The World Ahead 2025 from The Economist (2024)

From the editor Tom Standage’s ten trends to watch in 2025 Leaders The three forces that will shape 2025 Where Donald Trump will be constrained—and where he will not If Europe wants peace, it must plan for war The gap between global threats and American power will grow in 2025 What Donald Trump’s election means for the global economy The coming border crackdown Will the bubble burst for AI in 2025, or will it start to deliver? A place to talk about cooling the Earth The debate around age limits for politicians will get louder in 2025 The year ahead Calendar 2025 Superforecasters What the “superforecasters” predict for major events in 2025 Britain Labour will spend 2025 doing what it loves: fighting itself Political fragmentation in Britain is here to stay How much will the British economy grow in 2025? You will be able to walk around the coast of England in 2025 Assisted dying could become law in parts of Britain in 2025 Europe The uncertain outlook for European security Fighting in Ukraine could wind down in 2025 A fiscal squeeze in 2025 will harm Europe’s growth The year ahead will be perilous for Emmanuel Macron’s government Poland’s presidential election will be watched all over Europe Under its new government, Germany will move to the right Edgars Rinkevics says Ukraine is a litmus test for European resolve United States What America can expect after Donald Trump’s election What now for the Democrats? America’s economy enters 2025 in great shape A world in turmoil awaits Donald Trump in 2025 What Donald Trump’s return means for energy policy Donald Trump will try to upend America’s immigration system Why 2025 will bring a reckoning for the rule of law in America What will happen with abortion rights now in America? Sally Paine outlines how America should deal with the “quartet of chaos” The Americas What Donald Trump’s return means for Latin America Pressure to migrate is increasing—but so is the backlash Will the “iron fist” model spread in Latin America? Latin America is making progress on banking the unbanked Justin Trudeau is unlikely to win the Canadian election Argentina: the making of an economic miracle? Asia Will democracy prevail in Asia in 2025? Will private firms step up to maintain India’s investment splurge? Mumbai’s infrastructure extravaganza will soon be revealed This is the year Japan will really start to feel its age Australia is probably headed for a minority government in 2025 Could Myanmar’s junta fall in 2025? Indonesia is at a crossroads China Donald Trump’s second term will present new dangers for China Which are China’s cities of the future? The South China Sea could become a major flashpoint in 2025 China’s entrepreneurs must navigate stormy seas China hopes to dominate the next phase of green innovation Can China turn ageing into an economic asset? Middle East & Africa The outlook for the Middle East depends on three cantankerous old men Binyamin Netanyahu weighs up the political impact of a ceasefire Will Ali Khamenei and Donald Trump ever meet? The Gulf’s rulers are trying to work with China and with the West Arab countries anticipate another youth bulge There is no end in sight for Sudan’s catastrophic civil war South Africa’s coalition government needs to deliver Don’t expect the men with guns to give up power in Africa Investments in Africa will look greener in 2025 Africa will have some of the fastest-growing economies in the world in 2025 International The perils of the world’s third nuclear age How the world lines up, from wars to whales Have global emissions peaked? World leaders are getting older—except in democracies The court cases that could shape how AI develops The shock of “overtourism” will subside in 2025 The skies are getting smaller—and more dangerous How did our predictions stack up in 2024? Comfort Ero offers three lessons for peacemaking in an unstable world Industries Ten business trends for 2025, and forecasts for 15 industries Wild cards Ten implausible-sounding scenarios for 2025 Business Grid-scale storage is the fastest-growing energy technology The very real constraints on artificial intelligence in 2025 New fronts will open up in the chip wars in 2025 Chinese firms will keep going global China’s e-commerce upstarts will start to look more like Western ones To see the cars of the future, look at China’s electric vehicles Conflict is driving investment in European defence firms Is this the year that Boeing turns itself around? Diversity schemes will be slimmed down Fei-Fei Li says understanding how the world works is the next step for AI Finance & economics Interest rates will come down sharply in 2025 The three commodities to watch in 2025 There will be no immediate productivity boost from AI India’s economy will soon overtake Japan’s Do not expect a flurry of stockmarket debuts in 2025 What to expect from America’s stockmarkets in 2025 America and China’s trade war will rock the world Science & technology AI will boost drug development in 2025 Cancer vaccines will have a pivotal moment in 2025 Fusion power is getting closer—no, really Supercomputers and AI are helping build better climate models Space missions to watch in 2025 Casey Handmer says solar power is changing the economics of energy Culture Video games are the next big thing in film and television Jane Austen, still universally acknowledged at 250 The restitution of cultural heritage will race ahead in 2025 American football’s growing global ambitions Streaming slows to a trickle in 2025 China’s ultra-short dramas will enjoy long-term success Tristram Hunt explains why museums are turning themselves inside out Obituary The rings of Saturn will disappear in 2025