Africa: World Fears Major War More Than Any Other Global Risk, UN Survey Finds

What the report says

A new UN Global Risk Report, published by UN News and distributed by AllAfrica, says experts now see large-scale war as the world’s most serious risk. The findings are based on a survey of 1,300 respondents from government, international organizations, civil society, business and academia across all regions. They were asked to assess 28 threats by likelihood, potential harm and how prepared institutions are to respond.

The report says concern about major war rose sharply from 2024, climbing 16 places to the top of the list. The survey found that 36% of respondents think the effects of such a conflict could reach a significant share of humanity within a year, and 76% expect that within seven years. It also notes that major war is the only risk to rank in the top six across all four measures used in the study.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, writing in the report’s foreword, said political risks have moved to the center of global concerns and that institutions appear less able to respond than before. The report links rising geopolitical tension to other pressures such as resource shortages, economic fragmentation, misinformation and weaker multilateral institutions.

The survey also highlights growing concern about artificial intelligence and frontier technologies, while climate change remains the single most important risk overall. According to the report, respondents see stronger international cooperation as the best way to reduce these dangers, but cite weak governance, poor coordination and inadequate funding as major obstacles.