Axa’s latest annual report on emerging global risks paints a stark and revealing picture of today’s shifting anxieties. While climate change continues to dominate concerns globally, in Morocco, a different fear has risen to the top: cybersecurity. This growing focus on digital threats signals a notable pivot toward technology-driven worries, reflecting how quickly the nature of perceived risk is evolving.
The “Future Risks Report 2025,” conducted in partnership with Ipsos, draws on a sweeping survey of over 23,000 individuals across 18 countries and nearly 3,600 experts from 57 nations. In Morocco alone, responses from 1,000 citizens and multiple industry specialists helped shape a localized risk map. The findings reveal both a global convergence and a national divergence in how threats are prioritized.
Worldwide, climate change remains the most pressing concern, closely followed by geopolitical tensions. An overwhelming 84% of experts and 79% of the general public fear these tensions could escalate into global conflict. Meanwhile, digital dangers are climbing the ranks—cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and big data now form a new trio of major emerging threats.
In Morocco, however, the contrast between expert and public perception is especially striking. For specialists, digital threats now outrank climate risks, artificial intelligence, geopolitical instability, and energy security. Rounding out their top concerns are demographic shifts, chronic illnesses, changes in the labor market, financial volatility, and public health threats.
By contrast, the Moroccan public places climate change firmly at the top of their list, followed by pollution, pandemics, chronic diseases, and artificial intelligence. Cybersecurity only ranks sixth—suggesting that health and environmental issues still feel more immediate and tangible to everyday citizens.
This divide is echoed across the African continent. Experts there overwhelmingly rank cyber threats as the top risk, with AI-related concerns following closely. The report highlights a worrying trend: in some parts of Africa, cybercrime now accounts for more than 30% of all recorded offenses, driven by increasingly sophisticated methods. Among the most common threats are digital scams, ransomware, business email hacks, and various forms of online blackmail.
Interpol has also sounded the alarm over the growing use of social engineering, AI tools, and instant messaging platforms by cybercriminals. Despite this surge, 83% of African experts believe that most countries on the continent are not yet adequately equipped to respond to the challenge.
For the first time, the 2025 edition of the report also explored the fragmentation of societies. Across the board, respondents expressed concern that collective frameworks—economic, political, and cultural—are breaking down. In Morocco, as in Egypt and Nigeria, issues such as inequality, digital polarization, and unequal access to education are seen as key drivers of societal instability.
Amid this mounting uncertainty, the role of the insurance industry is increasingly viewed as essential. A full 89% of experts and 72% of the public believe insurers will play a central part in managing future risks. Trust in insurance providers is also on the rise, along with a growing belief that many of these threats can be mitigated through stronger preventive action.
