2020s


The 2020s is the current decade in the Gregorian calendar, which began on 1 January 2020 and will end on 31 December 2029.
At the very start of the decade, tensions rose between Iran and the United States after the assassination of Iranian major general Qasem Soleimani; the tensions calmed after Iran unintentionally shot down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, and, within a few months, the COVID-19 pandemic, spread to over 200 countries and territories. The pandemic caused severe global economic disruption, including the largest global recession since the Great Depression. It led to the postponement or cancellation of sporting, religious, political and cultural events, widespread supply shortages exacerbated by panic buying, and decreased emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases. Numerous countries implemented mandatory lockdowns on public movement, and there have been more than 16.1 million cases, resulting in more than 645,000 deaths. The 10 countries that have reported the most COVID-19 cases are Brazil, Chile, India, Mexico, Peru, Russia, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States., the U.S. reported the highest number of active cases and deaths in the world, with Belgium recording the most deaths of any country per capita, followed by the United Kingdom. Iran and Italy were hard-hit countries early in the pandemic.
Many conflicts that began in the previous decade continued into the 2020s, such as the Syrian Civil War, the Second Libyan Civil War, the War in Donbass, the Iraqi insurgency, the Yemeni Civil War, the South Sudanese Civil War, Rohingya persecution in Myanmar, and the crisis in Venezuela. Conflicts that began before the previous decade have also continued, such as the War in Afghanistan, the Somali Civil War, the Kashmir insurgency, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A huge swarm of desert locusts threatened to engulf massive portions of the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In tandem with the COVID-19 pandemic, this posed major hazards to billions of people who might be affected. Although experts had thought the insects would die out during the dry season in December 2019, unseasonal rains caused the incursion to reach unanticipated and hazardous levels. The killing of George Floyd led to many protests and riots in 2020, in the United States and internationally.

Politics and conflicts

Conflicts and peace

The prominent wars of the decade include:

International wars

Civil wars

Revolutions and major protests

Large-scale political revolutions and otherwise major protests of the decade include, but are not limited to:
NameStart dateEnd dateDescription
Rojava conflict19 July 2012OngoingSince the beginning of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, ethnic Kurds, Assyrians, and Arabs in Northern Syria have been protesting against the Syrian government. The main cause of the protests was state-sponsored discrimination against ethnic minorities. Although originally starting as protests against the government, the protests quickly turned into an armed conflict after the Kurdish People's Protection Units captured the cities of Kobanî, Amuda, and Efrîn between 19 July and 20 July 2012, facing relatively little resistance from the Syrian government. Much of Northern Syria was occupied by the YPG between July and August 2012, with little resistance encountered due to Syria's involvement in the Battle of Aleppo. Led politically by the Democratic Union Party, the territories declared autonomy in January 2014 and Rojava was formed, officially known as the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.
2018–2020 Arab protests1 January 2018OngoingPopularly known as the New Arab Spring, a series of anti-government protests began in 2018 and quickly spread throughout the Arab League countries. The protests were launched in response to authoritarianism, political corruption, human rights violations, high unemployment and inflation, and other causes.
Yellow vests movement17 November 2018OngoingMassive protests began in mid-November in response to a number of changes instituted by the French government, namely the institution of a fuel tax, and other factors such as the high cost of living in France. Their stated goals are an increase in the minimum wage and the resignation of French President Emmanuel Macron, among others. The yellow vest became a symbol of the movement due to its ubiquity, visibility, and accessibility.
2019–20 Hong Kong protests9 June 2019OngoingProtests began in June 2019 in response to the government of Hong Kong's vote on a bill that would allow criminals to be extradited to mainland China; the bill was retracted on 23 October 2019, but demonstrations continued due to misconduct by the Hong Kong Police Force. Multiple goals have been repeated by the protesters, namely the creation of an inquiry into police misconduct, a retraction of the characterization of the protests as "riots", the release of arrested protesters, and universal suffrage in Hong Kong. In May 2020 the protests again expanded to oppose the National Anthem Bill and National People's Congress Decision on Hong Kong national security legislation.
2019–2020 Chilean protests14 October 2019OngoingA series of protests and demonstrations began in Chile in October 2019 in response to an increase in public transport fares, a rise in the cost of living, income equality, and privatization, with end goals of healthcare, educational, and pension reforms, an increase in the minimum wage, and the resignation of Chilean President Sebastián Piñera.
Citizenship Amendment Act protests in India4 December 2019OngoingProtests are taking place across India and overseas against and in support of the Citizenship Act, which was enacted into law on 12 December 2019 to give citizenship to religiously prosecuted minority communities of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian of the Islamic republics of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, who have entered India on or before 31 December 2014. Protests are also taking place against proposals to enact a nationwide National Register of Citizens. The protests began in Assam, Delhi, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Tripura on 4 December 2019. In a few days, the protests spread across India, though the concerns of the protesters vary.
George Floyd protests26 May 2020OngoingProtests in Minneapolis began after an unarmed African American man named George Floyd was subdued by police; an officer knelt on his neck for several minutes, and Floyd died shortly thereafter. The incident was captured on cellphone video that circulated widely on the internet, which sparked outrage across the United States and other parts of the world. The protests in Minneapolis quickly turned into riots; arson and looting occurred for several days in Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Detroit, and dozens of other US cities. There were also many peaceful protests demanding an end to systemic racism and police brutality.

