WEF Davos 2026: Trump, Merz & Global Leaders to Meet

Geneva, Switzerland - The World Economic Forum will hold its 56th Annual Meeting from Jan. 19-23 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, with nearly 3,000 participants from over 130 countries expected to attend, the organization announced Tuesday.

The gathering will include approximately 400 political leaders, representing the highest level of government participation in the event's history, according to the Forum.

About 65 heads of state and government are expected, with six G7 leaders scheduled to attend. 

The business sector will be represented by nearly 850 chief executives and chairpersons from major global companies, as well as close to 100 from unicorn companies and technology pioneers, according to the Forum.

About 1,700 business leaders from the organization's members and partners will participate in the meeting, which is themed "A Spirit of Dialogue."

Government representation will span multiple portfolios, including 55 economy and finance ministers, 33 foreign affairs ministers, 34 trade and industry ministers, and 11 central bank governors.

Confirmed attendees include U.S. President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng, among leaders from more than 130 countries.

Heads of international organizations scheduled to participate include U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, World Bank President Ajay S. Banga, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

Technology sector representatives will include NVIDIA's Jensen Huang, Microsoft's Satya Nadella, Anthropic's Dario Amodei, Google DeepMind's Demis Hassabis, and Palantir Technologies' Alex Karp, according to the Forum.

Nearly 200 leaders from civil society and the social sector will attend, representing labor unions, non-governmental organizations, faith-based organizations, universities, research institutions, and think tanks.

The Forum outlined five topics on the program agenda: cooperation in a contested world, unlocking new sources of growth, investing in people, deploying innovation responsibly, and building prosperity within planetary boundaries.

More than 200 sessions will be livestreamed to the public.

The Open Forum will host public panel discussions in its 23rd year. 

The Open Forum said it has published or will publish several research reports throughout January 2026, including the Global Cooperation Barometer 2026, Global Risks Report 2026, Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026, and the latest Chief Economists Outlook.