The World Social Report 2025, released by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) in collaboration with the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), highlights escalating global challenges such as economic insecurity, inequality, and declining trust in institutions.

Key Finding

• About 60% of the global population faces economic insecurity, with over 2.8 billion people surviving on $2.15 to $6.85 per day.
• Income inequality is widening, with the top 1% of earners owning more wealth than the bottom 95% combined.
• More than half of the world’s population reports little or no trust in their governments, with trust continuing to decline across generations.
• Informal and precarious employment dominates in regions like Africa and South Asia, leading to unstable incomes and heightened vulnerabilities.
• The spread of misinformation and disinformation is increasing social fragmentation and weakening social cohesion.