Terrorist attacks

Note: To be included, entries must be notable and described by a consensus of as "terrorism". They also must have 100 or more fatalities reported.

Prominent political events

This table of events is listed by the region and by chronological order. The prominent political events include, but are not limited to:

Africa

Americas

EventCountryDateDescriptionReferences

Impeachment trial of Donald Trump		24 September 2019 – 5 February 2020Under of the U.S. Constitution. Donald John Trump was impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress on 18 December 2019. The United States Senate trial began on 16 January 2020 and ended on 5 February 2020, concluding with an acquittal on both charges.

Asia

EventCountryDateDescriptionReference
2019–2020 Persian Gulf crisis 5 May 2019The Persian Gulf region saw tensions between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran escalate in mid-2019. The crisis saw oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz sabotaged and seized, drone shootdowns, and efforts by the U.S. and United Kingdom to pursue military patrols to protect shipping in the gulf, known as the International Maritime Security Construct. On December 31, 2019 tensions reached a breaking point as Iranian-backed Shiite militia stormed into the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, leading to the targeted killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in a U.S. drone strike on January 3, 2020.

Europe

EventCountryDateDescriptionReferences
Brexit31 January 2020The United Kingdom and Gibraltar formally withdrew from the European Union at 11PM.

World leaders

Assassinations and attempts

Prominent assassinations, targeted killings, and assassination attempts include:
DateDescription
3 January 2020Qasem Soleimani, a high-ranking Iranian official, was killed in a United States airstrike near Baghdad International Airport.

Disasters

Natural disasters

Earthquakes and tsunamis

Note: This table is a chronological list of earthquakes reported with 7.5 or greater or that have reported at least 100 fatalities.
EventDateCountryDescription
2020 Caribbean earthquakeCaribbean SeaA 7.7 struck in the Caribbean Sea between Jamaica and Cuba at 14:10 local time on 28 January 2020. The earthquake was also felt in the United States, Mexico, Honduras, Dominican Republic, and the Cayman Islands. This was the strongest earthquake reported in 2020. No damages were reported. A small tsunami was reported in the Cayman Islands.
2020 Zagreb earthquake22 March 2020CroatiaA 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck Croatia's capital city Zagreb at 06:24 local time on 22 March 2020. The earthquake was followed with numerous aftershocks, the strongest of which with a magnitude of 5.0. The earthquake caused significant material damage in Zagreb and in Krapina-Zagorje County. Two deaths and twenty-six injuries were reported. It was the strongest earthquake in Zagreb since 1880.
Kuril Islands earthquakeKuril Islands, Russia A 7.5 offshore earthquake struck at midnight on 24–25 March near the Kuril Islands, Russia. A tsunami alert was triggered and the 400 people were evacuated in the Severo-Kurilsky District due to half-meter high waves. No damages were reported.

Tropical cyclones

Volcanic eruptions

Droughts, heat waves, and wildfires

EventDateCountryDescription
2019–20 Australian bushfire season – presentBushfires in Australia continued into 2020, having started in September 2019.

Economics

Depending on the measurement of GDP, either the United States or China has the largest economy, but China is expected to surpass the United States in both the nominal and purchasing power parity approaches by 2033. India currently has the fifth-largest economy and is expected to soon surpass Germany and Japan. Falling oil prices will probably push Saudi Arabia out of the top ten. World population is likely to increase by one billion, and the number of megacities of over 10 million people is likely to grow—mostly in the developing world. The developing world, including not only China and India, but also Brazil and Indonesia, are likely to see the most economic growth in the coming decade. Areas of concern to the economy are climate change, artificial intelligence, energy sustainability, trade, refugees, and resource conflicts.

