To better understand and prepare for complex risks, the United Nations has conducted a risk perception survey on 1,300 stakeholders across 155 countries.

The survey asked what are the most important global risks, which risks are we least prepared for, when will risks materialise, what enables or blocks risk management, and how are global risks interconnected?

The UN Secretary-General said that "the findings are sobering. Political risks have moved centre stage. The prospect of large-scale war is seen as far more important and far more immediate than it was two years ago. At the same time, the institutions expected to respond are seen as less able to act, especially in areas like artificial intelligence, where innovation is outpacing our capacity to govern it."

"Yet one conviction holds firm: respondents still see joint action between governments as by far the most effective means of prevention. No country, no company, no institution can face these risks alone."

The Key Findings:

The global risk landscape has become more complex and more dynamic.

Political risks moved to the center. The risk of large-scale war was seen as especially prominent and increasingly imminent – 36 per cent of respondents now expect it within one year.

Concerns about AI and frontier technologies, including the risk of power concentration, rose sharply.

Climate change inaction remains the single most important of all 28 risks, though environmental risks as a category slightly decreased in perceived importance.

Six years after the Covid-19 pandemic, attention has shifted. Perceived importance of biorisks and new pandemics fell more than any other risk measured.

Joint action between governments is still perceived as the most effective response to global risks.

SOURCE: https://www.un.org/en/global-risk-report
Download the report: https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/un_2026_global_risk_report.pdf