More than 50 heads of state and government attended Davos 2025, with many giving special addresses.
- The World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting 2025 has come to a close in Davos, Switzerland.
- Leaders came together for a week of discussions under the theme “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age”.
- Compiled here is our coverage of the key takeaways and quotes from the week across the five main themes.
There’s a momentum to the Annual Meeting that makes the five days feel like a journey. What’s news on Day 1 can feel like ancient history by Day 5. The cadence of this Davos was unique. Coming in the wake of a nascent ceasefire in the Middle East, and with the opening day coinciding with the US inauguration – the political and geopolitical calendars aligned. Conversations were provocative, and constructive, despite significant divergence.
There was palpable optimism about the US economy – less so for Europe – although nuance around that sentiment. Leaders urged more confidence in the significant bright spots for Europe – in particular the strength of its values. On emerging markets some leaders were seeing resilience.
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Emerging tech was the red line throughout, resonating with the theme “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age”. On AI, the conversation was much more refined compared to last year, with a focus on application, investment and development. Tangible examples of real progress on manufacturing, decarbonization, climate action, health and more were spoken about.
Despite diverging sentiment around equity, many participants spoke of their continued commitment to gender parity – which was a strong theme in the cultural programme. “Where they roll back, we roll on”, said one leader.
When the Global Risks Report launched ahead of Davos, the alarming message was that conflict was the top immediate risk for 2025. And as Davos 2025 kicked off, there was expectation that conflict would be the buzzword, yet as the week progressed, the focus seemed to shift to diplomacy and (challenging) efforts to achieve peace.
So as the journey of Davos 2025 offers insights into what’s next, here are some of the highlights from our coverage, which give a sense of the top takeaways for the year ahead.
In numbers: Davos 2025 on debt, GDP, planet degradation, AI shelf-life and women in government
In pictures: World leaders, business heads and top experts gather at Davos 2025
In quotes: How leaders at Davos 2025 view Trump’s comeback
Geopolitics: in need of constructive optimism
More than 50 heads of state and government attended Davos 2025, with many giving special addresses.
Almost three years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Europe for support to bolster its defense and warned that when it comes to Europe’s security, the continent cannot “rely on goodwill from a few capitals.”
Conflict in the Middle East was also a key topic of discussion throughout the week, with Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressing optimism about the Gaza ceasefire. It was “key to opening the door” for more hostages to be released, he said. Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said, “our whole foreign policy stands for mediation, facilitation and keeping open communication with everyone to bring peace through mediation, not through wars”.
Read more on what world leaders said here and more about insights on the Middle East here.
The global implications of Donald Trump’s return to the White House was the focus of much debate in Davos – particularly around his policies on tariffs, deregulation and energy.
The Annual Meeting started on the same day as Trump’s inauguration. Day 4saw the newly sworn-in US president address four global CEOs virtually. In the dialogue, Trump outlined the agenda for his second non-consecutive term in office.
Geopolitics, conflict and diplomacy at Davos 2025. Here’s what to know
“Under the Trump administration, there will be no better place on Earth to create jobs, build factories, or grow a company than right here in the good old USA,” Trump said in his address.
Read analysis on his exchange with CEOs here.
Throughout the week, leaders shared their insights on how Trump’s return to power could influence trade, technology and the geopolitical landscape.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General at the World Trade Organization (WTO), advised “don’t hyperventilate!” as the policies are enacted and implemented.
“Let’s keep calm and see what will actually happen,” she said. Here’s what a Forum expert learnt about what’s next for trade at Davos.
Read why media leaders think the Trump administration will be “200 times more unpredictable” here; and analysis on the ‘political vibe shift’ from experts here.
Here are six questions for ASEAN Secretary General, Kao Kim Hourn. His overarching message? ‘Diversity is our strength’.
Regional analyses
While Trump’s return certainly dominated some conversations, there was strong representation from around the world, with a focus on how regional dynamics are adapting to a shifting global order.
Read more on India: From breaking siloes to driving growth: what to know on India at Davos 2025.
