The Global Risks Report 2020

The Global Risks Report 2020 identifies environmental failure as the most impactful long-term risk, while highlighting a 'synchronized slowdown' in the global economy and the dangers of digital fragmentation. It warns that geopolitical turbulence and the potential decoupling of the US and China are undermining the multilateral cooperation needed to address these existential threats. The report also emphasizes the accelerating loss of biodiversity and the increasing pressure on global health systems from non-communicable diseases and antimicrobial resistance.

• For the first time in the history of the Global Risks Perception Survey, environmental concerns are the top five risks by likelihood among the multistakeholder community, with "Failure of climate change mitigation and adaption" ranked as the number one risk by impact and number two by likelihood over the next 10 years.
• The global economy is experiencing a "synchronized slowdown," with the IMF projecting world output growth of 3.0% in 2019, the lowest rate since the 2008-2009 crisis.
• Biodiversity loss is accelerating, with current extinction rates tens to hundreds of times higher than the average over the past 10 million years; humanity has already caused the loss of 83% of all wild mammals and half of plants.
• Geopolitical tensions, particularly the potential economic decoupling of the United States and China, threaten global stability; these tensions could cost US$700 billion in lost output in 2020.
• The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) risks creating a fragmented cyberspace due to a lack of global governance, with cybercrime damages potentially reaching US$6 trillion by 2021.
• Global health systems are under severe pressure as non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have replaced infectious diseases as the leading cause of death, with NCDs and mental disorders accounting for 41 million deaths annually.
• Public debt across G20 economies is expected to reach 90% of GDP in 2019, the highest level on record, and is projected to grow to 95% by 2024.
• Climate change is projected to increase global temperatures by at least 3°C by the end of the century based on current nationally determined contributions, which is twice the limit experts warn is necessary to avoid the most severe consequences.

APA

World Economic Forum (2020). The Global Risks Report 2020. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Global_Risk_Report_2020.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. The Global Risks Report 2020. 2020. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Global_Risk_Report_2020.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=The Global Risks Report 2020 |date=2020 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Global_Risk_Report_2020.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2020global, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{The Global Risks Report 2020}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2020}, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Global_Risk_Report_2020.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }