The UK Government publishes an annual National Risk Register which provides a wide-ranging assessment of the risks facing UK interests nationally and around the world. It provides a useful sense-check for risk and resilience professionals to ensure that organizational plans are in-line with national risk perceptions.
The National Risk Register is the external version of the National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA), which is the Government’s assessment of the most serious risks facing the UK.
The top risks highlighted in the National Risk Register 2025 include a variety of natural, technological, terrorist, and geopolitical risks.
A future pandemic is classified as a catastrophic risk with the highest likelihood of happening. This is followed by a further two catastrophic risks, but with a lower likelihood rating. These are:
- Larger scale CBRN attacks
- Regional failure of the electricity network.
The risks given the highest likelihood of occurring and with a moderate impact are:
- Terrorist attacks in publicly accessible locations
- Technological failure at a systemically important retail bank
- Disaster response in the Overseas Territories
- Attack on a UK ally or partner outside NATO or a mutual security agreement requiring international assistance.
