The meta-universe is a complex socio-technological construct and has not only positive aspects of social and political development, but also constitutes risks and threats to both the individual and society as a whole. Here, the meta-universe plays a significant role in the development of regional inequality, especially having a city of a million people with developed infrastructure and opportunities for non-leveling barriers. However, there is a little study of inequality in the context of the development of risks and barriers in the development of meta-universe as a separate phenomenon, and this fact determines the significance of this study. The aim of the article is to analyze and evaluate social barriers and risks in the context of meta-universe development. The methodology of this paper consists in the study of scientific works of scientists, empirical and practical research results of scientific and analytical organizations. The method of classification of barriers and risks, methods of econometric evaluation were used as research methods. As a result, on the basis of the classification of barriers (infrastructure and competencies) and risks (digital inequality for economic reasons, security and social maladjustment) proposed by the authors, an econometric assessment of social threats was carried out. The results of the study revealed a significant regional differentiation both in terms of individual barriers and risks, and in general in terms of the integral indicator; confirmed the thesis that the presence of a city with a million inhabitants in the region reduces restrictions on the development of metavillages both by eroding barriers (the effect of scale allows to build up infrastructure, and the presence of a developed system of higher education - to form digital competencies) and by reducing social risks (mainly by increasing social adaptation to the digital divide). The results of the study expand the scientific understanding of the process of meta-universe development based on the typology of barriers and risks and open new perspectives for research in this area.