Global Risks Report 2025

Global Risks 2035: The point of no return2 The world in 2035 2.1 The current and short-term risks landscape described in Chapter 1 may be exacerbated in terms of severity as the world moves towards 2035 – unless we collectively act on such foresight today and work collaboratively across all stakeholder groups towards a more promising future. This chapter focuses on the longer-term horizon, outlining survey results for the likely impact of risks in the next 10 years and providing in-depth assessments of three risk themes – pollution, biotech and super-ageing societies. The chapter concludes with a retrospective analysis of findings from the last two decades of Global Risks Reports. The GRPS suggests that the road to 2035 will be challenging to navigate. Respondents are far less optimistic about the outlook for the world over the longer term than the short term. As noted in the Key findings section, 62% of respondents to the GRPS predict a turbulent or stormy outlook over the next 10 years (Chapter 1, Figure A). Comparing the two- and 10-year timeframes in more detail reveals a markedly deteriorating global risks landscape. All 33 risks surveyed increase in severity score over the long term compared to the short term, reflecting respondents’ concerns about Short-term severity (2 years)Long-term severity (10 years) 3.544.555.56 2.5117 7 3 3.5 4 4.5 5.5 5Visible area Risk categories Economic Environmental Geopolitical Societal Technological Deteriorating risksRelative severity of global risks over a 2- and 10-year period FIGURE 2.1 Source World Economic Forum Global Risks Perception Survey 2024-2025.Note Severity was assessed on a 1-7 Likert scale [1 = Low severity, 7 = High severity].Adverse outcomes of AI technologies Adverse outcomes of frontier technologies Asset bubble burstsBiodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse Biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons or hazardsCensorship and surveillanceConcentration of strategic resources Crime and illicit economic activityCritical change to Earth systems Cyber espionage and warfare Debt Decline in health and well-beingDisruptions to a systemically important supply chainDisruptions to critical infrastructure Economic downturnErosion of human rights and/or of civic freedomsExtreme weather events Geoeconomic confrontationInequality Infectious diseases InflationInsufficient public infrastructure and social protections Intrastate violenceInvoluntary migration or displacement Lack of economic opportunity or unemploymentMisinformation and disinformation Natural resource shortages Non-weather related natural disastersOnline harmsPollutionSocietal polarization State-based armed conflict Talent and/or labour shortages Adverse outcomes of AI technologies Adverse outcomes of frontier technologies Asset bubble bursts Biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse Biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons or hazards Censorship and surveillance Concentration of strategic resources Crime and illicit economic activity Critical change to Earth systems Cyber espionage and warfare Debt Decline in health and well-being Disruptions to a systemically important supply chain Disruptions to critical infrastructure Economic downturn Erosion of human rights and/or of civic freedoms Extreme weather events Geoeconomic confrontation Inequality Infectious diseases Inflation Insufficient public infrastructure and social protections Intrastate violence Involuntary migration or displacement Lack of economic opportunity or unemployment Misinformation and disinformation Natural resource shortages Non-weather related natural disasters Online harms Pollution Societal polarization State-based armed conflict Talent and/or labour shortages Global Risks Report 2025 43