2020s

From top left, clockwise: COVID-19 became a pandemic in 2020; the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in 2022; the War in Afghanistan ended in 2021; Donald Trump became the 47th president of the United States in 2025 after winning a nonconsecutive second term in the 2024 U.S. presidential election after losing in 2020; the Israel-Hamas war began in 2023; The use of generative artificial intelligence widely increased in the early 2020s.

The 2020s (pronounced "twenty-twenties" or "two thousand [and] twenties"; shortened to "the '20s" and also known as "The Twenties") is the current decade that began on 1 January 2020, and will end on 31 December 2029.

The 2020s began with the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to an economic downturn. The World Health Organization declared the virus a global state of emergency from March 2020 to May 2023.

Populism saw a rise in the late-early to mid-2020s. There were protests against governments in many countries. The 2020s saw the continuation of several wars, including the Mali War, Somali Civil War, Syrian civil war, and the Russo-Ukrainian War. In 2021, the war in Afghanistan ended with the fall of Kabul to the Taliban. In 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine became the largest war in Europe since World War II. In 2023, a Hamas-led attack on Israel led to the Israel-Hamas War. In 2024, a rebel offensive during the Syrian civil war led to the end of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative AI, improved in the 2020s. The COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in the use of video calls, online learning, streaming services, and online shopping. 5G networks launched around the globe at the start of the decade and became common in smartphones. Research into outer space further grew in the 2020s, with the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, Ingenuity helicopter, and Artemis program. Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, have increased in popularity.

Events

2020

In 2020, the United Kingdom left the European Union. This event was called Brexit.
Starting in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has been spreading around the world. As of April 2022, over 500 million people have been infected, and more than 6 million people have died. Government responses to the pandemic caused many disputes. Business slowed down during the pandemic, which led to a recession.
May 25 – George Floyd, an African-American man, was killed by a police officer in Minnesota. Over the next few months, there were many protests across the United States against police violence and racism.
June 30 - China's National People's Congress enacts the Hong Kong national security law. This law gave the National People's Congress much more power over Hong Kong. It allowed China to reduce civil liberties in Hong Kong.
July 9 - Protests begin in Bulgaria against the government of Boyko Borisov.
September 27 - November 10 – The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war was fought between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan won the war and gained land.
November 3 – Joe Biden was elected as 46th President of the United States, defeating incumbent Donald Trump.
November – The Tigray War, a civil war, began in Ethiopia between the Tigray Region and the government of Ethiopia.

2021

During 2021, COVID-19 vaccines were given to large numbers of people around the world. By the end of the year, over 4 billion people had received at least one vaccine dose.
January 6 – The United States Capitol is attacked and stormed by supporters of Donald Trump.
January 20 – Joe Biden was sworn in as 46th President of the United States.
The 2020 Summer Olympics happened in 2021 instead. They were moved a year later because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
July 7 – President of Haiti Jovenel Moïse is assassinated at his home, aged 53.
August 31 – The War in Afghanistan ended as the United States military left Afghanistan and the Taliban took over the country.

2022

February 24 – Russia launched an invasion on Ukraine. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine is the largest war fought in Europe since World War II. In response, other countries brought economic sanctions, or penalties, against the Russian government.
July 8 – Former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe is assassinated at aged 67.
September 8 – Elizabeth II died at the age of 96. Which led to the succession of her son King Charles III
November 15 – The world population reached 8 billion (8,000,000,000) people, according to the United Nations.
November 30 – OpenAI released ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot able to answer questions and write essays.

2023

February 6 Turkey-Syria Earthquake

In Mid 2023, India became the country with the highest population, passing China.

October 7 Israel-Hamas War Beginning

2024

November 5 – Donald Trump is elected the 47th President of the United States, having previously been the 45th president.

2025

April 21 – Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, dies at the age of 88 due to severe health problems.
May 8 – Pope Leo XIV is elected to be the next pope after Francis.
October 21 – Sanae Takaichi becomes the first female Prime Minister of Japan.

Future predictions

In 2004, then President of the United States George W. Bush said that people would try to fly to Mars some time in this decade.
In 2027, the autopsy (study of a dead body to find out how that person died) of Elvis Presley will be published.

