Issue Economic vulnerability centred on a global financial crisis

Summary

Concern about economic risks grew in the 2026 survey, and vulnerability in this area rose with it. Four of the five economic risks gained perceived importance compared with 2024. The global financial crisis stands out, as respondents fear more strongly that it could spread across the whole system while believing the multilateral system is less able to coordinate a response. It climbed six places in importance and, together with supply chain collapse, was increasingly named as a risk that could arrive in the near term. Respondents from Eastern and South-Eastern Asia placed it among their region's top ten risks. For economic risks such as a financial crisis, respondents saw cooperation between governments and the private sector as especially important.