As the world faces a series of overlapping crises—from escalating climate change to the rampant spread of misinformation—global risks are becoming increasingly interconnected, amplifying each other in ways that could overwhelm existing institutions and systems.
This visualization, created by Visual Capitalist’s Kayla Zhu, highlights the top 28 global risks outlined in the United Nations Global Risk Report 2024. The importance of each risk is determined by its likelihood and potential severity, with the most critical risks expected to occur with significant impacts.
The rankings stem from a survey conducted with 1,100 stakeholders across 136 countries, including representatives from government, industry, civil society, and academia.
What is the Most Important Risk the World is Facing?
Below are the top 28 global risks and their importance scores, as identified by the United Nations.
| Rank | Risk | Importance Score | Category |
| 1 | Climate Change Inaction | 37.2 | Environmental |
| 2 | Large-Scale Pollution | 36.0 | Environmental |
| 3 | Mis- and Disinformation | 35.4 | Political |
| 4 | Natural Hazard Risks | 35.0 | Environmental |
| 5 | Rise in Inequalities | 34.7 | Societal |
| 6 | Biodiversity Decline | 34.6 | Environmental |
| 7 | Geopolitical Tensions | 34.5 | Political |
| 8 | Natural Resource Shortages | 34.3 | Environmental |
| 9 | Mass Movement of People | 33.2 | Societal |
| 10 | Large-Scale War | 32.6 | Political |
| 11 | Biorisks | 32.3 | Societal |
| 12 | New Pandemic | 32.1 | Societal |
| 13 | Rule of Law Collapse | 32.0 | Political |
| 14 | Cybersecurity Breakdown | 31.7 | Technological |
| 15 | Global Financial Crisis | 31.6 | Economic |
| 16 | Weapons of Mass Destruction | 31.1 | Political |
| 17 | AI and Frontier Tech | 31.0 | Technological |
| 18 | Proliferation of Non-State Actors | 30.8 | Societal |
| 19 | Tech-Driven Power Concentration | 30.8 | Technological |
| 20 | Social Cohesion Collapse | 30.4 | Societal |
| 21 | Widespread Debt Crisis | 30.2 | Economic |
| 22 | Economic Fragmentation | 29.1 | Economic |
| 23 | State Sovereignty Erosion | 28.5 | Political |
| 24 | Global Economic Stagnation | 27.9 | Economic |
| 25 | Supply Chain Collapse | 27.8 | Economic |
| 26 | Geoengineering Disasters | 27.5 | Technological |
| 27 | Multilateral Institution Collapse | 26.3 | Political |
| 28 | Space-Based Event | 23.4 | Environmental |
Across all regions, environmental risks are viewed as the highest priority, with climate change inaction and large-scale pollution both considered highly likely and severe. Climate change inaction topped the list as the most critical risk overall, highlighted as the leading concern in three out of seven regions.
Notably, 84% of respondents acknowledged that mis- and disinformation is already a pressing issue, making it the most immediate risk today, as per the UN. This concern is also projected to be the top risk in the next two years, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report.
While environmental issues are paramount globally, perceptions of other risks vary by region. For instance, in North Africa and Asia, cybersecurity breakdowns and artificial intelligence (AI) rank among the top 10 risks, unlike in other areas.
Cybersecurity breakdowns are among the least prepared-for risks, receiving a preparedness score of just 3.9 out of 7. The only risk for which the world is less prepared is a potential space-based event.
