Leadingthroughuncertainty,shapingthepaceofpreparedness.

WORLDWIDEREACH.HUMANTOUCH.

INTERNATIONALSOS-RISKOUTLOOK2026

Contents

Foreword

3

Researchprocess

4

Keyauthors

6

Riskatfulltilt

8

Morewithless

10

Everythingatonce

11

Stormsahead

12

Heatofthemoment

13

Forgettinghealth,forgetting

thehuman

14

Fatalbytes

16

Thesignalandthenoise

17

Aworldatodds

18

Thetruthgap

20

Corporateconscience

21

Hushtrips-Whereintheworld?

22

Risingtothechallenge23

2INTERNATIONALSOS.COM

INTERNATIONALSOS-RISKOUTLOOK2026

Foreword

2026beginsinaworldwherevolatilityisnolongertheexception—itistheoperatingenvironment.

Risksintersect,disrupt,andescalatefasterthan

traditionalplanningcyclescanabsorb.Inthisreality,preparednessmovesfrombeingadefensiveposturetoastrategicadvantage.Itbecomesthecornerstoneoforganisationalconfidence,continuity,andlong-termperformance.

RiskOutlook2026drawsonmorethan40yearsof

supportingorganisationsinmomentsofcomplexityandtransformation.Thisyear’sglobalsurveyofriskleadersdeliversaclearmessage:thosewhoanticipate,adapt,andactwithspeedaretheoneswhoprotecttheir

people,sustaintheiroperations,andstrengthentheircompetitiveedge.

Organisationstodayarenavigatingaconvergenceofpressures:geopoliticalfragmentation,naturalhazards,risingcosts,andincreasingpolarisation.Trustisbeingtestedasmisinformationgrowsmoresophisticated.

Andthestrainonemployees—particularlyregardingmentalhealth—continuestointensify.Humancapitalhasneverbeenmorestrategicallyimportant,ormorevulnerable.

Inthisenvironment,preparednessmustbeintelligent,dynamic,andcontinuous.ArtificialIntelligencehas

becomeacriticalforcemultiplier,enablingreal-timeriskdetectionandfasterdecision-making.Buttechnologyalonecannotreplacejudgment.Theintegrationof

advancedanalyticswithdeephumanexpertiseis

whatdeliversclarityfromcomplexity—andtransformsuncertaintyintoactionableforesight.

AtInternationalSOS,ourmissionistoempower

organisationstooperateanywherewithconfidence.

Whetherenteringnewmarkets,managingremote

operations,orrespondingtosuddendisruption,we

standalongsideleaderstoenhanceresilienceateverystage.Ourcommitmentissimple:protectyourpeople,supportyourcontinuity,andhelpyouleadresponsiblyamidacceleratingglobalchange.

Asyouexplorethisyear’sRiskOutlook,Iencourage

youtoviewrisknotasanobstacle,butasacatalyst

forstrongerresilienceandsmarterleadership.With

therightpreparation,trustedintelligence,andeffectivepartnership,uncertaintybecomesnavigable—andyourorganisationcannotonlyendure,butthrive,intheyearahead.

ArnaudVaissié

Co-founder,Chairman&ChiefExecutiveOfficer

“Thisyear’sglobalsurveyofriskleadersdeliversaclearmessage:thosewhoanticipate,adapt,andactwithspeedaretheoneswhoprotecttheirpeople,sustaintheiroperations,andstrengthentheircompetitiveedge.”

WORLDWIDEREACH.HUMANTOUCH.3

INTERNATIONALSOS-RISKOUTLOOK202

Researchprocess

2026RiskOutlookistheresultofdetailedanalysisfromfourpillarsofInternationalSOSproprietaryresearchandexpertise.Theseare:

1.InternationalSOSSecurityandMedical

experts’views

2.BusinessResilienceTrendsSurvey

3.Security&Medicalriskratings

4.On-the-groundglobalhealth&

securitynetwork

SecurityandMedicalexperts’views

InternationalSOSdrawsonsomeoftheworld’sforemostexpertsinsecurityandhealthtosupportclients,and

informitsstrategy,planningandoperations.Ourelite

teamincludesformermilitaryoperatives,intelligence

analysts,logisticsspecialistsandmedicalprofessionals.