Trade

The World Trade Organization says that trade growth has stagnated and that the number of trade restrictions is increasing as the decade begins. The sectors most affected by import restrictions are mineral and fuel oils, machinery and mechanical appliances, electrical machinery and parts, and precious metals. On the other hand, regional trade agreements are .
The Brexit withdrawal agreement went into effect at the end of January 2020. Mexico and the United States have signed the USMCA agreement, and Canada has signed it as of March 2020.

Stock markets

Since mid- to late February 2020, global stocks have been declining as a consequence of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and other factors, such as the Russia-Saudi Arabia oil price war, with Wall Street heavily hit in particular. This was in particular seen on the day of 24 February, when global stocks went into free-fall due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell over 1,000 points, or 3.5%, the S&P 500 fell 3.3%, and the NASDAQ-100 fell 3.7%. Global markets were similarly affected, with the FTSE 100 closing 3.3% lower, and Italy's FTSE MIB falling 6% lower. Stocks continued to decline severely that week, amounting to over 3,500 points in losses in the Dow. Although stocks recovered the following week, late into the week of 2 March, most stocks began to decline, although East Asian markets remained relatively stable.
On Sunday, 8 March 2020, Saudi Arabia unexpectedly announced that they would be imposing discounts on oil prices, essentially initiating a price war with Russia, who had rejected a plan by OPEC to cut production in response to the coronavirus pandemic. In reaction to the announcement, the DJIA futures market plunged over 1,300 points, suspending trade for that day. This drop would have established the next day, 9 March, as the largest daily change in the index's history. On Monday, 9 March 2020, markets crashed in the worst trading day since 2008. All three Wall Street indices experienced their largest daily changes in history up to that point, with the Dow Jones falling 1800 points at the opening bell, exceeding the predicted 1300 points, and the DJIA closed out at an over 2000 point. or 7.8% loss. Markets worldwide experienced similar crashes; the S&P 500 fell 7.6%, the NASDAQ Composite fell over 7.3%, the FTSE 100 fell 7.7%, and the FTSE MIB in Italy, the hardest hit index, fell 11.2%, the largest in its history up to that point.
Although stocks rebounded the day after Black Monday, on Wednesday, 11 March, stocks continued to decline over coronavirus fears, and the fall resulted in the Dow Jones Industrial Average entering a bear market for the first time in 11 years, and ending the bull market. The same day, after trading had ended, U.S. President Donald Trump gave an address announcing a 30-day travel ban on the Schengen Area due to the coronavirus pandemic, with an initial exclusion of Ireland and the United Kingdom, although the two countries were eventually included. On Thursday, 12 March, the day after the announcement, markets again crashed, with the Dow Jones plummeting 1800 points at the opening, and closing out at over 2300 points lost, or a 10% loss. 12 March, known as Black Thursday, came to be the largest crash on Wall Street since 1987.

Cybersecurity and hacking

EventDateDescription
2020 Twitter bitcoin scam15 July 2020Multiple high-profile Twitter accounts, each with millions of followers, were compromised in a cyberattack to promote a bitcoin scam.

Health

Pandemics

Science and technology

Space

Population

The killing of George Floyd has led to many protest and riots across the United States and internationally. The goal of the protest has been to end police brutality and racial inequality.

Gender

24.3% of all national parliamentarians were women as of February 2019. 11 women were serving as Head of State and 12 as Head of Government in June 2019. 20.7% of government ministers were women as of January 2019. Katerina Sakellaropoulou became the first female president of Greece in January 2020.
There are wide regional variations in the average percentages of women parliamentarians. As of February 2019, these were: Nordic countries, 42.5%; Americas, 30.6%; Europe excluding Nordic countries, 27.2; sub-Saharan Africa, 23.9; Asia, 19.8%; Arab States, 19%; and the Pacific, 16.3%. Rwanda has the highest number of women parliamentarians worldwide, 61.3% of seats in the lower house. About 26% of elected local parliamentarians are women.

Environmentalism

Film

Television

The 2020s started off with the primary streaming services being Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and Disney+. Cable television is continuing to fall out of popularity, and is not as prevalent as it was in the 2010s and decades prior.

Music

The decade began with trap as the most prevalent genre on the charts. Many popular songs are influenced by musical stylings of the late 20th century, including new wave, synthpop, disco, house music, and funk.

Video games

The decade began with the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch being the main video game consoles. PC gaming and mobile gaming have also remained very popular.
The 9th generation of consoles will begin in 2020 with the release of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

Architecture

Sports