Predictions for 2050 | Future timeline

Read 390 predictions for 2050, 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 trend intelligence consulting firm that uses strategic foresight to help companies thrive from future trends in foresight. This is just one of many possible futures society may experience.

Fast forecasts for 2050

The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and Denmark collectively produce 65 gigawatts of offshore wind energy. Likelihood: 60 percent1
Germany, Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands collectively produce 150 gigawatts of offshore wind energy. Likelihood: 60 percent1
Toyota stops selling gasoline cars 1
Largest age cohort for the European population is 60-641
Largest age cohort for the African population is 0-41
Largest age cohort for the Middle East population is 35-441
Largest age cohort for the Mexican population is 50-541
Largest age cohort for the Brazilian population is 45-491
Optimistic forecasted rise in global temperatures, above pre-industrial levels, is 1.89 degrees Celsius1
China's "South-to-North Water Transfer Project" is fully built1
Athabasca Glacier disappears by losing 5 metres per year since 20151
Skyscrapers (an arcology) that function as cities are built to address growing populations 1
Coffee becomes a luxury due to climate change and the loss of suitable farming land 1
South Africa is one of three African countries that feature in the world's top 30 economies, coming in at number 27. Likelihood: 60%1
Half of the world's population will be short-sighted 1
6.3 billion people will live in cities. 1
Neurotechnologies enable users to interact with their environment and other people by thought alone. 1
5 billion of the world's projected 9.7 billion people now live in water-stressed areas. 1
Nearly 2 billion people now live in countries with absolute water scarcity, mostly in the Middle East and North African regions. 1
6 million people now die per year from complications with air pollution. 1
Most of the fish stocks that existed in 2015 are now extinct. 1
Skyscrapers (an arcology) that function as cities are built to address growing populations. 1
Coffee becomes a luxury due to climate change and the loss of suitable farming land. 1
There are more than 700 million French-speakers in the world, and 80% of them are in Africa compared to only about 300 million in 2020. 1%1
South Africa is one of three African countries that feature in the world's top 30 economies, with a GDP of $2.570 trillion rand. Likelihood: 60%1

Most of the fish stocks that existed in 2015 are now extinct. 1
6 million people now die per year from complications with air pollution. 1
Nearly 2 billion people now live in countries with absolute water scarcity, mostly in the Middle East and North African regions. 1
5 billion of the world's projected 9.7 billion people now live in water-stressed areas. 1
Neurotechnologies enable users to interact with their environment and other people by thought alone. 1
6.3 billion people will live in cities. 1
Half of the world's population will be short-sighted 1
Toyota stops selling gasoline cars 1
Coffee becomes a luxury due to climate change and the loss of suitable farming land 1
Skyscrapers (an arcology) that function as cities are built to address growing populations 1
Athabasca Glacier disappears by losing 5 metres per year since 2015 1
China's "South-to-North Water Transfer Project" is fully built 1
World population forecasted to reach 9,725,147,000 1
Share of global car sales taken by autonomous vehicles equals 90 per cent 1
World sales of electric vehicles reaches 26,366,667 1
(Moore's Law) Calculations per second, per $1,000, equals 10^23 (equal to all human brain power globally) 1
Average number of connected devices, per person, is 25 1
Global number of Internet connected devices reaches 237,500,000,000 1
Worst case forecasted rise in global temperatures, above pre-industrial levels, is 2.5 degrees Celsius 1
Forecasted rise in global temperatures, above pre-industrial levels, is 2 degrees Celsius 1
Optimistic forecasted rise in global temperatures, above pre-industrial levels, is 1.89 degrees Celsius 1
Largest age cohort for the Brazilian population is 45-49 1
Largest age cohort for the Mexican population is 50-54 1
Largest age cohort for the Middle East population is 35-44 1
Largest age cohort for the African population is 0-4 1
Largest age cohort for the European population is 60-64 1
Largest age cohort for the Indian population is 35-39 1
Largest age cohort for the Chinese population is 60-64 1
Largest age cohort for the United States population is 20-34 1