Interviewswerecarriedoutwithmembersofour

InternationalSecurityAdvisoryBoard1andseniorhealthandsecurityleaderswithinInternationalSOSinOctober2025.Theirinsights,quotedthroughoutthisreport,

validateandadddepthtothefindingsoftheBusinessResilienceTrendsSurvey.

BusinessResilienceTrendsSurvey

The10theditionoftheBusinessResilienceTrends

Survey,carriedoutinSeptember2025,uncoversthe

viewsof860businessleadersresponsibleforworkforcehealthandsecurityandorganisationalriskmanagement.TheSurveyexploreshoworganisationsaroundtheworldperceiveandmitigatenewandexistinghealth,wellbeing,andsecurityrisksfortheiremployees,particularlythoseworkingabroad.

Thesurveyexamines:

?Perceptionsofthechangingrisklandscape

?Strengthsandgapsincorporateprovision

?Expectationsforthecomingyear

4

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Security&Medicalriskratings

Securityriskratingsreflecttherisktoemployeesfromcriminalactivity,politicalviolence(includingterrorism,insurgency,andwar)andsocialunrest(including,

sectarian,communalandethnicviolence)aswellas

violentandpettycrime.Otherfactors,suchasthe

robustnessofthetransportinfrastructure,thestateofindustrialrelations,theeffectivenessofthesecurityandemergencyservicesandthecountry’svulnerabilitytonaturalhazardsarealsoevaluated.Asinglesecurity

riskratingisassignedperlocation.However,riskscanvarygreatlywithinacountry’sbordersandsomore

granularratingsareavailable,aswellasdetailsoftheprimaryriskfactorsinfluencingtheseratings.

TheseratingsareupdatedannuallyandrepresentedontheopenlyaccessibleInternationalSOSRiskMap2.AllclientswithaccesstoQuantumcanviewliveriskratingupdatestoacityriskratinglevel.Ourriskratingsare

proprietary,developedovermanyyears,andbasedonaccesstoinformationthatisnotpubliclyavailable.

Medicalriskratingsaredeterminedusingaproprietaryalgorithmwithover20internalandexternaldatapoints,andthefirst-handknowledgeofourspecialistmedicalprofessionals.Theselecteddatapointsreflectarangeofhealthrisksandmitigatingfactors,including,but

notlimitedto:accesstoandstandardofemergency

services,outpatientandinpatientmedicalcare,medicalevacuationdata,qualityofpharmaceuticalsupplies,

INTERNATIONALSOS-RISKOUTLOOK202

infectiousdiseaserisks,accesstoimprovedwaterandsanitation,environmentalriskfactors,securityriskrating,andcultural,languageoradministrativebarriers.

Themedicallandscapecanvarywidelywithincountries.

Forexample,majorcitiesmayhavebetteraccesstoqualitymedicalcare,whereasremoteorrurallocationsmayhavelimitedavailabilityofhealthfacilitiesandspecialistcare.Anoverallsingleratingisgivenatacountry3level(clientsalsohaveaccesstoratingsforselectedcitiesandasubsetofthefactorsusedindeterminingtheriskratings).

On-the-groundhealth&securitynetwork

InternationalSOShashealthand

securityexpertsbasedinmorethan

1,200locationsin90countries.

ThisRiskOutlookreportiscomplementedbymorein-

1.

/experts-security

2.

/risk-outlook

3.Theterm‘country’referstotraditionalcountriesorindependentstates,aswellasothergeographicentitiesincludingdependencies,territoriesandareasofspecialsovereignty.

depthregionalreportingavailableexclusivelytoourclientsTheregionalassessmentsaredevelopedbyourleadareaanalysts,whohavedeeplocalexperienceanalysingrisks,threatsandhazardsandsupportingclientsinthefield.

