THE World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2026 (WEF) has confirmed that misinformation and disinformation continue to rank among the world’s most severe global risks.
In the report published by WEF on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, misinformation and disinformation were ranked second among the most severe global risks among short-term risks, surpassed only by Geoeconomic confrontation.
This places false and misleading information ahead of numerous economic, environmental, and security-related threats in the short term.
The report reflects responses from over 1,300 global leaders and experts across academia, business, government, international organizations and civil society, surveyed under the Global Risks Perception Survey (GRPS). The survey was released ahead of the annual gathering of CEO and world leaders in Davos, Switzerland.
The report situated misinformation and disinformation within a broader category of largely unchecked technological risks. Advances in artificial intelligence, automation, and digital platforms have expanded access to powerful tools capable of producing and amplifying false information at scale.
Misinformation and disinformation were a growing concern in the digital space, as the integrity of online news and information came under increasing strain.
Advancement in technology made it more difficult to distinguish between authentic content and synthetic material, including manipulated videos, audio recordings and written texts.
At the same time, the widespread use of social media continued to reshape how people access and interpret information, gradually reducing reliance on traditional sources such as government institutions, academia and the mainstream media.
The WEF’s Managing Director Saadia Zahidi said the report “offers an early warning system as the age of competition compounds global risks, from geoeconomic confrontation to unchecked technology to rising debt, and changes our collective capacity to address them. But none of these risks are a foregone conclusion.”
Zahidi’s words gave hope despite the negative outlook, noting:
“It is also clear that new forms of global cooperation are already unfolding even amid competition, and the global economy is demonstrating resilience in the face of uncertainty.”
Amidst the uncertainty, the annual meeting is set to address the global issues, priorities and cooperation.
The report assessed global risks across three timeframes: the immediate term (2026), the short-to-medium term (to 2028), and the long term (to 2036).
The top risks were generally categorised by time horizon as their urgency and severity shift over time. In the long term, defined as a 10-year outlook, environmental risks remain at the top of the ranking.
Extreme weather events are classified as the first, followed by biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, critical change to Earth systems and misinformation and disinformation, which ranked fourth.
Seasoned writer and literary curator, Zainab Abdulrasaq is a factchecker for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached on IG @blackbookishgirl or zabdulrasaq@icirnigeria.org
