As Donald Trump prepares to take office as the 47th US president, a new World Economic Forum report has identified armed conflict as the foremost global risk for 2025, highlighting rising divisions among world leaders ahead of the annual Davos meeting.
The report, published yesterday, has highlighted armed conflict as the leading global risk for 2025, underscoring an increase in global division as world leaders and business executives prepare for the yearly meeting at the Davos ski-resort in Switzerland next week.
In the survey involving over 900 experts from academia, business, and policy sectors, nearly 25 percent identified conflict – including wars and terrorism – as the greatest threat to economic stability in the coming year.
Previously identified as the most pressing issue for 2024, extreme weather remains a significant concern but has fallen to second place.
Upon the release of the report, WEF Managing Director Mirek Dusek stated: "Faced with deepening divides and multiple risks, world leaders must choose between fostering collaboration and resilience or facing increasing instability ... The stakes have never been higher".
Conflict, climate cast shadow over Davos economic summit
Keynote speakers
The WEF conference begins on 20 January, the day Donald Trump is due to be inaugurated as the 47th US president.
Trump, has pledged to resolve the conflict in Ukraine and will address the forum virtually on 23 January.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to speak at the event on 21 January, while other prominent attendees will include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and China’s Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang.
According to WEF President and CEO Borge Brende, discussions will also focus on Syria, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and the potential intensification of Middle Eastern conflicts.
The threat posed by misinformation and disinformation was again highlighted as a foremost risk over the coming two years, retaining its 2024 ranking within the survey.
China says West's economic de-risking is a 'false proposition'
Climate and ecology fears still dominate
Looking over a decade, environmental dangers – particularly extreme weather – topped the list of concerns for experts, followed by biodiversity loss, critical shifts in Earth's ecosystems, and diminishing natural resources.
For the first time, global temperatures last year surpassed 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial levels, approaching the limits set by the 2015 Paris climate accord.
The WEF report defines a global risk as a factor that could significantly impact global GDP, population, or natural resources.
The 900 experts were questioned from the period of September through October 2024, with 64 percent of participants believing the evolution of a fragmented, multipolar global order is set to continue.
This year, Davos will host around 3,000 participants, including 350 top government officials and more than 900 CEOs.
