Imagine we were having this meeting in 1925. The world is in tatters, totalitarianism is on the rise, and the Great Depression looms. It would seem almost crazy to suggest the upcoming century would be the greatest of all time — with GDP per capita exploding six-fold, billions escaping the horrors of poverty, and three decades of life added to each person. Physical limits to growth proved completely unfounded — the only thing that made some places miss out on growth was bad politics.
Now we are in 2025. Again, chaos and confusion abound. The engines of progress seem to sputter. The degrowthers are circling. Can we again prove them wrong and emerge to build another century of plenty?
Backed up by a year-long research project by the McKinsey Global Institute, we make a case for a bountiful 2100, where even our poorest country — Burundi — enjoys the standard of living in today’s Switzerland. This would require an eight-fold expansion of global GDP. Is it possible? Is there enough material and energy? Is there enough scientific headroom? Will we need to violate planetary boundaries?
