Stakeholder Metrics

This section give an overview of the World Economic Forum's stakeholder metrics, looking the Forum’s performance across four pillars: Governance, People, Planet and Prosperity.

During the 2024-25 reporting period, the World Economic Forum advanced its Governance Pillar through both internal enhancements and external collaborations.

Internally, the Forum strengthened its commitment to compliance and risk management by refining internal processes and enhancing third-party due diligence protocols. Staff training programmes were expanded to bolster capabilities in navigating complex regulatory landscapes.

Externally, the Chief Legal Officers (CLO) community, comprising senior legal executives from leading global companies, actively engaged in discussions on regulatory coherence, risk mitigation and policy development. In 2024, the CLO community collaborated with the AI Governance Alliance to address challenges associated with generative AI, focusing on risk mitigation, self-regulation and the development of enterprise-wide AI governance strategies.

The Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI) expanded its efforts by launching the Gatekeepers Advancing Integrity and Transparency (GAIT) workstream. This initiative introduced sector-specific frameworks to combat illicit financial flows, starting with the real estate industry. By providing tailored knowledge and resources, GAIT aims to empower professionals to implement standards and develop risk-based approaches to integrity challenges.

These initiatives underscore the Forum’s dedication to facilitating transparent, accountable and sustainable business practices globally.

The Forum’s global team continued to expand in 2024-25, reaching a total of 1,089 employees as of 30 June, a growth of 10% compared to the previous year. Reflecting its international scope, the Forum now includes staff of 100 nationalities, up from 97 in the prior reporting cycle. Women currently represent 49.3% of the Forum’s middle management and 32.6% of its senior leadership roles. Maintaining a safe and respectful workplace remained a priority.

To remain competitive and responsive to market trends, the Forum increased investment in staff development, raising the learning budget by 74% year-on-year to reach CHF 2.84 million. These funds enabled more employees to access a broader selection of training programmes.

Externally, the Forum continued to champion inclusive growth and workforce advancement through its platform, including its ongoing initiatives on gender equity, skills development, employment and the future of work, highlighted earlier in this report.

The Forum maintained its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions over the reporting period. Scope 3 emissions, primarily from the flights and travel of Forum constituents and stakeholders to events, continued to comprise the majority of its total carbon footprint. To address this, the Forum further encouraged travel to events by train and optimized transport and use of materials.

In its efforts to reduce waste, the Forum extended its partnership with local organization GreenUp for the fifth year, collaborating during its Annual Meeting on the GreenShare circular economy initiative. This project repurposes materials to minimize waste and promote sustainable practices.

The Forum also increased its procurement of carbon removal credits, aligning purchases with its emissions profile and reinforcing its commitment to the UN Global Compact. In addition, a comprehensive review of the current sustainability strategy was initiated to identify new opportunities for enhancing environmental performance.

Externally, the Forum continued to mobilize its platform and convening power to support high-impact initiatives in nature conservation, climate resilience, economic transformation and technology. This included championing sustainable aviation fuel initiatives and other projects aimed at accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Value creation remains central to the Forum’s mission. During the reporting period, the Forum continued to drive significant economic and societal impact through its centres, initiatives and global convenings, facilitating collaboration among experts, civil society, and political and business leaders to advance socioeconomic progress.

The Forum’s commitment to public access to its events and session insights was evident through its Open Forum sessions and extensive access via digital platforms. In 2025, more than 220 sessions from the Annual Meeting were livestreamed to the public.