Chamber services

Chamber Pulse 2026 

22 October 2026

Drawing on responses from more than 350 chambers across more than 110 economies representing 90% of global GDP, the 2026 ICC World Chambers Federation (WCF) Chamber Pulse presents the insights of the Global Economic Survey, the world's largest survey of chambers of commerce. The 2026 findings reveal how businesses are navigating rising geopolitical tensions, trade uncertainty and inflationary pressures, while accelerating their adoption of artificial intelligence. 

What are the key findings of the 2026 survey? 

Resilience is rising despite growing global headwinds 

Geopolitical tensions remain firmly at the top of the business agenda, increasing in importance across several regions. Cited by 70% of surveyed chambers (+14% from 2025), geopolitical tensions have overtaken tariffs and inflation. 
Trade conditions continue to deteriorate. In 2026, chambers in 61% of countries reported a negative impact from the trade environment. Trade uncertainty remains the leading concern for chambers (70%), ahead of tariffs (63%) and import/export restrictions (39%), with fears of retaliatory measures also increasing. 
As trade frictions intensify, inflationary pressures remain stubbornly high. In nearly nine out of 10 countries chambers report rising prices and in eight out of 10 countries chambers expect inflationary pressures to persist. 
Businesses are choosing diversification over relocation. Export diversification (73%) and alternative suppliers (64%) are the preferred responses to trade disruption, while production relocation continues to lose ground.

Business outlook brightens despite ongoing pressures. Chambers assess the economic environment as good, very good or excellent in more than half of the countries surveyed, while only 10% of countries perceive it as bad or very bad. Looking ahead, confidence is improving, with chambers in six out of 10 countries expecting business activity to increase, up from five out of 10 in 2025.

The global AI race intensifies 

Adoption of AI is accelerating. The share of chambers surveyed reporting broad-based AI adoption has nearly tripled since 2024, reaching 32%. More than 93% of surveyed chambers believe that the AI boom will continue and around 90% expect AI to improve productivity.

**Businesses are prioritising supply chain resilience and security**
**What strategies are businesses in your country adopting to mitigate trade-related risks?** (% of total chamber responses)

But views on employment remain divided. Around 40% anticipate a positive impact on jobs, with chambers in emerging economies generally more optimistic than those in advanced economies. Half of respondents expect AI to reduce white-collar employment, compared with 32% who foresee reductions in blue-collar employment.  
Against this backdrop, China is increasingly seen as leading the global AI race. Half of surveyed chambers identify China as the frontrunner in AI development, compared with 38% who identify the United States, a perception shared even by respondents in North America.