Predictions for 2040 | Future timeline

Read 362 predictions for 2040, a year that will see the world transform in big and small ways; this includes disruptions throughout our culture, technology, science, health and business sectors. It’s your future, discover what you’re in for.

Quantumrun Foresight prepared this list; A futurist consulting firm that uses strategic foresight to help companies thrive from future trends.

Fast forecasts for 2040

Fast Forecast
  • Nestle invents a device that designs meals around individuals' nutrient needs. 1
  • Memory implants could be used to speed-up time for prisoners, allowing them to serve maximum sentences in a day 1
  • Scientists can erase and restore memories 1
  • Tobacco is largely eradicated due to farm land increasingly reserved for food production 1
  • A new generation of hi-tech supercarriers 1
  • World population forecasted to reach 9,157,233,000 1
  • Share of global car sales taken by autonomous vehicles equals 50 per cent 1
  • World sales of electric vehicles reaches 19,766,667 1
  • (Moore's Law) Calculations per second, per $1,000, equals 10^20 1
  • Average number of connected devices, per person, is 19 1
  • Global number of Internet connected devices reaches 171,570,000,000 1
  • Predicted global mobile web traffic equals 644 exabytes 1
  • Global Internet traffic grows to 1,628 exabytes 1
  • Optimistic forecasted rise in global temperatures, above pre-industrial levels, is 1.62 degrees Celsius 1
  • Largest age cohort for the Brazilian population is 35-44 1
  • Largest age cohort for the Mexican population is 40-44 1
  • Largest age cohort for the Middle East population is 30-39 1
  • Largest age cohort for the African population is 0-4 1
  • Largest age cohort for the European population is 50-54 1
  • Largest age cohort for the Indian population is 25-29 1
  • Largest age cohort for the Chinese population is 50-54 1
  • Largest age cohort for the United States population is 15-24 and 45-49 1

Country forecasts for 2040

Read forecasts about 2040 specific to a range of countries, including:

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