UN Report Ranks Large-Scale War as Top Immediate Risk

The United Nations released its 2026 Global Risk Report on September 15, revealing that experts now rank large-scale war as the most immediate global concern. Based on a survey of 1,300 professionals across government, academia, and the private sector, the report found that the perceived risk of large-scale war climbed 16 places since 2024. Approximately 36 percent of respondents expect such a conflict within one year, while 76 percent anticipate it within seven years.

While inaction on climate change remains the most significant overall risk, geopolitical tensions have displaced pandemics and misinformation as the most pressing threats. Other rising concerns include global financial crises, supply chain collapses, and cybersecurity breakdowns. The report specifically highlights a growing fear of artificial intelligence and the concentration of technological power, noting that multilateral institutions are least prepared to handle these frontier technologies.

Secretary-General António Guterres described the findings as sobering, stating that political risks have moved to the center stage while the institutions expected to respond are seen as less able to act. Guterres called for common guardrails among leading AI nations to prevent a global disaster. In response to the technological race, Donald Trump commented on the importance of AI dominance and alleged a conspiracy against data centers that benefits China.