Armed conflict is the top risk in 2025, a World Economic Forum (WEF) survey released last week showed, a reminder of the deepening global fragmentation as government and business leaders attend an annual gathering in Davos.

Nearly one in four of the more than 900 experts surveyed across academia, business and policymaking ranked conflict, including wars and terrorism, as the most severe risk to economic growth for the year ahead.

Extreme weather, the no. 1 concern in 2024, was the second-ranked danger.

“In a world marked by deepening divides and cascading risks, global leaders have a choice: to foster collaboration and resilience, or face compounding instability,” WEF Managing Director Mirek Dusek said in a statement accompanying the report.

“The stakes have never been higher.”

-Reuters