Global cooperation is proving resilient despite multilateralism facing strong geopolitical headwinds, a new study showed on Thursday.
But, the cooperation is still below where it needs to be to address critical economic, security and environmental challenges, the World Economic Forum’s Global Cooperation Barometer 2026 found.
In its third year, the barometer, developed in collaboration with McKinsey & Company, used 41 metrics to assess the level of cooperation worldwide across five pillars: trade and capital; innovation and technology; climate and natural capital; health and wellness; and peace and security.
The barometer indicated that the overall level of cooperation has largely been unchanged in recent years, but the composition of cooperation appears to be evolving.
Innovative, smaller collaborative arrangements are emerging, often within and between regions, as cooperation through multilateral avenues has weakened.
Progress on global priorities has shown the greatest momentum when it aligns with national interests — with climate and nature and innovation and technology seeing relatively strong increases in cooperation.
Other pillars, including health and wellness and trade and capital, have stayed flat, while the peace and security pillar experienced the largest drop.
“Amid one of the most volatile and uncertain periods in decades, cooperation has shown resilience,” WEF President and CEO Borge Brende said.
“While cooperation today may look different from it did yesterday, collaborative approaches are essential to grow economies wisely, accelerate innovation responsibly and prepare for the challenges of a more uncertain era. Flexible, nimble and purpose-driven approaches are most likely to withstand the current turbulence and deliver results,” he said.
The study found that climate and natural capital cooperation grew, but it is still short of global goals.
Peace and security cooperation continued to decrease, as every tracked metric fell below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.
Conflicts escalated, military spending rose, and global multilateral resolution mechanisms struggled to de-escalate crises. of 2024, the number of forcibly displaced people reached a record 123 million globally.
However, growing pressures are creating an impetus for increased cooperation, including through regional peacekeeping mechanisms.
It found that even in the case of the most sensitive flows of technology and resources, aligned partners are deepening cooperation, such as the US reinforcing ties in critical minerals with countries, including Australia, Canada and Japan; or artificial intelligence (AI) cooperation among India, the Gulf, Japan and Europe.
It also cited collaboration in critical technologies, such as AI data centres, semiconductor fabrication and 5G infrastructure among small groups of countries, including partnerships between the US and partners in Europe, the Gulf and India.
Trade in low-carbon goods was the other large growth engine of global cooperation. Global supply chains helped manufacturers reach scale and lowered prices. That, in turn, allowed their deployment in many emerging economies.
For example, India, which added the second-most solar in 2025 after China, and Brazil gained access to affordable solar modules and stepped up installations, the WEF said.