OnbehalfofInternationalSOS,

EchoResearchcarriedoutonlineinterviewswith

860seniorriskdecision

makersresponsibleforthehealthandsecurityof:

?Employees

?Contractors

?Studentsandfaculty

?Otherpeoplewithintheorganisation

Across94countries

8%

MiddleEast

25%

Asia

27%

Europe

12%

Africa

7%

Oceania

21%

Americas

WORLDWIDEREACH.HUMANTOUCH.5

INTERNATIONALSOS-RISKOUTLOOK2026

Keyauthors

DrIreneLai

MBBS(Sydney)FFTMRCPS(Glasg),

GlobalMedicalDirector,MedicalInformation&Analysis,InternationalSOS

Irenehasover20years’experienceinhealthintelligence,riskassessment,communications,andclinicalmedicine.Herfocusareasareemergingandpandemichealththreats,heatandclimateimpacts,travel,publichealth,

andemergencypreparednessandresponse.Shetrainedprimarilyin

internalmedicine,workinginSydney,Chicago,andNewYork.ShehasheldarangeofseniorroleswithintheGroup,inSingapore,Jakarta,andSydney.

CveteKoneska

GlobalSecurityDirector,InternationalSOS

Cvetehasover15years’experienceinsecurityintelligence,geopolitical

riskanalysisandleadinghigh-performinganalystteams.Shedirects

InternationalSOS’globalsecurityanalysisfunction,deliveringtimely,

actionableinsightsfororganisationsoperatingincomplexandhigh-risk

environments.Herexpertisespansgeopolitics,operationalriskandstrategicdecisionsupport.Cvetehasheldseniorroleswithintheriskandintelligencesectorandisarecognisedthoughtleader,contributingtoacademicand

industrypublications.Sheholdsabachelor’sinPoliticalScienceand

InternationalRelationsfromtheAmericanUniversityinBulgaria,amaster’sinPolitics,SecurityandIntegrationfromUniversityCollegeLondon,andaDoctorateinPoliticsfromtheUniversityofOxford.

JamesWood

RegionalSecurityDirector,InternationalSOS

Jameshasover15years’experienceinsecurityconsulting,travelrisk

management,crisisandescalationmanagement,andbusinesscontinuity.

HeleadssecuritystrategyandsupportforclientsacrossNorthernEurope.Priortothis,heledInternationalSOS’globalSecurityConsultingPractice,

managingexpertteamsandclientengagementsworldwide.Jamesbegan

hiscareerasapoliceofficerwithThamesValleyPolice,UK,andholdsaBA(Hons)inFrenchandHistoryfromtheUniversityofWarwick.HeisacertifiedBusinessContinuityprofessionalandamemberoftheSecurityInstituteandtheBusinessContinuityInstitute.

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8INTERNATIONALSOS.COM

Riskatfulltilt

Thefragmentingworldwewarnedaboutinlastyear’sRiskOutlookfragmentedatspeedandfromamultitudeofangles.

Risksemergingfasterthanorganisationscandealwith

Agreementwithstatementsonorganisationalriskenvironment

80

Beingabletodetectrisksquickerwouldgiveusacompetitiveadvantage

74

Thetimescaleformakingcriticalriskdecisionsisgettingshorter

58

Weareequippedtomonitorrisksinrealtimeornearrealtime

57

Newrisksareemergingfasterthanwecandealwiththem

Speedoforganisationalresponsetonewrisks

21

59

14

2

3

VeryquicklyFairlyquicklyNotveryquicklyNotatallquicklyNotsure

INTERNATIONALSOS-RISKOUTLOOK202

Thegeopoliticalshiftsoverthepast12monthshaveleftmanyorganisationsrunningtocatchupwith

anewworldorder,whilealsodealingwitharapidaccelerationofsecurityandhealthchallenges.

Extremeweatherevents,newconflictsandfreshdevelopmentsinexistingones,socialunrestandcyberthreats,allcomewithincreasingfrequency.

Timeisonnobody’sside;newchallengesemergeataspeedthatleavesmanybusinessesfeelingblindsided.

