The Global Risks Report 2024

UnemploymentLabour shortages 30th20th10th1st 36th 36th30th20th10th1st Income group Low income Lower middle income Upper middle income High income Top 10 risksTop 10Top 10 B CAAngola ArgentinaArmeniaAustria Belgium BeninBangladeshBahrain Bahamas Bolivia (Plurinational State of)Australia BrazilSwitzerland Chile Côte D'Ivoire CameroonCosta RicaGermany Canada Denmark Dominican Republic AlgeriaEgyptSpain France United Kingdom Georgia Botswana GhanaGreece GuatemalaHong Kong SAR, China HondurasBulgaria Hungary IndiaIreland Ecuador Iran (Islamic Republic of)Iceland Italy Jordan Kazakhstan ColombiaKenyaKyrgyzstanSouth KoreaCyprusKuwait Lao PDRBosnia and HerzegovinaSri Lanka Lesotho Latvia Indonesia MoroccoMexicoNorth Macedonia Democratic Republic of the Congo MaliMaltaJamaica Mongolia MalawiFinlandMalaysiaMauritiusNetherlands Nepal New Zealand Oman PakistanPanama Iraq PeruPolandPortugal Qatar B CARomania Saudi Arabia SenegalSingapore Sierra LeoneSerbia CzechiaJapanLuxembourgSlovenia Sweden ChadThailand El Salvador Tunisia TürkiyeLithuania Taiwan, China United Republic of TanzaniaUkraineUruguay United StatesUzbekistanViet Nam YemenNigeriaA RwandaSouth Africa ZimbabweCUnited Arab EmiratesPhilippinesParaguayBNational risk perceptions: Employment FIGURE 2.20 Source World Economic Forum Executive Opinion Survey 2023.NoteThe top right box indicates that both Labour shortages and Unemployment feature in the top 10 risks at a national level. “Which five risks are the most likely to pose the biggest threat to your country in the next two years?” EstoniaCroatia However, as capital – and therefore risk – remains costly, investment will likely become even more heavily concentrated in comparatively stable advanced economies. Inflows of public and private capital to accelerate the energy transition have been particularly pronounced in the United States, China and the EU, due to more sophisticated financing mechanisms and policy incentives. 90 In contrast, relatively less stable, lower-income, conflict-prone or climate-vulnerable developing economies may be seen as too high-risk for investment or operations. With many already holding sub-investment-grade credit ratings, private interest could dry up further, given heightened political, regulatory, societal and economic instability, as well as the adverse effects of climate change. 91 Indeed, experts consulted worry that even published estimations of climate-related migration could drive capital elsewhere (Chapter 2.3: A 3°C world). This would exacerbate existing challenges in terms of public and development financing. 92 Many of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), grappling with debt distress, already face Global Risks Report 2024 61