- CIVICUS’s 2026 State of Civil Society Report highlights how a dangerous convergence of authoritarian leaders, economic elites and tech oligarchs are tearing up the international rulebook to imperil democracy, peace and environmental sustainability.
- Generation Z is driving a global surge in resistance, challenging corruption and reversing regressive policies from Bulgaria to Timor-Leste.
- Despite repression, civil society is securing landmark victories, including the holding of a democratic election in Bangladesh, a historic International Court of Justice climate ruling and the detention of former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte after women’s groups collected evidence.
Global crises such as conflicts, climate change and democratic regression are accelerating, but so is resistance. This is the definitive conclusion of the 2026 State of Civil Society Report by CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance.
As the international order faces unprecedented strain, the report describes a world where conflict is intensifying amid growing impunity. Economic, political and technological elites are aligning to dismantle democratic safeguards and threaten human rights.
The annual flagship report draws from over 250 interviews with civil society activists and experts from 110 countries. It maps the damage done by powerful states run by strongmen leaders seeking to carve the world into spheres of influence. The analysis flags the normalisation of killings of civilians in conflicts and the threat from emboldened tech oligarchs who are using their platforms, supercharged by AI, to acquire power, spread hatred and enable intrusive surveillance, while defying attempts at regulation.
But the report also finds that in every corner of the globe people are choosing to resist rather than comply. Millions are taking action for the first time, compelled to speak out by injustices too large to ignore, from Israel’s genocide in Gaza to the brutality of ICE agents in the USA. Even in repressive settings like Tanzania where state violence is rife, people have taken to the streets because their governments and economies have fundamentally failed them.
‘What stands out from the past year is how many people are choosing courage over compliance’, says Mandeep Tiwana, CIVICUS Secretary-General. ‘Wherever anti-rights forces try to deny people their agency or bully them into submission, principled resistance is rising to meet them. They are looking the corrupt and the powerful in the face and refusing to fall silent’.
The 2026 report identifies a pivotal shift: the entry of Generation Z into the frontlines of global activism, expressing their frustration at economic and political failures. Directly informed by the voices of Gen Z protesters, our analysis highlights impacts such as the resignation of governments in Bulgaria and Nepal. Bangladesh held its first credible election in almost two decades after a 2024 Gen Z-led protest led to the ousting of its autocratic regime. A new generation that refuses to believe it is bound to lose is learning and sharing crucial skills that could lead to lifetimes of principled activism.
Despite overlapping crises, civil society is delivering tangible results. Marriage equality took effect in Liechtenstein and Thailand. Same-sex love was decriminalised in St Lucia. Abortion rights were expanded in Denmark and Norway. What began as a campaign by Pacific Island students ended with the International Court of Justice ruling that states have a legal duty to protect people against climate harm. The International Criminal Court began proceedings against detained former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, informed by evidence women-led groups collected. A Greek court acquitted 24 humanitarian workers whose only crime was helping migrants at sea.
‘Pessimism serves authoritarians and oligarchs’, says Andrew Firmin, CIVICUS Editor-in Chief and an author of the report. ‘Civil society is the source of optimism that fuels resistance. Civil society can imagine a world where no one goes hungry, everyone is safe from violence and planetary resources are used wisely, and is working to get us there. Without these efforts, the world would be a much grimmer place’.
The report calls on established civil society to learn from Gen Z-led movements and prioritise closer connections with communities over high-level diplomacy. Everyone who refuses to accept things as they are should join the global resistance. They must act with urgency from speaking up and taking to the streets to joining community groups that protect migrants, supporting climate litigation efforts or campaigning for the freedom of imprisoned activists.
‘All acts of resistance matter’, concludes Inés M. Pousadela, CIVICUS Head of Research and Analysis. ‘Whatever progress the future holds will come when people join together to refuse to accept the unacceptable’.
Notes to the editor
Link to report: web.civicus.org/SOCS2026_EN
About CIVICUS: CIVICUS is a global alliance of civil society organisations and activists dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society throughout the world. Established in 1993, it has over 17,000 members in more than 175 countries.
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