavours, emphasising the need to prioritise scientific advancements and innovative solutions that can mitigate global risks such as climate change. Further, collective actions can address cross-border coordination to limit global catastrophic risks such as pandemics, terrorism, and the misuse of advanced technologies.

The world is undergoing multiple long-term structural transformations: the rise of AI, climate change, a shift in the geopolitical distribution of power, and demographic transitions. These structural forces are global, pervasive and charged with momentum. Against this backdrop, known and newly emerging risks need preparation and mitigation. The actions of individual citizens, companies and countries – while perhaps insignificant on their own – can move the needle on global risk reduction if they reach a critical mass. Finally, cross-border coordination remains the only viable pathway for the most critical risks to human security and prosperity.