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WEF 2026 Barometer Says Global Cooperation Endures, Reconfigured Into Smaller Alliances

The third annual index tracks 41 indicators across five pillars with McKinsey to map a more fragmented collaboration landscape.

Overview

  • The report finds overall cooperation broadly stable but shifting from broad multilateralism to nimble regional coalitions and public‑private arrangements.
  • Climate and technology stand out as relative bright spots, with record clean‑energy deployment in mid‑2025 and rising cross‑border collaboration on AI, 5G and advanced standards.
  • Health and trade remain flat, as development assistance for health strains and trade tilts toward politically aligned partners even as merchandise volumes recover.
  • Peace and security deteriorate most sharply, with every metric below pre‑COVID levels and a record 123 million people forcibly displaced by the end of 2024.
  • The study flags weaker FDI and growing financial fragmentation, and it urges flexible trade pacts, standards alliances and stronger public‑private partnerships to sustain progress.