Top of the agenda for leaders from Africa: a major climate initiative and the forthcoming G20 in South Africa.
From climate resilience to trade tensions – what we heard from Latin American leaders in Davos.
China at Davos 2025: Continuing importance to global growth.
Will ASEAN be the world’s most attractive region in 2025? Here’s what leaders said at Davos.
And more on the Middle East: Insights and discussion at Davos 2025.
Climate, nature, energy: can it get back on track?
Earlier this month, scientists confirmed that 2024 was the planet’s warmest year on record.
The effects of climate change are only too visible across the globe – with headline images showing firefighters in Los Angeles tackling a wildfire that has burned the largest urban area in 40 years.
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The number of extreme weather events has increased five-fold in the past 50 years, with climate-change fuelled disasters inflicting more than $3.6 trillion in damage since 2000, according to a Forum report.
Johan Rockström, Director of Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), told the session What’s Going on with the Weather? there are no extreme events that fail to have a human signature.
For more on how businesses can manage and mitigate the risks of ‘wild weather’, read here.
Former US Vice-President Al Gore quantified the impact of humans on the planet: “The world releases 175 million tonnes of greenhouse gases daily into the atmosphere.”
The accumulated amount now traps as much extra heat as would be released by 750,000 first-generation atomic bombs exploding every day on the Earth, he told the State of Climate and Nature session audience.
Read Gore and other experts’ takes on how to get the climate back on track here.
On his first day in office Trump issued an executive order that loosened regulations around energy production.
Climate, nature and energy at Davos 2025
In his virtual address in Davos, Trump stated that “we need double the energy we currently have in the United States for AI to be as big as we want to have it, because it’s very competitive,” adding that “good clean coal” could also be used as a backup power source.
Before Trump’s address, International Energy Agency’s Executive Director Fatih Birol asked the All Hands On Deck for the Energy Transition audience: “What is most important: energy security, or energy transition? Which one should we prioritize?… It is an annoying question, because we can do both of them.
“With well-designed energy transition policies, we can have the best energy security… we can bring the prices down, we can bring prosperity to the people and we can create jobs.
“To antagonize these two important objectives for the human beings today is in my opinion misleading. We can do both… and this is critical.”
Read more on why Birol believes we don’t have to choose between energy security and the energy transition here.
In a session on the ‘Planetary Health Check‘ we heard about the clear link between the actions of business and environmental health.
Read about the actions businesses can take to bring planetary health into the boardroom here.
Read how governments, businesses and civil society are paving the road to COP30 in Latin America here.
Economic growth, finance: confidence is key
‘Tariffs’ was one of the main buzzwords of the week, for obvious reasons, and the world’s “love-hate relationship” with the US dollar was also the focus of economists in a session called State of Play: US Dollar – who explored its status as the world’s leading currency and the expectations for its future.
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Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff raised questions about the US fiscal trajectory.
“Both parties in the United States seem to think that debt is a free lunch,” he said.
Read why the US dollar will be indispensable as the world’s reserve currency – until it’s not.
Economic growth and finance at Davos 2025
Soaring levels of global public debt was troubling economists across Davos.
“We need an absolute pivot, because this is not business as usual,” said IMF Deputy Chief Gita Gopinath. “It is worse than you think.”
The world has accumulated about $100 trillion in public debt, she said, but the higher interest rates make paying it off far more expensive.
Read why soaring public debt was worrying experts at Davos here.
Days before taking office, President Trump launched the $TRUMP cryptocurrency.
Whether this would signal the start of a significant turning point in the way the financial system works and is regulated was the topic of discussion in the Crypto at a Crossroads session.
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Brian Armstrong, Chief Executive of crypto platform Coinbase said: “To have the leader of the largest GDP country in the world come out undeniably and say that he wants to be the first crypto president, he wants the industry to be built in America and he’s going to direct every agency of the US government to work towards clear rules which enable innovation – this is unprecedented.”
For more on what the future might hold for digital finance and whether the cryptocurrency era is about to begin, read here.
