World Economic Forum (WEF) - Global Risks 2024

The Global Risks Perception Survey (GRPS) is a key component of the WEF's efforts to understand and analyse global risks. This survey, conducted annually, gathers the views of a wide range of leading experts from different fields, universities, business, government and civil society to provide a comprehensive view of the potential challenges and threats that could affect the world. The timeframe for collecting responses to the GRPS 2023-2024 was from 4 September to 9 October 2023.

The risk of "extreme weather events" was the top risk identified by the largest number of respondents, namely 66%. The risk of "disinformation and misinformation" generated by artificial intelligence came second (53%), followed by the risk of "social and political polarisation" (46%), the risk of " cost-of-living crisis" (42%) in fourth place, and the risk of cyberattacks in fifth place (39%).

In terms of short-term risks, disinformation and misinformation generated by artificial intelligence ranked first, followed by extreme weather events.

Among the long-term risks, environmental risks are the highest, with the four most serious risks being: extreme weather events, critical changes to Earth systems, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, and natural resource shortages. Pollution is also among the top ten most serious risks.

Considering the risks, the report warns that cooperation on pressing global issues could be declining, stressing the importance of coordinated action and cooperation to tackle climate and natural emergencies. The WEF is concerned that countries are not on track to meet their 2030 commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Paris Agreement, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The results of the survey are shown in the table below.

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