The Global Cooperation Barometer 2026, developed by international finance organisation the World Economic Forum (WEF) and management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, reveals that strong pressures on multilateral institutions are causing global cooperation to evolve rather than retreat.

The Global Cooperation Barometer shows countries are rewriting the way they engage in cooperation. Creating new cooperative formats will require new structures, from trade agreements to standards alliances, and new types of partnerships, including public-private and private-private partnership, to manage them effectively, the WEF says.

The report recommends that leaders focus on rebuilding an effective dialogue with partners as the foundation for identifying and advancing shared interests.

Global cooperation is proving resilient even as multilateralism continues to face strong headwinds, the Global Cooperation Barometer 2026 shows.

However, cooperation is below where it needs to be to address critical economic, security and environmental challenges. Within a more complex and uncertain geopolitical context, open and constructive dialogue is a critical factor in identifying potential collaborative pathways that advance shared interests, the report notes.

The 2026 barometer indicates 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, the report says.

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.

The peace and security pillar of the barometer experienced the largest drop.

“Amid one of the most volatile and uncertain periods in decades, cooperation has shown resilience,” says WEF president and CEO Børge Brende.

“While cooperation today may look different than 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 says.

Trade and capital cooperation flattened in the most recent reading and, while it remained above 2019 values, its makeup is shifting.

Goods volumes grew, albeit more slowly than the global economy, and flows are shifting to more aligned partners. Services and select capital flows show momentum, particularly among aligned economies, especially where they can contribute to bolstering domestic capabilities.

While the global multilateral trade system faces rising barriers, smaller coalitions of countries are cooperating through initiatives, such as the Future of Investment and Trade Partnership, the report notes.

Further, innovation and technology cooperation rose to unlock new capabilities even amid tighter controls. IT services and talent flows are up, and international bandwidth is now four times larger than before the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, restrictions on flows of critical resources, technologies and knowledge expanded, especially, but not only, between the US and China. However, new cooperation formats are rising, with instances of cooperation on AI, 5G infrastructure and other cutting-edge technologies among aligned countries.

Meanwhile, climate and natural capital cooperation grew, but is still short of global goals. Increased financing and global supply chains stimulated deployment of clean technologies, which reached record levels in mid-2025.

While China accounted for two-thirds of additions of solar, wind and electric vehicles, other developing economies stepped up.

As multilateral negotiations become more challenging, groups of nations, for example, the European Union and the Association of South-East Asian Nations, are combining decarbonisation with energy security goals, the report adds.

Health and wellness cooperation held steady, with outcomes resilient for now, but aid is under severe pressure. Topline cooperation in this pillar did not fall, in part because health outcomes continued to improve after the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. Although health outcomes have stayed resilient, the stability masks growing fragility.

Further, pressures on multilateral organisations have eroded support flows and development assistance for health contracted sharply, with further tightening in 2025, affecting low- and middle-income countries most acutely, the report shows.

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.

By the end 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.

“Cooperation may look different today, and involve different partners, but, importantly, it continues to deliver on some critical shared priorities. Collaborative progress can, and does, continue to happen even amid global divisions,” says McKinsey & Company global managing partner Bob Sternfels.

“Leaders are reimagining collaboration across borders,” he adds.