Regional Risks for Doing Business 2019

The 2019 Regional Risks for Doing Business report identifies 'fiscal crises' as the only risk appearing in the top ten for every region globally. It highlights a stark divergence in regional priorities: North America and Europe are primarily concerned with cyberattacks, East Asia and the Pacific with natural catastrophes, South Asia with water crises, and Sub-Saharan Africa with unemployment. The report notes that while environmental risks dominate global multistakeholder perceptions, they are often viewed as secondary by business leaders in several regions, potentially creating strategic blind spots.

• Fiscal crises are the most pervasive global business concern, being the only risk to rank in the top ten across every surveyed region.
• Cyberattacks are the primary concern for business executives in North America, Europe, and several of the world's largest economies, including the US, Germany, UK, France, Italy, and Canada.
• East Asia and the Pacific are most vulnerable to environmental risks, specifically natural catastrophes and extreme weather, with the region accounting for 50% of all global natural disasters in 2018.
• South Asia faces critical water scarcity, with 'water crises' ranked as the top business risk; the region holds less than 5% of the world's renewable water resources despite housing 25% of the global population.
• Sub-Saharan Africa's primary business risk is unemployment or underemployment, a concern shared by nearly 60% of respondents and topping the list in 21 of 33 surveyed countries.
• In the Middle East and North Africa, economic risks dominate the top five rankings, with energy price shocks being the leading concern due to heavy reliance on hydrocarbon revenues.
• Latin America and the Caribbean are characterized by institutional fragility, with 'failure of national governance' and 'profound social instability' ranking as the top two risks.
• Eurasia is primarily concerned with social and political instability, with 'profound social instability' ranking first, driven by elections and geopolitical tensions.
• There is a notable gap between the risks perceived by the general multistakeholder network and those perceived by business leaders, particularly regarding environmental risks which are often absent from regional business top-ten lists.

APA

World Economic Forum (2019). Regional Risks for Doing Business 2019. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Regional_Risks_Doing_Business_report_2019.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Regional Risks for Doing Business 2019. 2019. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Regional_Risks_Doing_Business_report_2019.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Regional Risks for Doing Business 2019 |date=2019 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Regional_Risks_Doing_Business_report_2019.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2019regional, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Regional Risks for Doing Business 2019}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2019}, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Regional_Risks_Doing_Business_report_2019.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }