Key figures
- Extreme weather is the top risk for 2024, chosen by 66% of the 1,490 leaders surveyed.
- AI-generated misinformation and disinformation is second at 53%, ahead of societal and political polarisation at 46%.
- The cost-of-living crisis (42%) and cyberattacks (39%) complete the top five.
- Nine of the 20 risks are economic, and six of those sit in the lower half of the list (our count).
- A housing bubble burst and a tech bubble burst are last, at 4% each.
All figures are from the graphic, which cites the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2024.
The top global risks in 2024, in text
Title: The Top Global Risks in 2024. Intro: “The World Economic Forum surveyed 1,490 leaders on the top global risks in 2024 and their potential scale of impact.” Survey question: “Please select up to five risks that you believe are most likely to present a material crisis on a global scale in 2024.” Each bar carries an icon for its category (economic, geopolitical, societal, technological or environmental) and is coloured by likely short-term impact, from low (dark blue) to high (orange).
| Position | Risk | Share of leaders selecting it | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Extreme weather | 66% | Environmental |
| 2 | AI-generated misinformation / disinformation | 53% | Technological |
| 3 | Societal and/or political polarization | 46% | Societal |
| 4 | Cost-of-living crisis | 42% | Societal |
| 5 | Cyberattacks | 39% | Technological |
| 6 | Economic downturn | 33% | Economic |
| 7 | Disrupted supply chains for critical goods and resources | 25% | Economic |
| 8 | Escalation or outbreak of armed conflict | 25% | Geopolitical |
| 9 | Attacks on critical infrastructure | 19% | Geopolitical |
| 10 | Disrupted supply chains for food | 18% | Economic |
| 11 | Censorship / erosion of free speech | 16% | Societal |
| 12 | Disrupted supply chains for energy | 14% | Economic |
| 13 | Public debt distress | 14% | Economic |
| 14 | Skills or labor shortages | 13% | Economic |
| 15 | Accidental or intentional nuclear event | 12% | Geopolitical |
| 16 | Violent civil strikes and riots | 11% | Geopolitical |
| 17 | Accidental or intentional release of biological agents | 9% | Geopolitical |
| 18 | Institutional collapse within the financial sector | 7% | Economic |
| 19 | Housing bubble burst | 4% | Economic |
| 20 | Tech bubble burst | 4% | Economic |
Callout beside the third and fourth bars: “As billions of people around the world head to the polls this year, misinformation and polarization are top of mind.” Footer: “Source: WEF’s Global Risks Report 2024” and visualcapitalist.com.
What the Global Risks Report 2024 found
The figures come from the WEF’s Global Risks Perception Survey. The report says two thirds of respondents ranked extreme weather as the risk most likely to present a material crisis on a global scale in 2024, with the warming phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation projected to intensify and persist until May 2024 [2]. It also names misinformation and disinformation as the most severe global risk expected over the next two years [2].
On elections, the report notes that close to three billion people were expected to vote over the following two years in economies including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, the United Kingdom and the United States, and that misinformation could undermine the legitimacy of newly elected governments [2].
Top risks over the next ten years
Visual Capitalist’s article on the chart adds the survey’s ten year view. By 2034, leaders expect environmental risks to dominate, making up five of the top 10 by severity: extreme weather events, critical change to Earth systems, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, natural resource shortages, and pollution [1]. Misinformation and disinformation, adverse outcomes of AI technologies, involuntary migration, cyber insecurity and societal polarisation fill the rest of that list [1].
Notes on this infographic
- Shared positions. Supply chains for critical goods and armed conflict both show 25%, and supply chains for energy and public debt distress both show 14%; Visual Capitalist’s table lists them as 7 and 8 [1].
- Labels shortened. The report’s names are slightly longer, for example “Escalation or outbreak of interstate armed conflict(s)” and “Misinformation and disinformation” [1].
- Two measures. The bar length is the share of leaders choosing the risk for 2024; the bar colour is a separate rating of short-term impact.
- Wording. The callout’s “this year” means 2024, the graphic’s survey year.
- Data date. Survey for the January 2024 report.
Questions about global risks in 2024
What is the biggest global risk in 2024?
Extreme weather was the top risk for 2024, chosen by 66% of the 1,490 leaders surveyed by the World Economic Forum. The report says the warming phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation was projected to intensify and persist until May 2024 [2]. AI-generated misinformation and disinformation came second at 53%.
Why is misinformation a top global risk?
AI-generated misinformation and disinformation ranked second for 2024, chosen by 53% of leaders. The report notes that close to three billion people were expected to vote over the following two years, in economies including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, the United Kingdom and the United States, and that misinformation could undermine the legitimacy of newly elected governments [2]. It names misinformation and disinformation as the most severe global risk expected over the next two years [2].
What are the biggest global risks over the next 10 years?
By 2034, leaders expect environmental risks to dominate, making up five of the top 10 by severity: extreme weather events, critical change to Earth systems, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, natural resource shortages, and pollution [1]. Misinformation and disinformation, adverse outcomes of AI technologies, involuntary migration, cyber insecurity and societal polarisation fill the rest of that list [1].
How many leaders did the WEF survey for the Global Risks Report 2024?
The World Economic Forum surveyed 1,490 leaders, asking them to select up to five risks most likely to present a material crisis on a global scale in 2024. The share choosing each risk ranges from 66% for extreme weather down to 4% each for a housing bubble burst and a tech bubble burst. A separate colour rating shows each risk's likely short-term impact.
Sources
- Dorothy Neufeld (design Nick Routley), Visualizing the Top Global Risks in 2024, Visual Capitalist, 11 January 2024. The publisher’s post of this chart, first published on its Voronoi app.
- World Economic Forum, Global Risks Report 2024, 10 January 2024. Data source named on the graphic.
Last reviewed 30 October 2026