57%

Almostsixin10respondentsinourglobalSurveysaynewrisksareemergingfasterthantheycandealwiththem.

Theincreasedpacemakesnewdemandsonriskmanagementprofessionals.“CSOshavetobemoreagiletobeabletoshiftquicklytoaddressnewandunexpectedrisks,”saysInternationalSOSSeniorSecurityAdviser,France,ChristopheSuptil.

Asthevelocityofthreatsrises,thespeedatwhich

organisationscanidentifyandreacttothembecomesadifferentiatorbetweenthosewhothriveinacomplexriskenvironmentandthosewhojustmanagetosurvive.RespondentstoourSurveyagree;

80%

saythatbeingabletodetectrisksmorequicklywouldgivethemacompetitiveadvantage.

Thecapacitytoverifyriskinformationatspeedisratedasthemostcriticalfactorinrespondingtonewrisksbyrespondents,butonlyoneinfive(20%)believestheyarecapableofdoingso.

Anticipatingnewrisksandhavingaccesstotime-

sensitiveriskintelligencewereidentifiedbyrespondentsastheareasofhighestimportancewheretheyhad

leastconfidenceintheirperformance.Theyhighlightedorganisationalculture,proceduralcomplexityand

informationoverloadasbrakesontheirabilitytorespond,aswellasresourceconstraints.

“Businessescandoabsolutelynothingtoaffecthowquicklythingshappen,butwhattheycandosomethingaboutistheirabilitytopreparebetter,toanticipatechange.”

CveteKoneska,

InternationalSOSGlobalSecurityDirector

WORLDWIDEREACH.HUMANTOUCH.9

INTERNATIONALSOS-RISKOUTLOOK2026

Althoughalmosttwo-thirdsofrespondentstoourSurvey(64%)saysecurityriskhasincreasedinthepast12monthsand43%sayhealthriskshaveintensified–with

Morewithless

similarproportionsexpectingincreasesin2026–theyhavetomanagetheriskswithflatorreducedresources.

Oneintensecurityandhealthspecialistsanticipatebudgetcutsnextyear,andaroundtwo-thirds(66%ofsecurityspecialistsand68%ofhealthexperts)say

theirfundingwillbestatic.OneMiddleEast-based

riskmanagementandinsurancespecialistsaidtheirgreatestsecuritychallengewas“Takingonmore

initiativesandbusinessgrowthwiththesamenumberofresources.”Aseniormedicalofficerinthesame

regionwarnedthat“Lackofresourcesandbudgetwillfurthercompoundanalreadyfragileworkforce.”

Securityandhealthspecialistsmustensure

executivesarewellbriefedabouttherangeandextentofriskstheirbusinessesarefacing.

Despitetheintensefocusonartificialintelligence(AI)asaroutetogreaterefficiency,ourSurveyshowsthatsecurityteamsarenotyetconfidentinitsreliability.

Only6%

rankAIasanimportantfactorinhelpingthemmanagerisk.

Thissuggestssecurityfunctionsmaybeunder-

utilisingnewdata-filteringandpattern-findingtoolsthat-providingtherearehumansintheloopto

verifytheresults-couldsavethemtimeandmoney.

Overall,thebudgetaryconstraintsleavearoundthree-quartersofsecurityandhealthspecialiststryingto

domorewithless,orfrozen,funding.It’sasignificantspurtodevelopingnewwaysofworking.

“Youcandriveefficiencyinrisk

managementwithoutcuttingquality,bybeingmoreagileandusingtechnologyandpartnershipstopushimprovement.”

DrKatherineO’Reilly,

InternationalSOSMedicalDirector

Sowhat?

Businessesneedtodeveloptheagilityandreliable

informationsourcestobeabletodecodeandprioritisethe“weaksignals”,earlysignsofasecuritythreat,orthethresholdatwhichahealthriskdemandsaction.

However,theyalsohavetobeabletoclosedown

unfounded,incorrectorinaccuraterumoursofsecurityorhealththreats.

