Global Risks Report 2026

Decline in health and well-being Lack of economic opportunity or unemployment Inequality Misinformation and disinformation Economic downturn Societal polarization Online harms Insufficient public infrastructure and social protections Censorship and surveillance Geoeconomic confrontation Involuntary migration or displacement Erosion of human rights and/or of civic freedoms Intrastate violence Crime and illicit economic activity Decline in health and well-being Lack of economic opportunity or unemployment Inequality Misinformation and disinformation Economic downturn Societal polarization Online harms Insufficient public infrastructure and social protections Censorship and surveillance Geoeconomic confrontation Involuntary migration or displacement Erosion of human rights and/or of civic freedoms Intrastate violence Crime and illicit economic activityGlobal risks landscape: Societal polarization FIGURE 31 Source World Economic Forum Global Risks Perception Survey 2025-2026Edges Relative influence High LowMediumRisk influenceNodesOverview High LowMediumRisk categories Economic Environmental Geopolitical Societal Technological violence. This set of risks is deeply intertwined, with impacts in all directions (Figure 31). The risks of Societal polarization are spreading across geographies (Figure 32) according to the business executives surveyed in the Executive Opinion Survey 2025 (EOS). Societal polarization was identified as a top five concern for 16 of the 116 countries surveyed. The risk is particularly pronounced in Latin America, where it is the fifth-highest concern, and in Eastern Asia, where it ranks #10. This section examines three sets of interconnected risks. First, trust in institutions that have long governed and shaped societies is being eroded, and it is becoming more difficult for citizens to know where to turn for truthful, accurate information, especially online. Second, the social contract between citizens and governments, particularly in advanced economies, is lagging economic and technological transformations, further eroding trust and exacerbating societal polarization. Third, long-term needs such as climate action are caught in societal, political and economic crosswinds, opening new avenues of risk impact. Distrust, divergence and desensitization In an increasingly fragmented world permeated by new technological capabilities, information is vulnerable to manipulation for influencing political Irwan Rosyadi, Unsplashoutcomes or for economic gain. This can contribute to deepening societal and political fractures, worsening grievances, hardening beliefs, reducing critical thinking and amplifying extremist views. It can also lead to desensitization. One of the strongest interconnections in the GRPS is between Societal polarization and Misinformation and disinformation. Global Risks Report 2026 33