Even as global rates of workplace injury are declining, action is still needed to reduce harm amongst the most vulnerable. There are also signs of complacency in the face of rising harm from food, drinking water and poor air quality. Renewed efforts are needed to deploy proven interventions to improve safety at a global scale, and to translate exposure to risk into actionable concern.
In this second report from the 2026 World Risk Poll, the focus is on the everyday risks that touch the most lives. We hope that this report, along with the underlying Poll data, empowers policymakers, communicators, businesses, civil society organisations and researchers to shape and target policies and interventions that address both people’s worry about, and experience of, risks to their safety. By identifying communities and contexts where action could matter most, we aim to provide a strong foundation for the collaborations in which meaningful change can be realised.
Key findings
- Global rates of workplace injury are gradually reducing, with one in six people (16%) saying they have been seriously harmed at work in the past two years – down from 18% in 2023 and 19% in 2021.
- Road-related accidents and injuries are still the most worried-about safety risk worldwide, as has been the case in every edition of the Poll since its inception in 2019.
- Reported harm from food and drinking water has reached its highest level since the Poll began, with more than one in seven adults globally (14%) reporting being harmed by food in the past two years, and around one in eight (13%) being harmed by drinking water.
- Public concern about air quality is nowhere near the levels it should be, with only half (53%) of people worldwide expressing worry about the risk it poses them – despite World Health Organization (WHO) warnings that 99% of the global population breathes air that exceeds its quality limits.