Riskmanagementteamsneedinstantaccesstoreliableintelligencethathelpsthemjudgetherighttimetoact,tofindtherightbalancebetweendisruptingthebusinessunnecessarilyandbeingcaughtoutbyrestrictionsor

unmanageableriskstoemployees.

CriticalEventManagement(CEM)reliesonregularlyupdatedsystemsandriskregistersforthehighest-

severitythreats,togetherwithplaybooksthatletteamsrespondefficientlyandeffectively,avitalcapabilityforsecurityandhealthspecialistsworkingwithlimited

resources.

Intelligence-ledplanningandanticipationwillbe

vitalin2026,butsowillrapidresponse;thewindow

ofopportunitytoreactandprotectworkforceshas

narrowed.Three-quartersofthesecurityandhealth

specialistsinourannualSurvey(74%)saythe

timescaleformakingcriticalriskdecisionsistightening,butonlyaroundoneinthree(35%)isconfidentthey

canmobiliseteamsrapidlyinacrisis.Whenhours

canmakethedifferencebetweenasuccessfulandanunsuccessfuloperation,organisationscannotaffordtolearnhowtorespondinrealtime.

Asthepaceofeventsquickens,organisationsneedconfidencetheyareprimedtoidentifyrelevantrisksearlyandtoactdecisivelytocontainthem.

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INTERNATIONALSOS-RISKOUTLOOK2026

Everythingatonce

Whereoncesecurityormedicalteamshadthechancetostop,todrawbreathand

absorbthelessonsofanincidentbeforetheyfacedthenextone,theynolongerhavethatluxury.

Newthreatsareincreasinglyoverlapping,comingin

wavestostretchorganisationalresilienceandcapacitytorespond.ThetopissuescitedbyorganisationsasdisruptorsinourSurveyincludegeopoliticaltensions,cyber-crime,economicinstability,employeemental

healthrisks,economicinstabilityandtradedisputes.Noneoftheseismutuallyexclusiveorsequential.

Themaininternalresourcethatbusinessesdependontofacefast-developingthreatsistheirpeople.Butmanyemployeesreportthattheirresponsiveness

andresiliencehavebeenworndownbysuccessivechallenges,includingthepandemicandhighinflation.Theyarealsoincreasinglyexpressingunderlying

anxietyaboutthesameglobalriskstheiremployersmustmanage,includingextremeweathereventsanddiscussionsaroundnuclearincidents.

Organisationalchallengesalsoincreasinglyhavemorethanonefacet.“Thereusedtobesomecrisesthat

werepurelysecurityissues,”saysInternationalSOSGlobalMedicalDirector,IreneLai,“andmedicalteamsweren’tnecessarilyrequiredinthosecrisismanage-mentmeetings.Nowthereisrarelyaneventwherewedonotneedrepresentationfrombothteams.”Astheshort-termsecurityriskiscontrolled,healthaspects

cancometothefore,orthetwomayemergeconcur-rently;respiratoryconditionsinthewakeofwildfiresorpost-traumaticanxietyafterevacuations.

49%

oftheriskandsecurityspecialists

surveyedsaytheinterconnectednessandconvergenceofriskshave

increasedinthepast12months.

Driversofuncertaintyintheglobalrisklandscape

Top10factors:

47%

Geopoliticaltensions

27%

Cybercrime

26%

Politicalinstability

26%

Economicinstabilityandtradedisruption

24%

Regulatorychangeandpoliticaluncertainty

21%

Extremeweatherandnaturalcatastrophes

17%

Mentalhealthrisksforourpeople

16%

Socialinstabilityandpolarisation

14%

Misinformationanddisinformation

14%

WORLDWIDEREACH.HUMANTOUCH.11

Talentandworkforcepressures

INTERNATIONALSOS-RISKOUTLOOK2026

Stormsahead

Extremeweatherisanexampleofa

threatthatfusessecurityandhealthrisks.HazardousweathereventshavefeaturedinpreviousRiskOutlookreports,butastheirfrequencyincreases,itbecomes

moreurgentforbusinessestoaccountfortheminsecurityandhealthriskplanning.

