Sphera’s 2026 Supply Chain Risk Report reveals a growing confidence paradox in supply chain risk management: organizations report near-universal confidence in their data, visibility and regulatory reporting, while disruption, loss and supplier-level risk continue to rise.
“Leaders are confident in their reporting and early-warning capabilities, yet disruption and loss remain routine,” says Paul Marushka, CEO and president of Sphera. “Resolving that paradox means shifting the focus from confidence to proof, making sure risk decisions are grounded in verifiable data and can stand up to sustained board scrutiny.”
Key takeaways:
· 98–100% of respondents say they are confident in the completeness and timeliness of supplier risk data, their ability to detect supplier financial distress early, and the accuracy of sustainability and compliance reporting. Yet 73% report financial or operational losses due to supply chain disruptions in the past 12 months, with the average organization experiencing 3.48 material disruptions.
- Supplier viability risk remains the largest category by volume for the third consecutive year and continues to rise, increasing by approximately 10.3% in 2025 vs. 2024, following 5.8% growth the year before. A sharp Q3 2025 spike of ~20% year-on-year highlights accelerating late-year financial stress among suppliers.
- Delivery risk has eased since 2023 and stabilized in 2025, but remains operationally volatile quarter to quarter.
- Image and compliance (sustainability and regulatory) risk is increasing, with a pronounced Q3 2025 surge of ~28%, aligning with reporting and regulatory cycles.
- Quality and performance risk, while smaller in absolute volume, is the fastest-growing category, rising by nearly 60% year-on-year in 2025, with increases across every quarter.
- 48.5% of organizations say supplier or supply chain risk decisions are challenged weekly or monthly by boards, CFOs or senior executives. A further 46.5% report challenges quarterly.
- Most organizations report having already implemented traditional resilience measures, including supplier diversification, near-shoring, inventory buffers, expanded monitoring tools and widespread AI adoption. Yet disruption persists because foundational constraints remain unresolved: limited supplier cooperation; inconsistent Tier 2-plus data quality; fragmented systems; and slow pre-decision risk assessment cycles.
