Five forces that will shape the future
These are the big trends of the coming decades that need to be considered for any new technologies to be successful.
US wealth gap
Since 2007 the bottom 50% has had zero or negative wealth (i.e., debt).
1980
- Top 10% of people: 65% of wealth
- Middle 40% of people: 34% of wealth
- Bottom 50% of people: .01% of wealth
2014
- Top 10% of people: 73% of wealth
- Middle 40% of people: 27% of wealth
Source: World Inequality Database (2018)
Data explosion
We’re going to need better storage, processing, and privacy.
Source: IDC Research, The Digitization of the World. From Edge to Core. (2018)
Rise in average global temperatures
As surface temperatures increase, so will sea levels, extreme storms, and habitat disruption.
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance (2020)
Language extinction
From 1950 to 2010, 230 languages went extinct. Today, a third of the world’s languages have fewer than 1,000 speakers left.
Source: UNESCO World Language Atlas (2010); Ethnologue: Languages of the World (2019)
An older population
Today, 9% of the global population is over 65. That’s going to grow in the next decades, redefining work, health care, and our economy.
Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2019).