From street protests and ballot-box revolts to viral disinformation and culture wars, social cohesion is fraying across continents — and the data shows this is no passing phase. The World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report 2026 places societal fragmentation among the most severe and interconnected risks facing the world over the next decade, driven by economic inequality, political mistrust and a rapidly weaponised information ecosystem.
The scale of pessimism is striking. 48% of global respondents surveyed by the WEF expect the world to face a 'turbulent' or 'stormy' outlook over the next two years. Looking ten years ahead, that share rises further, reflecting fears that today's shocks are embedding long-term structural damage rather than short-term disruption.
At the centre of this anxiety is societal polarisation, which the report ranks among the top short-term global risks. It is closely linked with economic volatility, weak governance and geopolitical fragmentation — creating what the WEF describes as a mutually reinforcing risk loop.
Inequality: The Most Connected Risk
Data in the report identifies inequality as the most interconnected global risk — linked directly to political instability, erosion of democratic institutions, social unrest and declining trust in public systems.
Even as headline GDP growth recovers in parts of the world, income and wealth gains remain uneven. The WEF notes that many economies are experiencing 'K-shaped' recoveries, where asset owners and high-income groups benefit disproportionately, while wages lag and job security weakens for large segments of the population. This divergence, the report warns, is intensifying the perception of a widening gap between 'elites' and everyone else.
Historically, economic stress has often preceded social unrest. What's different now, the data suggests, is how quickly financial anxieties spill into cultural and identity-based divisions. The report flags rising political extremism and declining trust in institutions across both developed and emerging economies.
In many countries, fewer than half of citizens now express confidence in governments, media or political parties. As trust erodes, public debate hardens, compromise becomes politically costly, and policymaking increasingly stalls — further feeding frustration on the streets.
Misinformation as a Force Multiplier
If inequality lights the fuse, misinformation is the accelerant. The WEF ranks misinformation and disinformation among the top near-term global risks, warning that advances in artificial intelligence are rapidly amplifying the scale, speed and credibility of false narratives.
The report notes that digitally amplified misinformation does more than distort facts — it actively undermines social cohesion, weakens crisis response and deepens ideological echo chambers. In data terms, misinformation is one of the fastest-rising risks in perceived severity over the next two years.
The WEF draws a clear link between internal societal fractures and global instability. It describes a world moving toward "multipolarity without multilateralism," where international cooperation weakens even as global challenges intensify. Domestic polarisation, the report argues, reduces public support for global engagement, while geopolitical rivalry reinforces nationalist narratives at home.
The report stops short of fatalism. It frames the moment as a narrowing window for intervention — through inclusive growth, stronger institutional trust and better governance of digital platforms.
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