Trends Identified

Increasing pressure on natural resources and biodiversity

Our growing population worldwide and increasing demand for natural resources (such as energy, water and food) have unleashed a series of threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services (food provision, clean water, regulation of climate etc.).

2017

Surfing the digital tsunami

Australia, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)

Increasing societal demand for
corporate action to address resource and environmental issues

2016

Geostrategic risks on the rise

McKinsey

Increasing tax burden

36% of responding CEOs answered that they were 'extremely concerned'

2018

Global CEO survey

PWC

Increasing urbanization

The urban share of the population will continue to rise at high speed (8.5 percentage points) and growth will even accelerate compared to the last 20 years (7.8 percentage points). By 2030, 4.9 billion people, or 59% of the world's population, will live in cities, starting from 3.5 billion today (50% of the world's population). This means an increase of 40% in absolute numbers. In 1990, only 43% of the population lived in urban areas.

2011

Trend compendium 2030

Roland Berger Strategy Consultants

Increasing urbanization.

Urbanization is increasing at different rates globally, with the highest growth rates in the least developed parts of the world thus creating the challenge of providing adequate basic services and a functioning infrastructure to ensure a minimum quality of life for citizens.

2017

Strategic foresight analysis

NATO

Increasing water stress

Due to a combination of problems, including rapid population growth, constrained water supplies and high levels of poverty, countries such as India, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Nigeria will be hit the hardest by this trend. Resource-constrained water stress will be the norm for many countries in Asia, while finance- constrained water stress will be the norm for many countries in Africa.
This is reflected in the fact that experts surveyed by the World Economic Forum expect Sub-Saharan Africa to be the most affected region, closely followed by Asia.

2014

Outlook on the global agenda 2015

World Economic Forum (WEF)

Increasingly connected human networks.

Human networks are expected to continue to be increasingly decentralized thereby allowing unforeseeable threats

2017

Strategic foresight analysis

NATO

Increasingly global markets for labor and talent

2016

Geostrategic risks on the rise

McKinsey

Increasingly severe consequences of climate change

In the past 150 years, the atmosphere and the oceans have warmed, snow and ice cover has decreased, sea levels have risen and many extreme weather and climate events have become more frequent. This warming of the global climate is unprecedented over millennia.

2015

Assessment of global megatrends - an update

European Environment Agency (EEA)

India's take-off?

At US$2 trillion in value, India’s economy is one of the world’s great engines of growth. It stands poised to reap a demographic dividend: around half of India’s 1.2 billion people are under the age of 26, and by 2020, India is forecast to be the youngest country in the world. Crucially, PM Narendra Modi has embarked on structural reforms (such as demonetisation, goods and services tax reform) that could lay the foundation for long-term growth. India’s future may yet arrive

2017

Foresigth

Singapore, The Centre for Strategic Futures