Extremeweathervariesbyregion.In2025,Greece

sufferedarecordheatwavewithtemperaturestopping45°C.TheassociatedwildfiresweremirroredontheUSWestCoast,inSouthKorea,Spain,PortugalandTürkiye.FloodsinArgentina,Pakistan,Colombia,

Venezuela,Canada,AustraliaandmanyUSstates,costlivesanddevastatedproperty.IntheAtlantichurricaneseason,Category5stormscaused

devastationontheUSEastCoastandJamaica.

Therearebothimmediateandlong-termsecurityrisksassociatedwithhazardousweatherevents.Inthe

immediateperiodbefore,duringandafteranextremeweatherevent,therearelikelytobesignificantlife

safetyrisksaccompaniedwithdisruption;inaccessiblesupportstructures(suchascommunications,transport,suppliesemergencyservices);andchallengestolocalauthoritiestomanageandmitigatetherisks.Longer

term,morefrequentandgeographicallydisparate

extremeweathereventscreatedirectandindirect

challenges,includingcropfailures,foodpriceinflation,socioeconomicdeterioration,protestactivityandmassmigration.Allthesefactorswillimpactthesecurityrisklandscapeinagivencountry.

Alongsidethis,resourcepressurescreatedby

extremeweathereventscanbeadriverofinstabilityandinter-andintra-stateconflict.

12INTERNATIONALSOS.COM

HeatwaveWildfiresFloodingStorm

INTERNATIONALSOS-RISKOUTLOOK2026

Heatofthemoment

The2025reportofLancetCountdownonhealthandclimatechangehighlightsthedangersofextremeheat.

Thehighertemperaturesandtheincreasingsizeofvulnerablepopulationshaveledtoa

63%

increaseinheat-relateddeathssincethe1990s,reachinganestimated546,000

yearlydeathsonaveragein2012–21.

“Almosthalfoftheglobalpopulationandmorethan

onebillionworkersareexposedtohighheatepisodesandaboutathirdofallexposedworkershavenegativehealtheffects.However,excessdeathsandmanyheat-relatedhealthrisksarepreventable”4.

Measuringambienttemperatureisnolongerenough

toassesstherisktotheworkforce,withtheWet-BulbGlobeTemperature(WBGT)abettermeasureofheatstressonpeople.Weexpecttoseemoreregulations

regardingworkinginheat5.Employerswillnotbeabletorelyonairtemperaturesalonetoguidethemwhen

toadjustworkactivities.Theymusthaveextremeheatpoliciesandassociatedactionwhichcomplywiththeseevolvingregulations.Adaptiveresponsesneedtobe

thoroughlyassessedforadditionalrisks,suchasfloodlitnightworkinagriculturetoavoidextremeheatbringingitsownsafetychallenges.

Vector-borneinfectiousdiseasetransmissionpotentialincreaseswithwarmertemperatures.Clustersof

mosquito-bornediseases,includingdenguefever,Zikaandmalariahaveappearedinlocationswheretheyarenotusuallypresent,suchastheUnitedStates,Italy

andFrance,sparkedbytravellersimportingthevirusandlocalenvironmentalconditionsbeingconducivetoonwardtransmission.

4.Ebi,K.Letal,‘Hotweatherandheatextremes:healthrisks’,Lancet,398(10301),pp.698–708.Availableat:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.

gov/34419205/

5.NationalWeatherService,WetBulbGlobeTemperaturevsHeatIndex.Availableat:

/ict/WBGT

6.Romanello,Metal,The2025reportoftheLancetCountdownonhealthandclimatechange.Availableat:

/journals/

lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01919-1/abstract

7.UnitedNations(n.d.)Water–atthecenteroftheclimatecrisis.Availableat:

/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/water

Bysomemeasures,airpollutionreachedarecord

highin2024,withsandandduststormscontributingsignificantly.2024alsosawarecordareaofland

affectedbyextremedrought6.AccordingtotheUnitedNations,approximatelyhalfoftheworld’spopulationcurrentlyexperiencesseverewaterscarcity,aproblemwhichisexpectedtogrow7.

