The 10 most critical problems in the world, according to millennials

Oli Scarff/Getty

Despite the dire state of the world today — and the stereotype that millennials' are selfish and apathetic — the generation aged 18 to 35 cares deeply about global issues, and they're determined to tackle them.

In fact, 70% of millennials see plentiful opportunities for themselves and their peers, and 50% believe they can significantly contribute to decision making in their home country.

These insights come from the World Economic Forum's (WEF) annual Global Shapers survey, released this week, which surveyed more than 26,000 millennials from 181 countries to gauge the priorities, concerns, and attitudes of millennials around the globe.

In one survey, WEF asked respondents to name the three most serious issues affecting the world today. For the second year in a row, millennials are most concerned by climate change, followed by large-scale wars and religious conflicts. When asked who should be trusted to fix the issues plaguing the world, millennials said the responsibility belongs to international organizations and themselves.

Below are the top-10 most concerning world issues, according to millennials.

10. Lack of economic opportunity and unemployment (14.2%)

Kevin Frayer/Getty

About 22% of millennials in Sub-Saharan Africa are concerned with unemployment and the lack of economic opportunity in the world compared to just 8.3% of Eurasians.

9. Food and water security (15.1%)

Bill Pugliano/Getty

North American millennials (27.3%) are most concerned by the global lack of food and water, followed by 21.5% of millennials in Europe and 11% in both Latin America/the Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa.

8. Lack of political freedom and political instability (15.5%)

REUTERS/Marco Bello

About 19% of millennials in East Asia/the Pacific are bothered by the lack of political freedom and stability in the world, followed by 18.9% of millennials in Eurasia.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider