Why is global uncertainty at an all-time high in 2026? World Uncertainty Index surges to 106,862 in February – worse than COVID, 2008 crash, and 9/11 combined

Synopsis The World Uncertainty Index hit 106,862 in February 2026. That number is unprecedented. It beats every crisis in modern history. COVID peaked lower. So did the 2008 financial crash. The Dot-Com collapse was nowhere close. This is not a forecast. This is live data from 143 countries. Economists are alarmed. Markets are rattled. And nobody has a clean answer yet. The World Uncertainty Index (WUI) hit 106,862 in February 2026, the highest reading in its three-decade history. That figure is not marginally higher. It is dramatically above previous crisis peaks recorded during the September 11 attacks in 2001, the…