Achilles analysis finds global supply chain disruption accelerates in 2025
ABINGDON, UK : Achilles, a global leader in supply chain risk and performance management, releases new analysis on global supply chain disruption during 2025. The data, based on risk intelligence spanning more than 200,000 suppliers across over 140 countries, reveals a sharp acceleration in supply chain disruption risk last year in comparison with 2024, reflecting a larger number of event-driven disruption alerts rather than static supplier risk ratings.
Business disruption risks or alerts are assessed based on the occurrence and severity of natural hazard events, such as flooding, droughts, extreme weather events, and other climate-related incidents, as well as geopolitical risks, including conflict escalation, political instability, trade restrictions, and sanctions-related constraints that impact supplier operations.
The acceleration in disruption risk was driven largely by escalating geopolitical instability and the growing frequency and severity of natural hazard events. This increase was not uniform across risk types or regions, pointing to a structural shift in the nature of supply chain risk rather than a general rise in the level of risk, suggesting disruption is less predictable, escalates faster, and propagates more widely through interconnected supplier ecosystems.
Commenting on the findings, Katie Ferrier, Regional Director for Northern Europe and MEA at Achilles, said:
“Our data shows potential business disruption alerts rose by approximately 33% year-on-year in 2025 compared with 2024, rising from approximately 44,000 to 59,000 alerts. What is changing is not only the volume of disruptions, but also the severity profile, driven by geopolitical volatility, ESG controversies, sanctions exposure, and more severe natural hazard events.
“The likelihood of disruptions occurring simultaneously across regions is also increasing, and in this environment, organisations need continuous visibility and early warning to stay ahead of rapidly evolving risks. By identifying emerging disruption risks earlier, Achilles supports organisations with supply chain visibility, providing them with the monitoring needed to strengthen resilience across complex global environments.”
Geopolitical disruption emerged as one of the fastest-growing sources of risk, with alerts rising by approximately 167% year-on-year. The most significant relative increases were observed in the Asia-Pacific region (“APAC”), where geopolitical-related alerts increased by more than sixfold compared to 2024, reflecting the growing impact of regional tensions, trade fragmentation, and political instability on supplier networks.
Natural hazard-related disruptions rose by c.27% in 2025, reflecting increased exposure to extreme weather events such as flooding, droughts, and other climate-driven occurrences. Alerts increased substantially year-on-year, along with the severity profile of these events, as defined by the external sources from which Achilles receives its alerts. Medium-severity natural hazard alerts increased by c.74%, high-severity alerts increased by c.21%, and low-severity events experienced a slight decline in frequency. Europe and Latin America experienced the strongest relative uptick in medium- and high-severity natural hazard alerts, and APAC showed a material shift in severity mix, alongside significant growth in geopolitical disruption. Overall, this data indicates that higher-severity disruptions are becoming not only more frequent but also more impactful, having direct implications for operational continuity, recovery times, and supplier resilience.
Together, this data shows that businesses are operating in a risk environment where disruption is becoming more frequent and more likely to occur simultaneously across regions, placing increasing strain on traditional risk management approaches. This reinforces the importance of moving beyond periodic assessments towards continuous, data-driven supply chain management, however, doing so requires greater visibility into supplier performance and credentials.
Achilles supports organisations in navigating this increasingly volatile landscape by providing continuous supply chain visibility, on-site supplier auditing, sustainability scoring, and actionable intelligence across ESG, compliance, and operational risk. By combining global supplier coverage with live monitoring of sanctions, ESG controversies, and performance issues, Achilles enables businesses to strengthen their resilience and make informed decisions.
As geopolitical and environmental pressures intensify, the ability to identify emerging disruption risks early and understand exposure across multi-tier supplier networks is becoming critical to long-term resilience. Organisations with earlier visibility into how risks evolve are better positioned to respond quickly and limit downstream impacts across their supply chains.
In this complex global landscape where disruption can escalate rapidly, Achilles’s ability to translate risk intelligence into actionable insights allows businesses to meet compliance requirements, engage ethical suppliers, and adapt their strategy to drive improvements across their supply chain.
About Achilles:
For more than 30 years, Achilles has protected organizations’ business interests and reputations by providing unrivalled levels of supply chain transparency, carbon reduction and management. Achilles is the supply chain risk, ESG and carbon management partner of choice for the world’s leading global brands.
Achilles specializes in supporting customers who require robust global supply chain resilience, risk management and reporting to comply with ESG regulations, meet investor requirements, and achieve ambitious sustainability goals.
It works with market-leading financial, industrial, commercial and governmental organizations that require serious, detailed analysis and expert insight to deliver exceptional supplier selection and reporting confidence. Operating from 22 locations worldwide, Achilles is at the forefront of the battle against climate change, a champion for social justice and human rights, and an expert in health, safety, and risk management.