References

↑ van Lierop, Wal (24 December 2019). "Let's Make The 20s Roar Again!". Forbes. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
↑ Beaujon, Andrew (31 December 2019). "Finally, a Decade Whose Name We Can Agree On". Washingtonian. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
↑ Frank, Michael (September 22, 2023). "US Leadership in Artificial Intelligence Can Shape the 21st Century Global Order". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-08. Instead, the United States has developed a new area of dominance that the rest of the world views with a mixture of awe, envy, and resentment: artificial intelligence... From AI models and research to cloud computing and venture capital, U.S. companies, universities, and research labs – and their affiliates in allied countries – appear to have an enormous lead in both developing cutting-edge AI and commercializing it. The value of U.S. venture capital investments in AI start-ups exceeds that of the rest of the world combined.
↑ Signé, Landry Signe; Dooley, Hanna (March 28, 2023). "How space exploration is fueling the Fourth Industrial Revolution". Brookings. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
↑ "Chandrayaan-3 Details". isro.gov.in. Archived from the original on 23 August 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
↑ "European Parliament approves Brexit agreement". BBC News. January 29, 2020. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
↑ "COVID-19 Data Explorer - Our World in Data". Our World in Data. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
↑ Press, Associated (2021-07-15). "Authoritarianism advances as world battles the pandemic". New York Post. Retrieved 2021-07-18.
↑ Tsoi, Grace; Cho Wai, Lam (2022-06-28). "Hong Kong national security law: What is it and is it worrying?". BBC News.
↑ Ostrovsky, Simon (2021-01-06). "How Azerbaijan Won the Karabakh War". Pulitzer Center. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
↑ "Next Africa: What Does Tigray Want From Ethiopian Civil War?". Bloomberg News. 2021-08-20.
↑ Ritchie, Hannah; Mathieu, Edouard; Rodés-Guirao, Lucas; Appel, Cameron; Giattino, Charlie; Ortiz-Ospina, Esteban; Hasell, Joe; MacDonald, Bobbie; Beltekian, Diana; Roser, Max (5 March 2020). "Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccinations - Our World in Data". Our World in Data. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
↑ "Tokyo Olympics postponed to 2021 due to coronavirus pandemic". The Guardian. March 24, 2020. Archived from the original on March 24, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
1 2 Roy, Esha (15 November 2022). "World @ 8 billion, India set to be most populous". The Indian Express.
↑ "OpenAI's ChatGPT, launched last week, used by over 1 million in 6 days: CEO". Hindustan Times. 5 December 2022.
↑ McKee, Maggie (9 January 2004). "Bush to announce manned mission to Mars". New Scientist. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
↑ Mejia, Paula (January 8, 2015). "On His 80th Birthday, Revisiting the Conspiracies That Have Kept Elvis Presley Alive". Newsweek. Retrieved May 11, 2020.

[1] van Lierop, Wal (24 December 2019). "Let's Make The 20s Roar Again!". Forbes. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2021.

[2] Beaujon, Andrew (31 December 2019). "Finally, a Decade Whose Name We Can Agree On". Washingtonian. Archived from the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.

[3] Frank, Michael (September 22, 2023). "US Leadership in Artificial Intelligence Can Shape the 21st Century Global Order". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-08. Instead, the United States has developed a new area of dominance that the rest of the world views with a mixture of awe, envy, and resentment: artificial intelligence... From AI models and research to cloud computing and venture capital, U.S. companies, universities, and research labs – and their affiliates in allied countries – appear to have an enormous lead in both developing cutting-edge AI and commercializing it. The value of U.S. venture capital investments in AI start-ups exceeds that of the rest of the world combined.

[4] Signé, Landry Signe; Dooley, Hanna (March 28, 2023). "How space exploration is fueling the Fourth Industrial Revolution". Brookings. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 2023-12-08.

[5] "Chandrayaan-3 Details". isro.gov.in. Archived from the original on 23 August 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2024.

[6] "European Parliament approves Brexit agreement". BBC News. January 29, 2020. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.

[7] "COVID-19 Data Explorer - Our World in Data". Our World in Data. Retrieved 2022-04-18.

[8] Press, Associated (2021-07-15). "Authoritarianism advances as world battles the pandemic". New York Post. Retrieved 2021-07-18.

[9] Tsoi, Grace; Cho Wai, Lam (2022-06-28). "Hong Kong national security law: What is it and is it worrying?". BBC News.

[10] Ostrovsky, Simon (2021-01-06). "How Azerbaijan Won the Karabakh War". Pulitzer Center. Retrieved 2022-04-18.

[11] "Next Africa: What Does Tigray Want From Ethiopian Civil War?". Bloomberg News. 2021-08-20.

[12] Ritchie, Hannah; Mathieu, Edouard; Rodés-Guirao, Lucas; Appel, Cameron; Giattino, Charlie; Ortiz-Ospina, Esteban; Hasell, Joe; MacDonald, Bobbie; Beltekian, Diana; Roser, Max (5 March 2020). "Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccinations - Our World in Data". Our World in Data. Retrieved 2022-04-18.

[13] "Tokyo Olympics postponed to 2021 due to coronavirus pandemic". The Guardian. March 24, 2020. Archived from the original on March 24, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.

[pop-14] 1 2 Roy, Esha (15 November 2022). "World @ 8 billion, India set to be most populous". The Indian Express.

[15] "OpenAI's ChatGPT, launched last week, used by over 1 million in 6 days: CEO". Hindustan Times. 5 December 2022.

[16] McKee, Maggie (9 January 2004). "Bush to announce manned mission to Mars". New Scientist. Retrieved 19 July 2020.

[17] Mejia, Paula (January 8, 2015). "On His 80th Birthday, Revisiting the Conspiracies That Have Kept Elvis Presley Alive". Newsweek. Retrieved May 11, 2020.