The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2025 asked over 900 experts to rank 33 global risks by how severe they think each could be in the short term (2 years) and long term (10 years). This gives a picture of which risks are most concerning now and which could grow worse over the next decade.
While state-based armed conflict is highlighted in the report as a top current concern, the official severity ranking shows misinformation and disinformation as the most severe risk in the short term. In the long term, environmental risks take the lead, with extreme weather, biodiversity loss, and critical changes to Earth systems ranking highest .
The chart below shows the full ranking of all 33 risks for both horizons, so you can see how expert views shift from short-term concerns to long-term challenges.
Reference:
World Economic Forum. (2025). The global risks report 2025 (20th ed.). World Economic Forum. https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Global_Risks_Report_2025.pdf