Davos 2026: Theme, who is attending, India’s presence and more — All you need to know

The 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), commonly referred to as Davos 2026, is set to bring together world leaders from January 19 to 23 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.

The World Economic Forum is claiming record levels of government participation, with 400 top political leaders expected to take part, alongside nearly 850 of the world’s top CEOs. The top political leaders include 65 heads of state and government and six of the G7’s leaders.

The World Economic Forum is taking place at a time of geopolitical tensions, technological advancements and societal shifts in the world. The US Supreme Court’s hearing on the Trump tariffs is scheduled next week, around the time the US President will be in Davos for the World Economic Forum. The Street also waits for his announcement of the next US Fed chief, whether it will come before or on return from Davos.

Davos 2026 Theme: ‘A Spirit of Dialogue’

The official theme for Davos 2026 is ‘A Spirit of Dialogue’, which reflects the WEF’s focus on transparent communication and cooperative problem-solving in a time of fragmentation, intensifying geopolitical rivalry, and swift technological advancement. The five main global issues on the agenda are:

• Cooperation in a contested world

• Unlocking new sources of growth

• Investing in people

• Deploying innovation at scale and responsibly

• Building prosperity within planetary boundaries

These focus areas seek to bridge gaps between governments, business, and civil society on matters ranging from climate change to AI regulation.

Who’s Attending: Global Leaders And Business Titans

Nearly 3,000 leaders from over 130 nations are expected to attend this year’s summit, making it one of the biggest and most varied assemblies in the WEF’s history. Nearly 65 heads of state or government, 400 prominent politicians, and top executives from the largest corporations in the world will be present at Davos.

Nearly 850 of the world’s top CEOs and chairpersons and about 100 prominent unicorns and technology pioneers, and 400 top political leaders are also expected to participate.

Key Heads of States at Davos:

• Donald Trump, President of the United States of America
• Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada
• Friedrich Merz, Federal Chancellor of Germany
• Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
• He Lifeng, Vice-Premier of the People’s Republic of China
• Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine
• Javier Milei, President of Argentina
• Prabowo Subianto, President of Indonesia
• Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain
• Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia

Prominent leaders of international and civil society organisations include:

• UN Secretary-General António Guterres

• IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva

• WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

• World Trade Organisation Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

• UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih

• International Rescue Committee President and CEO David Miliband

• Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, CEO Sania Nishtar

• Global Fund Executive Director Peter Sands

• International Crisis Group President and CEO Comfort Ero

• Nia Tero President and Executive Director Aulani Wilhelm

From the corporate sector

Almost 850 CEOs and chairpersons from the corporate sector are expected to attend, including prominent figures in technology and business, like:

• Microsoft’s Satya Nadella

• Nvidia’s Jensen Huang

• Meta’s Dina Powell McCormick

• OpenAI’s Sarah Friar

• Agility Robotics’ Peggy Johnson

India everywhere!

India’s growing influence on the international scene will be highlighted by its robust participation at Davos 2026.

Davos 2026 will see India’s largest-ever participation of states:

• Maharashtra
• Andhra Pradesh
• Assam
• Madhya Pradesh
• Uttar Pradesh
• Gujarat
• Jharkhand
• Telangana
• Karnataka
• Kerala

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is expected to attend the event, along with a number of Union ministers and around 100 Indian CEOs from significant businesses, PTI reported.

Leaders from Infosys, Bharti, JSW Group, and other significant companies are expected to attend, along with prominent Indian business figures Mukesh Ambani (Reliance Industries) and N. Chandrasekaran (Tata Sons).

At least four union ministers — Ashwini Vaishnaw, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Pralhad Joshi, and K Ram Mohan Naidu — as well as six chief ministers are expected to attend the five-day annual meeting in Davos-Klosters.

Chief Ministers from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Assam, and Jharkhand are attending to present investment possibilities, exhibit innovations in digital governance, and highlight local economic initiatives to audiences across the world.