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Global Risks Report 2024
The Global Risks Report, developed in collaboration with Marsh McLennan and Zurich Insurance Group, explores some of the most severe risks we may face over the next decade, against a backdrop of rapid technological change, economic uncertainty, a warming planet and conflict. As cooperation comes under pressure, weakened economies and societies may only require the smallest shock to edge past the tipping point of resilience.
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This World Economic Forum report, written in collaboration with McKinsey & Company, measures the current state of global cooperation. It is meant to serve as a tool for leaders to better understand the contours of cooperation broadly and along five pillars – trade and capital flows, innovation and technology, climate and natural capital, health and wellness, and peace and security.
In this paper, the Transforming Energy Demand initiative outlines actions for businesses and countries to enhance energy management, efficiency and carbon intensity reduction. It highlights commercially beneficial levers, implementable with existing technologies, to impact the transition significantly.
This report identifies 10 high-priority risk management strategies for access to minerals essential for the ongoing energy transition. These minerals are key to many of the technologies that must be scaled to achieve rapid decarbonization and attain net-zero targets.
This publication promotes digital security as a strategic priority and helps build an understanding of how people experience and address systemic cybersecurity challenges in different regions worldwide.
This paper provides guidelines to ensure cybersecurity in the operational technology (OT) environment, at a time of increasing digitalization and convergence of the OT and IT (information technology) environments.
The second edition of the Net-Zero Industry Tracker report provides a detailed analysis of the progress heavy industrial and transport sectors are making worldwide, in their efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. These sectors, which account for more than 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions, need multifaceted solutions that accelerate the speed of technology development, build supporting infrastructure, and raise necessary capital to finance the transformation. A robust and ambitious policy agenda, supported by collaboration across sectors and between countries is critical to align the decarbonization of heavy industrial and transport sectors with the pathways aligned with net-zero emissions by 2050.
The Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2023 report, now in its 11th year, highlights the technologies set to positively impact society within the next three to five years. This comprehensive report goes beyond listing the top 10 technologies and their associated risks and opportunities. It provides a qualitative assessment of each technology's potential impact on people, the planet, prosperity, industry and equity.
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The Annual Report outlines the concrete progress the World Economic Forum made over the year in a variety of initiatives and demonstrates how the organization continues to be a bridge-builder in the increasingly complex world.
The Chief Economists Outlook summarizes the emerging contours of the current economic environment. The quarterly report incorporates the latest policy research and the results of a Forum survey with leading chief economists from both the public and private sectors.
The annual Energy Transition Index benchmarks over 100 countries on their current energy system performance as well as provides a forward-looking measure of energy security and transition readiness.
The annual Top 10 Emerging Technologies report highlights the technologies set to positively impact society within the next three to five years. The report provides a qualitative assessment of each technology's potential impact on people and the planet.
The annual Global Gender Gap Index benchmarks the state and evolution of gender parity across four key dimensions: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.
The annual Future of Jobs Report explores how jobs and skills will evolve. The report is based on unique survey data that details the expectations of a cross-section of the world’s largest employers related to how socio-economic and technology trends will shape the workplace of the future.
The annual Global Risks Report explores some of the most severe risks we may face in the coming years. Underpinned by the Forum’s Global Risks Perception Survey, the report brings together leading insights from over 1,200 experts across the world.
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This report explores the potential for artificial intelligence to benefit educators, students and teachers. Case studies show how AI can personalize learning experiences, streamline administrative tasks, and integrate into curricula.
Agritech services are reshaping the agriculture and food sector by enabling sustainable farm operations and efficient supply chains. This insight report is a sequel to the World Economic Forum’s community paper on Artificial Intelligence for Agriculture Innovation, released in 2021.
Today, there is a shortage of nearly 4 million cybersecurity professionals worldwide and, with a consistent year-on-year increase in demand for qualified practitioners, the deficit shows no sign of abating. This paper is intended to serve as a source of reference for public and private decision-makers concerned by the industry workforce shortage and committed to developing and nurturing robust cybersecurity talent across their respective sectors.
As cities grow in population and importance, urban construction will continue to gather pace. It is estimated that global floor area is expected to double by 2060, the equivalent of adding New York City every month for the next 40 years. This white paper highlights case studies and nine innovative solutions that provide models for cities seeking to meet sustainable development goals.
This report provides a comprehensive synthesis of the global state of social enterprise, using data from more than 80 countries gathered between 2013 and 2023. It aims to inform policy-makers and business leaders about the underestimated contribution of social enterprise towards global GDP, employment and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Over 98% of the global economy’s central banks are researching, piloting or deploying central bank digital currency (CBDC). There is an opportunity to harness this innovation in central bank money to enhance systemically important payments and securities transactions between financial institutions.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing every facet of business and life, thanks to the accelerated development of generative AI, which has made the technology widely accessible. For social innovators, the ethical adoption of AI in their business models and/or to streamline their operations represents a unique opportunity to maximize their impact. The social economy represents 7% of global GDP, and generative AI could add between $182 billion and $308 billion in value annually to the sector. How can social innovators better understand, access and deploy this technology?
The Global Shapers Community, with over 10,500 inspiring young people in 500 city-based hubs across 150 countries and territories, has significantly impacted their communities and the world since its founding in 2011. This Impact Report presents the results of 370 new volunteer-led projects worldwide, from disaster responses to fighting climate change, accelerating reskilling, safeguarding mental health, and building more equitable societies.
Despite the critical role aquatic food systems play in nutrition and food security worldwide, these value chains encounter significant loss and waste challenges. In 2021, approximately 23.8 million tonnes of aquatic foods were lost or wasted, representing 14.8% of global production.
Space technologies can tackle many of the world’s most pressing business and societal challenges. This report by the World Economic Forum and McKinsey & Company shows that lower costs and improved access to space-enabled technologies such as communications; positioning, navigation and timing; and Earth observation services could take the global space economy to $1.8 trillion by 2035, up from $630 billion in 2023.
In the face of recent global crises, the essential role of the care economy has surged to the forefront of economic and social policy discussions.
Racially and ethnically marginalized communities offer untapped potential for global economic growth. This new insight report takes a fresh look at the issue, focusing on how working with social innovators who are advancing racial and ethnic equity is a smart business decision.