“Ithinkextremeweatherimpactonhealthandsecurityisgoingtocontinuetobecomeamoresalienttopic,”saysInternationalSOSGlobalMedicalDirectorDrMyles

Druckman.

Whileotherprioritieshaveeclipsedtheprospectof

anotherpandemicformanyorganisations,globalhealthexpertsremainvigilant.Fundingchangestosome

publichealthsurveillanceagenciesandinternational

NGOscouldlengthenalerttimesintheeventofafutureoutbreak.Alterationstointernationalaidallocation

alsoaffectprogrammestosuppressdiseases,suchastuberculosis,raisingthehealthriskfortravellersandassignees.

“Wehavebecomereliantonknowing thatresponsewilltakeplace,andmanyoutbreakswillbequashedbeforetheybecomesignificant”.

DrRyanCopeland,

InternationalSOSRegionalMedicalDirector,Assistance,EMEA.

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INTERNATIONALSOS-RISKOUTLOOK2026

Forgettinghealth,forgettingthehuman

Healthcrisestypicallydevelopoveryears,shapedbylocal,national,andinternationalhealthsystems,supplychains,workforces,andsocietalbehaviours.

Thisslowevolutioncanfostercomplacency,atrend

compoundedbypost-pandemicconfidenceandreducedattentiontohealthissues.Insomecountries,investmentincommunityhealthsystemsandhealthcareworkforceshasslowed,withresourcesprioritisedelsewhere.

OurSurveyshowsthathealthconcernscurrentlyrankwellbelowsecurityissuesinshapingorganisationalriskuncertainty.Andalthoughdatashowstheburden

ofmentalhealthissuescontinuestotrendupwards,withanestimatedmorethanonebillionlivingwithmentalhealthconditions,

mentalhealthonlyratesinthetopthreeconcernsfor

17%

ofthosesurveyed.8

InternationalSOScasedataindicatesanxietyand

stressarethemostcommonmentalhealthconditionsrequiringourassistance,withmedicationissuesoftencomplicatingtravel.

InresponsetothequestioninourSurveyaboutthegreatesthealthchallengefacingtheirbusinessesin2026,onehealth,safetyandenvironmentleaderinOceaniaidentified“Psychosocialriskmanagement,especiallyaspectssuchasburnoutandfatigueasrelatedtojobdemands.”Whereoncesuchissues

mainlywerereservedtohigher-wageeconomies,

InternationalSOSnowreceivesrequestsforsupportwithemployeementalhealthandwellbeingfrom

companiesbasedinAfricaandAsia.

Atthegloballevel,inequalityinhealthoutcomesis

rising.Wealthierpopulationsinhigh-incomecountriesarebetterabletoaccessscientificandtechnologicaladvancesaimingtoextendlifespanswellbeyond

100years,whilepreventableconditions,includingacute

hunger,malnutrition,malaria,andcholera,continuetoincreaseinotherregions.Asantimicrobialresistancegrows,renderingexistingantibioticsineffective,

withoutnewonesarrivingtoreplacethem,bacterialdiseasesbecomemoredifficulttotreatandoutbreakstocontain.

“Overthepastfiveyears,severalfactorshave

pushedalotofpeopletoconsumelesshealthy,

ultra-processedfood,”notesDrAhmedFahmy,

InternationalSOS’sRegionalMedicalDirector,NorthAsia.

“Myconcernisaboutmalnutrition,notinthesenseofnothavingenough

calories,butjusthavingbaddiets,whichlinkstonon-communicablediseases9.”

Fatigue,distractionandatworst,burnout,erodeproductivitybutalsoorganisationalresilience.

“EmployersincreasinglyrealisethisisnotanHR

issueanymore,it’sastrategicrisk,”saysInternationalSOS’GlobalMedicalDirectorDrPhilippeGuibert.

Workforcecapabilityisalsoimpactedbythemoregradualeffectsofdemographicsandli