Our Institutional Framework

This section explains how the World Economic Forum provides a global, impartial, not-for-profit platform and insights to support meaningful connections between political, business, academic, civil society and other leaders.

The World Economic Forum provides a global, impartial, not-for-profit platform and insights to support meaningful connections between political, business, academic, civil society and other leaders.

It creates a space where diversity of thought is respected and all voices can be heard, recognizing that progress can only be made in an environment where stakeholders genuinely seek common ground and the opportunity for positive change.

Founded in 1971, the Forum is independent and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It has offices in San Francisco and New York City, United States, Beijing, China and Tokyo, Japan.

It has a highly skilled workforce of more than 1,000 individuals of 100 nationalities who seek to facilitate progress in areas as diverse as climate adaptation, frontier technology and economic growth. They work together with partners to support sustainable, resilient, inclusive communities that can withstand the challenges of today and tomorrow.

The Forum’s centres, regional teams and other groups drive its work, using a variety of approaches to drive systemic change. The centres and teams build communities of purpose, which guide the Forum’s work to convert ambition into focused action through structured multi-year initiatives and insight generation aimed at addressing large-scale global challenges.

In addition to this ongoing work, the Forum hosts a range of meetings, from the multi-thematic Annual Meeting held in Davos to convenings focused on specific areas held across the world. These provide platforms for trust-based engagement, robust debate and public-facing dialogue.

This Annual Report for 2024-2025 offers a comprehensive overview of key developments, initiatives, insights, meetings and impact driven by the work across the organization. The report also covers updates from our affiliated organizations – the Forum of Young Global Leaders, the Global Shapers Community and the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship – alongside the Forum’s leadership, governance, financial performance and non-financial performance metrics.