The week ended with the Global Economic Outlook, where panelists urged more confidence to drive success – but warned against complacency on debt and inflation.
Read about the outlook for the coming year on the world’s economy in the Day 5 summary here.
For insights on whether Latin America’s economic tide is turning, read this.
For an expert take on key learnings at Davos on the future of finance, see here.
Jobs, health, inclusion: rolling on – not rolling back
There was a palpable sense of ‘girl power’ at Davos this year and not least because Spice Girl Melanie Brown was in attendance.
Throughout sessions, experts repeated the need to close gender gaps across health, politics and economics to empower women – and boost growth.
Jobs, health and inclusion at Davos 2025
“For every dollar you invest in women’s health, there’s a three dollar return,” Anita Zaidi, President of Gender Equality at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation told the Investing in Women’s Health session.
UNICEF’s Executive Director Catherine Russell said the benefits are broad-reaching: “If women are healthy and can participate in their society, then the society is going to be prosperous.”
Read about the impacts of ignoring women’s health here.
“If you had women participating as actively as men in the economy, the GDP of the world would be 20% higher,” Anna Bjerde, Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank, told the Adding Trillions with Gender Parity session.
Read why leaders say we must not regress on gender parity here.
The health and agency of the world’s young people was much discussed across a number of sessions. Ahead of the Annual Meeting, we asked our community of Young Global Leaders to name one transformative idea for a better world in 2025. Here’s what they said.
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Jonathan Haidt, Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University, explained a new approach to digital technologies for young people.
Read about his insights into how to make the ‘anxious generation’ happy again.
Cultural leaders spoke widely on how to interact with AI, weighing the risks versus the opportunities. Their conclusion? ‘We must preserve humanity in the digital age’ – find out why.
The transformation of jobs and labour markets was front of mind. According to the Future of Jobs report – launched just ahead of the Annual Meeting, 39% of our existing skill sets will be transformed or become outdated over the next five years. For Mina Al-Oraibi, Editor-in-Chief at the National, most workers aren’t afraid of these coming changes — but they’re anxious to not be left behind.
Read about the fastest growing and declining jobs here.
AI, technology, industry: race against time and a race against each other
With “Industries in the Intelligent Age” as one of the key themes of the Annual Meeting, the potential of agentic AI was a phrase that came up constantly. Sessions also focused on EVs, cybersecurity, smart factories and the implications of AI for governments and national security. Ursula von der Leyen noted, “From AI to clean tech, from quantum to space, from the Arctic to the South-China Sea – the race is on.”
AI, tech and more at Davos 2025: What to know
In a session on Getting EV Supply Chains Right, panellists discussed the strategies manufacturers and policy-makers are adopting to meet the increasing demand.
Despite slowing electric vehicle sales growth in the US and Europe, more than 30 million new EVs are expected on the road in 2027. Manufacturers are racing to secure reliable and sustainable supply chains for critical components and materials to scale production amid rising geopolitical tensions.
“It’s not going to be a one-country effort in terms of EVs. It’s going to be a global effort,” said Pan Jian, Co-Chairman of Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL), the world’s largest EV battery maker, underscoring the global nature of the EV revolution.
Read more from industry leaders on the future of EV supply chains here.
When governments undergo digital transformations, they often face challenges from bureaucracy, legacy systems and fear of new technology, as well as safety and security issues.
Read more on two sessions addressing how governments need to ‘rewire’ to use AI in the Intelligent Age here.
On what’s next for AI, Meta’s chief AI scientist, Yann LeCun, said during a session that a “new paradigm of AI architectures” will emerge within the next five years, which takes things far beyond the capabilities of existing systems.
“The shelf life of the current paradigm,” that is, the large language models people currently use to do things like quickly generate images and text, is short, Le Cun said. “Within five years, nobody in their right mind would use it anymore, at least not as the central component of any AI system.”
More from Yann LeCun on Agenda Dialogues here.
For a handpicked selection of some of the best sessions from Davos 2025 on audio, listen to these Agenda Dialogues podcast episodes.
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