Hindsight · review build · data not yet validated
2012-2020 method: Global Risks Perception Survey of the Forum's multistakeholder community; each global risk rated for likelihood and impact over a 10-year horizon on a numeric scale (1 to 5 confirmed in the 2012 and 2020 reports; not checked for other years). The size of the risk set changed: 50 risks in 2012, 31 in 2014, 30 in 2020. The risk list and definitions changed between years (for example cyberattacks, income disparity and unemployment entered in 2012). Label and category as printed in Table 1.3 'The Evolving Global Risks Landscape (2007-2014)' of Global Risks 2014 (p. 17), the earliest retrospective WEF table found; wording in the edition's own report not checked. The Global Risks Report 2020 Figure I reprints the same ranks with shortened and sometimes changed labels and colours, kept as label_grr2020_figure and category_grr2020_figure. Category read from the colour key. Top 5 per ranking only; the edition's own report may rank more risks. Source oddity: the two retrospective WEF figures disagree on categories. GRR 2014 Table 1.3 colours income disparity societal in 2012-2013 and water supply crises societal (2012) and environmental (2013 likelihood); GRR 2020 Figure I colours income disparity economic and water crises societal. The 2014 table footnote says water supply crises were reclassified as environmental in 2014; the 2020 figure footnote says water crises became societal in 2015. Label change: GRR 2014 prints impact #5 as 'Failure of climate change adaptation'; GRR 2020 Figure I prints 'Climate action failure' (a different concept: mitigation versus adaptation). Checked against the 2013 report's own Figure 4 ('Top 5 in terms of likelihood/impact'): same ranks and the same labels as GRR 2014 Table 1.3; mean scores added from that figure.
rank 1 · societalwef-global-risks-2013-001
rank 2 · economicwef-global-risks-2013-002
rank 3 · environmentalwef-global-risks-2013-003
rank 4 · environmentalwef-global-risks-2013-004
rank 5 · societalwef-global-risks-2013-005
rank 1 · economicwef-global-risks-2013-006
rank 2 · societalwef-global-risks-2013-007
rank 3 · economicwef-global-risks-2013-008
rank 4 · geopoliticalwef-global-risks-2013-009
rank 5 · environmentalwef-global-risks-2013-010