Africa: World Fears Major War More Than Any Other Global Risk, UN Survey Finds
The UN report says 36% of respondents expect large-scale war to affect a significant share of humanity within a year.
- The Global Risk Report identifies large-scale war as the top global threat, with Secretary-General Guterres writing that the prospect is "far more important and far more immediate than it was two years ago."
- Two years ago, environmental threats, pandemics, and misinformation dominated global risk rankings; now political risks like geopolitical tension and weakening rule of law sit at the center across every region.
- Respondents rated 28 political, economic, environmental, societal and technological threats, with large-scale war the only risk ranking in the top six across all measures. Of 705 identified risk connections, geopolitical tension and war showed the strongest link.
- More than a third of those surveyed, 36 per cent, believe large-scale war's effects could touch humanity within a year; 76 per cent expect impact within seven years. Institutions remain widely seen as ill-equipped to respond.
- Climate change remains the single most important risk overall, while AI-related concerns and resource shortages persist across regions. Respondents identify joint action between governments as the most effective prevention, though no institution can face these threats alone.
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United Nations warns, after consulting 1,300 representatives from around the world, that geopolitical conflicts and artificial intelligence are advancing
Africa: World Fears Major War More Than Any Other Global Risk, UN Survey Finds
Two years ago, the idea of a large-scale war breaking out felt like a distant hypothetical to the experts who help chart the world's dangers. Today it tops their list of fears, according to a new UN Global Risk Report.
A new United Nations report warned of growing concerns about the possibility of large-scale war worldwide, noting that over the past two years this threat has shifted from a relatively remote threat to one of the most significant global threats.
In the 2026 Global Risks Report released by the United Nations, large-scale war was identified as the international community's greatest vulnerability. The perception of threats has shifted from a focus on the environment and health to war and geopolitical conflicts, and the lack of capacity among international organizations to respond to war was pointed out as a serious problem.
In the last study of this genus, the world feared, above all, climate change, pandemics and misinformation. Now, at the top of the fears, on all continents, are the geopolitical tension, the war, the legal impunity of those who lead and a global economic crisis.
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- 40% of the sources lean Left, 40% of the sources lean Right
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