2020s
The decade from January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2029, in the Gregorian calendar.
COVID-19 pandemic: A global pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, declared by the World Health Organization in March 2020. The pandemic began in 2020 and reshaped daily life, public health, and economies worldwide.
Remote work: A work arrangement in which employees perform their jobs away from a central workplace, often using digital communication tools. Pandemic restrictions accelerated remote work and changed expectations about where jobs can be done.
COVID-19: An infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, first identified in 2019. The disease emerged just before the decade began and drove its largest public-health emergency.
2030s: The decade from January 1, 2030, through December 31, 2039, in the Gregorian calendar. It is the next calendar decade, whose conditions and events remain unknown.
Russian invasion of Ukraine: Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched on February 24, 2022. The invasion became a defining European war and a major geopolitical rupture of the decade.
Generative artificial intelligence: Artificial intelligence that produces new text, images, audio, video, or other content from learned patterns. Rapid adoption of generative AI is reshaping creative work, education, and software.
SARS-CoV-2: A coronavirus that causes COVID-19 and spreads primarily through respiratory particles. The virus’s emergence initiated the pandemic that defined the decade’s opening years.
2010s: The decade from January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2019, in the Gregorian calendar. Contrasting it with the 2020s highlights the pandemic-era break in everyday life and policy.
ChatGPT: A conversational artificial-intelligence system launched by OpenAI in November 2022. Its public release brought generative AI into everyday debate and use.
European energy crisis: A sharp rise in European energy prices and supply uncertainty that intensified in 2021 and 2022. Russia’s war against Ukraine accelerated Europe’s effort to reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels.