What Are the Five Megatrends for Our Future?

With global population numbers predicted to reach 8.5 billion by 2030, there is no doubt that an increasing population will place extra pressure on the planet and its resources to provide food, housing, healthcare and employment. Add to this the challenge of handling environmental issues, such as global warming, rising sea levels and a growing number of […]

There are several factors currently driving the megatrend of demographic and social change: A longer life-expectancy leading to an aging population in many advanced economies and China. In Western Europe, one in five people are over 65 years old. In Japan, this increases to approximately a third of its population. An aging population has ramifications for healthcare, employment and pension provision.

The shift in global wealth has seen an emerging wealthy middle class in China, increasing wealth in developing countries and dependence of the West on Asia for manufacturing. China’s increasing investment in its own infrastructure, linked significantly to its drive towards urbanization, and its resulting attractiveness to international business, has seen the country’s gross domestic product (GDP)

In 2020, the UN published the results of its research into changes in urbanization, the number of people living in cities, between 1950 and 2020: Africa: 14.3% of the continent’s population lived in cities in 1950. By 2020, this had increased to 43.5% Asia: 17.5% in 1950 increased to 51.1% in 2020 Europe: 51.7% in 1950 to

Developments in technology affect many areas of human life, including other megatrends, but technological advancement is also a megatrend in its own right. For instance: Realizing fossil fuels are rapidly depleting led to the search for sustainable replacement energy sources. In turn, this led to the development of solar panels, wind turbines and the ability to harness geothermal energy. Global