Mapping Megatrends

Megatrends: The Powerful Socio-Economic, Environmental, and Technological Forces that Shape our World!

The broad and long-term effects of megatrends – which are independent of the economic cycle – create commercial opportunities for some companies and risks for others

I. Economy
1. Economic growth: Increase in real income per capita driven by productivity growth, though disparities may grow
2. Commercialisation: Monetisation of previously implicit aspects of society
3. Service economy: Structural rise in the share of global output from services.
4. Specialisation and complexity: Economic growth linked to diverse activities and specialisation

II. Technology and Science
1. Virtualisation and dematerialisation: Substituting physical objects with digital alternatives
2. AI and computing power: Replacing human effort with machine-based processes, with AI becoming dominant
3. Greater interconnectedness: Increasing global connectivity among people and objects
4. Life sciences and applications: Advancements in biology fields like biotechnology and genomics
5. New materials: Demand for high-quality, low-cost materials driving technological breakthroughs

III. Society
1. Growing disparities: Economic and social inequality influencing consumer and political behavior
2. Focus on health: Increasing prioritisation of health at individual and public levels.
3. Individualisation and empowerment: Focus on individual preferences and greater personal empowerment

IV. Demography
1. Urbanisation: Productivity differentials between rural and urban areas
2. Generational shifts: Influenced by cohort size, socio-economic conditions, and technological shifts
3. Population growth and migration: Global population growth due to health improvements and lower mortality

V. Environment
1. Climate change: Growing awareness and action to limit GHG emissions
2. Resource scarcity: Demand for raw materials creating scarcity and stress
3. Environmental quality: Deteriorating quality affecting health and economy
4. Biodiversity and ecosystem services: Rising awareness of biodiversity loss costs

VI. Global Governance
1. (De)globalisation: Growing interlinkages and interdependencies among nations
2. Geopolitical tensions: Increasing rivalry among major geopolitical players

Check out this very insightful report by Pictet Group here (thanks Bugge Holm Hansen for the hint!):

https://lnkd.in/g_kYwuVB

Source:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kumli_innovation-foresight-trends-activity-7296562747838750721-kK0n/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAtGGkQBsxwMBmX3lEJO8btihnfBCaHqTz4