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

Just two years ago, the specter of a large‑scale war seemed a distant possibility to the very analysts who map global danger. Today that fear sits near the top of their hierarchy, as revealed by a new UN Global Risk Report.

The analysis incorporates insights from 1,300 respondents—government officials, international organizations, civil‑society groups, businesses, and academics—from every region worldwide.

Participants ranked 28 distinct threats—political, economic, environmental, societal, and technological—according to three dimensions: likelihood, probable damage, and the world’s readiness to mitigate each.

Large‑scale war surged 16 spots higher since 2024—the steepest climb among all risks—placing it atop the list of global fears.

Although once marginalized by environmental crises, misinformation, and pandemics, geopolitical tension and armed conflict now dominate, eclipsing previous leaders in every measure of significance, urgency, interconnection, and institutional preparedness.

The transformation is universal: large‑scale war and geopolitical instability appear among the top ten threats in every one of the seven regions surveyed, securing the top five spot in six of them.

In Central and Southern Asia, Sub‑Saharan Africa, and Oceania—where weapons of mass destruction lingered—this danger broke into the top ten. Conversely, Eastern and South‑Eastern Asia observed rising anxieties about a potential global financial crisis, the perils of advanced artificial intelligence, and the expanding influence of powerful technology conglomerates.

Moreover, AI‑related risks achieved entry into the top ten in both Europe and North America. By contrast, pandemic and broader biological threats retreated from the leading tier wherever they had previously claimed prominence.

The report stresses that no single hazard stands alone; intertwined dynamics—resource shortages, economic fragmentation, pervasive misinformation, and waning multilateral capacity—collectively amplify geopolitical friction and elevate the odds of large‑scale war.

Among 705 risk‑linkage analyses identified, the connection between geopolitical tension and warfare proved the strongest.

Artificial intelligence commands special attention; worries about AI capabilities, other frontier technologies, and the concentration of power they enable have escalated dramatically over the past two years—even as many respondents label the existing multilateral framework as ill‑suited for handling such threats.

Climate change persists as the singular most critical hazard—not merely enduring—it continues to score highest across every region, joining concerns about resource depletion.

The authors caution that a dip in ranking for certain environmental risks does not imply diminished danger; such invisibility often signals reduced funding.

Addressing these systemic risks hinges on strengthened governance, coherent political consensus, restored public trust, and better data exchange; initiatives falter frequently because of weak leadership, divided priorities, stakeholder resistance, and informational gaps.

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