Overall cooperation around the globe has remained broadly stable, but its structure is shifting. That’s according to the Global Cooperation Barometer 2026, developed by McKinsey and the World Economic Forum. Drawing on 41 metrics across five pillars, the report shows the strongest gains where cooperation aligns with national interests, particularly for two pillars: climate and nature and innovation and technology. Other pillars were weakened by declining multilateralism, note McKinsey’s Daniel Pacthod, Matt Watters, Olivia White, Ziad Haider, and coauthors. For two pillars—trade and capital and health and wellness—the level of cooperation flattened: trade experienced slower goods growth and services and investment flows increasingly concentrated among more aligned and smaller coalitions. In health, outcomes stabilized, but that masks growing fragility due to declining health aid, a trend that’s expected to continue in 2026. Peace and security saw the sharpest decline amid escalating conflicts, rising military spending, and record displacement, but mounting pressures are spurring an impetus for renewed cooperation through regional mechanisms. The findings highlight the need for more pragmatic, adaptive cooperation strategies.
To read the article, see “The Global Cooperation Barometer 2026,” January 8, 2026.