As the world’s last time zone to ring in the New Year—UTC−12—completes its passage through 2025, 2026 has fully begun across the globe.

In 2025, the world remains in a state of profound turbulence and structural transformation.
Geopolitical conflicts have not abated. The Russia–Ukraine war has entered a phase of prolonged attrition, continuously reshaping regional security dynamics; the Israel–Palestine conflict has seen repeated escalations, leaving the Middle East highly unstable; tensions on the Korean Peninsula persist, with military confrontation intertwined with strategic rivalry. Against the backdrop of multiple overlapping conflicts and political crises, uncertainty in the global order has risen markedly.

At the same time, the global population of refugees and forcibly displaced persons continues to expand. Wars, regional conflicts, extreme climate events, and economic collapse have driven new waves of migration, placing long-term pressure on host countries’ systems of governance, public finance, and social integration. The global humanitarian system is facing challenges of an unprecedented scale.

The tangible impacts of climate change became even more pronounced in 2025.
Extreme heat, droughts, torrential rains, wildfires, and powerful storms occurred frequently across multiple continents, as climate anomalies shifted from “early warnings” to a “new normal.” Ocean warming and acidification intensified, coral reefs and fisheries continued to deteriorate, and biodiversity loss showed no fundamental reversal. Although governments continued to announce new mitigation and adaptation targets, a clear gap remains between collective action and scientific recommendations.

Public health remains a central issue of global governance.
While the immediate shock of the COVID-19 pandemic has gradually receded, its long-term consequences persist, and structural pressures on healthcare systems have yet to be fully alleviated. The burden of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and chronic illnesses continues to rise, while aging societies place growing demands on medical resources. At the same time, mental health gained broader recognition in 2025: anxiety, depression, and social isolation have emerged as shared challenges across cultures and age groups, with mental health increasingly treated as a core public policy concern.

On the economic front, the global recovery remains uneven and volatile.
Some economies struggle with sluggish growth under high interest rates and fiscal constraints. Inflationary pressures have eased in parts of the world, yet the cost of living remains elevated. The ongoing reconfiguration of industrial and supply chains has coincided with corporate layoffs, sectoral restructuring, and shifts in employment patterns. Financial markets have grown more volatile, as technology cycles, geopolitics, and macroeconomic policies interact, amplifying social uncertainty. Income inequality and inadequate labor protections continue to represent structural challenges on a global scale.

Natural disasters and technological risks coexist.
In 2025, many regions were still struck by major earthquakes, floods, and storms; at the same time, industrial accidents, chemical leaks, cyberattacks, and vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure raised new concerns. Although nuclear proliferation risks and terrorist threats have not dominated headlines, their potential impact persists, keeping the global security environment highly sensitive.

Yet amid these challenges, positive developments have continued to emerge.
Technological innovation accelerated further in 2025. Artificial intelligence evolved from a set of tools into a force of systemic transformation, reshaping scientific research, healthcare, manufacturing, and public administration. Quantum computing, advanced semiconductors, and brain–computer interface technologies achieved incremental breakthroughs, prompting wide-ranging discussions on ethics, regulation, and social impact. Clean energy and energy-storage technologies continued to advance, while electric mobility and green infrastructure entered large-scale deployment in multiple countries, offering practical pathways toward energy transition.

In the fields of health and life sciences, precision medicine, gene editing, and personalized therapies made steady progress, significantly improving treatment options for certain cancers and genetic diseases. Governments increased investment in public health resilience, aging-related policies, and mental health services. Societies have shown a growing emphasis on quality of life, well-being, and long-term social welfare.

In 2025, the world continued to adjust its course amid instability, seeking new forms of balance under mounting pressure.

As humanity moves toward 2026, it stands once again at a critical historical juncture.
Conflict and cooperation coexist, risks and opportunities are deeply intertwined. In the coming year, there is hope that dialogue will increasingly replace confrontation, and that institutional solutions will address the root causes of conflict. On issues of climate, resources, and development, the global community is expected to take more substantive steps toward cooperation. Although uncertainty is likely to persist over the long term, technological progress, social reflection, and cross-border collaboration preserve substantial possibilities for the future.

As the world moves into 2026, challenges remain, but the choice of cooperation, rationality, and foresight continues to leave humanity with room to move forward.