Magazine date:
Oct 2021 
The 2021 edition of the Future Risks Report is based on a survey conducted among 3 500 experts from 60 countries.
In 2020, pandemics and infectious diseases were unanimously voted as the most worrying risks, moving from 8th place in 2019 to first place in 2020.
In 2021, climate change [4] is back at the top of the ranking, causing the risk of pandemics and infectious diseases to drop by two places.
The second place of the podium is occupied by the risks linked to cyber security.
Top five global risks in 2021
| Ranking | Top Five Emerging Risks | % of experts surveyed | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| 1 | 2 | Climate Change | 56% | 54% |
| 2 | 3 | Cyber security | 61% | 51% |
| 3 | 1 | Pandemics and infectious diseases | 49% | 56% |
| 4 | 4 | Geopolitical instability | 34% | 38% |
| 5 | 5 | Social tensions and local conflicts | 30% | 33% |
The last five places in the 2021 ranking are occupied respectively by :
- risks related to biodiversity and natural resources
- new threats to security and terrorism
- Financial stability risks
- macroeconomic risks
- risks related to artificial intelligence and big data
Read also | Emerging risks in 2020 [5]