Global Risks Report 2026

Decline in health and well-being Lack of economic opportunity or unemployment Inequality Misinformation and disinformation Economic downturn Inflation Cyber insecurity Societal polarization Natural resource shortages Insufficient public infrastructure and social protections Geoeconomic confrontation Disruptions to a systemically important supply chain Disruptions to critical infrastructure Intrastate violence Decline in health and well-being Lack of economic opportunity or unemployment Inequality Misinformation and disinformation Economic downturn Inflation Cyber insecurity Societal polarization Natural resource shortages Insufficient public infrastructure and social protections Geoeconomic confrontation Disruptions to a systemically important supply chain Disruptions to critical infrastructure Intrastate violenceGlobal risks landscape: Disruptions to critical infrastructure FIGURE 44 Source World Economic Forum Global Risks Perception Survey 2025-2026 Edges Relative influence High LowMediumRisk influenceNodesOverview High LowMediumRisk categories Economic Environmental Geopolitical Societal Technological In the global perceptions data of the GRPS, respondents identified Disruptions to a systemically important supply chain, Economic downturn and Insufficient public infrastructure and social protections as leading consequences of Disruptions to critical infrastructure (Figure 44). Three sets of risks that could lead to more and worsening disruptions to critical infrastructure will need addressing over the next decade: First, much of the critical infrastructure in OECD countries, such as transport networks, power grids and water systems, was built in the initial post-World War II decades and will require costly maintenance and upgrading. Until that happens, it is likely to only become more fragile, with a higher risk of failures or accidents. Similarly, across low-income countries, while there is an opportunity to leapfrog towards building new, modern infrastructure, the scale of financing needed may be prohibitive, even though such investment is sorely needed: According to one estimate, firms in low- and middle-income countries lose at least $300 billion every year due to unreliable transport, electricity and water infrastructure.82 Second, more frequent and more intense extreme weather events are likely over the coming decade, generating a wide range of risks to critical infrastructure. And third, geoeconomic confrontation is likely to amplify existing challenges to critical infrastructure in the physical, cyber and cyber-physical realms. As these three sets of risks mount and interact with each other, the cascading impacts of, for example, electricity or water supply interruptions could increasingly disrupt everyday life for citizens and complicate business operations. Insurability of critical infrastructure failures could decline and more of the financial burden of recovering from related risk events will fall on individuals and organizations. If citizens experience mounting losses, trust in infrastructure providers could deteriorate and, by extension, trust in the ability of the state itself to ensure provision of basic services and to protect its citizens. Moreover, when critical infrastructure failures do occur, vulnerable populations are often the hardest hit, contributing further to already-high inequality and societal polarization. Ageing systems, silent failures Just as pressures around debt refinancing are mounting and making it more difficult for governments to support funding of large infrastructure projects, significant expenditures on Global Risks Report 2026 48