Each year we highlight
some global trends for the future to stimulate your thinking and
planning.
POPULATION
Each year the world's population grows less
than the year before.
Global population will hit 9 billion by the
middle of the 21st Century, compared with 6 billion now, and will
stabilize at 10 billion near the end of 22nd Century.
America’s population will grow 25% in the next
25 years. The West will grow by 45%.
Five states - California, Texas, Florida, Georgia,
and Washington - will account for half of the total growth.
Hispanics will overtake Blacks as the largest
minority before the end of the decade.
FOOD
Genetically modified foods will cause an dramatic
upsurge in nutrition and health of those living in developing countries
by 2006.
The biotech revolution will effectively eliminate
hunger within the next generation.
HEALTH
Based on the recent mapping of the human genome,
in the next decade scientists will correlate pieces of the genome's
structure with various diseases.
In the following decade we can safely look to
an explosion of new biotech drugs both to cure and to prevent disease.
BUSINESS AND TRADE
Global economic output will rise 4% annually
throughout this decade, led by 6% annual growth in Asia.
Trade will grow at 7% until mid-century.
China and India will both surpass Japan economically
by the end of the decade, which in turn will lead to restructuring
of many global political alliances.
e-COMMERCE
e-Commerce will transform all industries and
create new ones. Companies that do not adapt will die.
Traditional retailers are stealing both thunder
and sales from dot.com companies, as the former transform their
businesses through the integration of information technology.
The majority of the United State's GDP growth
will be due to the Internet economy.
By 2004 the Internet economy will be the United
States' largest economic sector.
ENERGY
Global energy usage will grow 3% per year for
the next quarter century, most of the growth coming in Asia.
World oil prices will remain at $25-30 per barrel
for the foreseeable future.
Deregulation of electrical utilities in the
United States will cause wide fluctuations in the cost of power
until new alliances and business models smooth these out near the
end of the decade.
Check
out what we said about 2002 and beyond.
Check
out what we said about 2000 and beyond.
Check
out what we said about 1999 and beyond.
