McKinsey and the World Economic Forum 2024

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Every year, the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting brings together top decision-makers from government, business, and civil society to address major global issues and priorities for the year ahead. At the Annual Meeting 2024, which took place in Davos, Switzerland from January 15 to January 19, more than 300 public figures, including more than 60 heads of state and government, focused on rebuilding trust amid uncertainty and rapid change, centered around the following areas:

achieving security and cooperation in a fractured world
creating growth and jobs for a new era
artificial intelligence as a driving force for the economy and society
a long-term strategy for climate, nature and energy

As a strategic partner to the World Economic Forum, McKinsey engaged with Davos 2024 participants in constructive, forward-looking dialogues to identify impact-oriented solutions that will contribute to a better world, focused on sustainable inclusive growth.

Latest themes

Resilience | Sustainability | Reimagine globalization
Generative AI | Inclusive, equitable growth | Women’s health

Davos 2024: Reflections

Davos 2024 is well behind us, but with 11 months to go until next year’s Annual Meeting, McKinsey’s leaders reflect on the topics discussed, lessons learned, and how these ideas are shaping their work this year.

McKinsey’s senior leaders Katy George, Solveigh Hieronimus, Noshir Kaka, Tunde Olanrewaju, Ishaan Seth, Humayun Tai, and Yuito Yamada look back on Davos 2024.

Related insights

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Geopolitics and the geometry of global trade

January 17, 2024 -

Global trade patterns are reconfiguring. More shifts are likely and businesses need to be aware of the potential trade-offs of different paths ahead.

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Report - McKinsey Health Institute

Closing the women’s health gap: A $1 trillion opportunity to improve lives and economies

January 17, 2024 -

Investments addressing the women’s health gap could add years to life and life to years—and potentially boost the global economy by $1 trillion annually by 2040.

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Accelerating Europe: Competitiveness for a new era

January 16, 2024 -

Turbulent times have highlighted new fragilities in Europe’s economies. Addressing them could be the catalyst for a new wave of competitiveness and growth.

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Article

2024 and beyond: Will it be economic stagnation or the advent of productivity-driven abundance?

January 12, 2024 -

Hoping for a soft landing in 2024 won’t mitigate current risks or raise business performance and living standards longer term. If companies pursue the three-sided productivity opportunity, however, they can do both.

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Article

Climate Transition Impact Framework: Essential elements for an equitable and inclusive transition

December 18, 2023 -

This framework seeks to provide an initial approach at quantifying the socioeconomic impacts of climate action. A roundtable with more than 40 climate leaders at COP28 underscored the need for this lens.

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Interactive

What matters most? Eight CEO priorities for 2024

December 12, 2023 -

Forming the right agenda is not getting easier. Here’s our annual attempt to cut through the clutter and zero in on things that matter to CEOs.

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The role of public–private–philanthropic partnerships in driving climate and nature transitions

November 20, 2023 -

Partnerships bringing together the public sector, the private sector, and philanthropies are increasingly emerging to address climate and nature challenges such as tackling the net-zero transition, reducing forest loss, and promoting biodiversity.

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Report - MGI Research

From poverty to empowerment: Raising the bar for sustainable and inclusive growth

September 18, 2023 -

What would it take to raise minimum living standards and get on a net-zero path in this decade? Our research explores twin ambitions for people and the planet.

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The economic potential of generative AI: The next productivity frontier

June 14, 2023 -

Generative AI is poised to unleash the next wave of productivity. We take a first look at where business value could accrue and the potential impacts on the workforce.

We are collaborating with WEF on knowledge topics

FEATURED COLLABORATIONS

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Report

Building a resilient tomorrow: Concrete actions for global leaders

February 14, 2024 -

Leaders need to move toward putting resilience into action.

The Global Cooperation Barometer 2024

This report measures the current state of global cooperation. It is meant to serve as a tool for leaders to better understand the contours of cooperation broadly and along five pillars–trade and capital flows, innovation and technology, climate and natural capital, health and wellness, and peace and security.

Read the report

10 ways the world can improve access to minerals for the energy transition

Reaching net zero emissions targets will depend on the availability of enough minerals and rare earth elements. This report outlines the risks this could pose and strategies to help mitigate them.

Read the report

Why businesses are waking up to the threat of nature-related risks

Adopting a nature-positive strategy creates new opportunities, valued globally at $10.1 trillion in additional annual business value and 395 million jobs by 2030, and provides a solid foundation to sustain business growth and competitiveness.

Read the article

Biodiversity credits: Demand drivers and guidance on early use

Two reports that advance the debate on emerging markets for biodiversity credits, published by the World Economic Forum Biodiversity Credits Initiative.

Download the reports

Securing critical minerals for energy transition requires collective action

The widespread and rapid increase in adoption of low-carbon technologies required for the energy transition will not be possible without a ramp-up of critical minerals supply at a pace never seen in history.

Read the article

Report

Circularity in the Built Environment: Maximizing CO2 abatement and business opportunities

This white paper offers strategies for a sustainable transition in the built environment, aligning with global development goals and addressing the urgent challenge of CO2 abatement, and serves as a call to action for leaders in both the public and private sectors.

Download the report

Our updates from Davos

Five themes of global cooperation

Insights related to McKinsey–WEF Collaborations

Nature & Climate

Article

Seizing the momentum to build resilience for a future of sustainable inclusive growth

Article

Full throttle on net zero: Creating value in the face of uncertainty

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Article

Five key action areas to put Europe’s energy transition on a more orderly path

Regions, Trade & Geopolitics

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Commentary

Geopolitical resilience: The new board imperative

Podcast

Geopolitical risk: Navigating a world in flux

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Article - MGI Research

Asia on the cusp of a new era

Financial & monetary systems

Article

Been there, doing that: How corporate and investment banks are tackling gen AI

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Report

On the cusp of the next payments era: Future opportunities for banks

Podcast

Investing in a net-zero economy: Scaling blended finance

4th Industrial Revolution

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The next chapter: Lighthouses shape the Fourth Industrial Revolution

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The continuing evolution of the Global Lighthouse Network

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The scaling imperative for industry 4.0

Energy & Materials

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The AI-enabled utility: Rewiring to win in the energy transition

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Building value by decarbonizing the built environment

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Leading through uncertainty in the energy and materials sectors

Health & healthcare

Article - McKinsey Health Institute

Age is just a number: How older adults view healthy aging

Article - McKinsey Health Institute

Gen Z mental health: The impact of tech and social media

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The Future of Healthcare

Advanced manufacturing & supply chains

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AI: The next frontier of performance in industrial processing plants

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When technology meets operational excellence

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Boosting Vietnam’s manufacturing sector: From low cost to high productivity

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What is Davos?

December 11, 2023 -

Davos, Switzerland, is where the World Economic Forum holds its annual meeting. Delegates from many sectors converge for several days of talks and meetings to address urgent global issues.

Our core team

2024 Delegation

Young Global Leaders on Davos 2024

What can we expect at Davos 2024? The World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders, current and alumni, share their thoughts on generative AI—a topic that will dominate the Davos agenda—and suggest other themes that they believe should get more attention.