This GIR 2025 Working Paper provides the most comprehensive global assessment of infrastructure resilience, drawing insights from over 3,000 professionals across more than 100 countries.
It highlights growing awareness, expanding policy frameworks, and increasing interest in advanced technologies and nature-based solutions. However, significant gaps remain between ambition and implementation. Only 12–15% report comprehensive application of resilience measures, with weak enforcement of regulations, inconsistent risk assessments, and fragmented data systems. Capacity shortages, particularly in public institutions, limit planning, maintenance, and regulatory oversight, while funding remains heavily skewed toward postdisaster reconstruction rather than prevention. Still, regions such as East Asia and the Pacific demonstrate strong institutional capabilities, and governments globally identify regulatory strengthening as a top priority.
With sustained commitment, improved governance, and crosssector learning, countries are increasingly positioned to advance more resilient, forward-looking infrastructure systems that can better withstand future risks.
Key points
- Infrastructure resilience awareness is increasing globally, though implementation gaps persist widely.
- Regulatory frameworks are improving steadily, yet enforcement remains weak across many regions.
- Risk assessments are becoming more common, but climate integration still lags.
- Public sector capacity is gradually strengthening, though staffing shortages continue to slow progress.
- Funding for resilience is rising selectively, but preventive investments remain insufficient.
- Adoption of technology and nature-based solutions is expanding, though large-scale deployment lags.
