Key Global Threats for 2025: Conflict, Climate, and Misinformation

Specialists in risk assessment have highlighted armed confrontations, severe weather conditions, and misinformation as primary global threats for the upcoming year. This was reported in a recent survey released by the World Economic Forum.

Rising Concerns: Armed Conflict

According to the WEF's prominent 'Global Risks Report,' state-based military conflicts are considered the foremost issue, with nearly 23% of participants identifying it as their top concern for 2025.

Misinformation has been projected as a significant threat over the next two years, with environmental issues also shaping long-term concerns. Decade-long projections indicate such environmental risks will continue to escalate.

Extreme Weather in Focus

Extreme weather incidents, including heatwaves, tornadoes, and floods, stand out as predominant risks both presently and in the future, exacerbated by ongoing climate change.

The release of this report aligns with the gathering of around 3,000 leaders from over 130 nations, set to convene in Davos, Switzerland, for a four-day event starting on Monday.

Broader Geopolitical Tensions

WEF's managing director, Mirek Dušek, in a formal statement, emphasized that heightened geopolitical strains, diminishing global trust, and climate challenges are heavily burdening the global framework.

"Faced with a world of growing divides and accumulating risks, leaders can choose to either strengthen cooperation and resilience or encounter escalating instability—making the stakes unprecedented," Dušek remarked.

Global Risk Perception Over Time

The survey evaluates risks for different time frames: short-term up to 2025, short-to-medium-term until 2027, and long-term until 2035. The report is based on input from more than 900 risk specialists, policymakers, and business leaders surveyed late last year.

A Worldwide Crisis

Previously dismissed as a short-term threat, armed conflict has now surfaced as a key risk, mirroring surging geopolitical strife and a splintering global order.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted the current unprecedented number of ongoing conflicts since World War II, noting the significance of the war in Ukraine, alongside tensions in the Middle East and Africa.

Other immediate risks noted in the WEF report include divisions within societies, cyber espionage, environmental pollution, and inequality.

Complex Global Environment

Carolina Klint, Marsh McLennan Europe's chief commercial officer, described the intricate global risk landscape as a 'squirrel's nest' where risks are interconnected and layered, complicating business operations.

While not entirely new, these threats are becoming more aggressive, said Klint, noting the period is defined by rising economic tensions and requires acknowledging that fragmentation is a present reality impacting trade.