These Are the Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2025: Insights from the World Economic Forum
June 24, 2025
The World Economic Forum has unveiled its latest Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2025 report, spotlighting breakthrough innovations poised to significantly impact various aspects of human life and the global economy within the next three to five years. Released at the Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions — popularly known as Summer Davos — this report highlights technologies that are at the nexus of scientific advancement and practical application, ready to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing society today.
A New Era of Technological Convergence and Impact
The 2025 report illustrates how technological progress is increasingly shaped by the convergence of disparate fields — from artificial intelligence and biotechnology to advanced materials and clean energy solutions. This systems-oriented approach not only accelerates innovation but also addresses complexity in more integrated ways, driving progress on global risks such as misinformation, pollution, and climate stress.
Jeremy Jurgens and Frederick Fenter, in their foreword, emphasized the importance of identifying technologies at their "turning point," offering leaders across government, business, and science the foresight needed to navigate an evolving technological landscape. The report categorizes the emerging technologies around four vital trends shaping the future:
- Trust and Safety in a Connected World
- Next-Generation Biotechnologies for Health
- Redesigning Industrial Sustainability
- Integrating Energy and Materials
The Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2025
1. Structural Battery Composites (SBCs)
SBCs are revolutionary materials that simultaneously bear structural loads and store electrical energy — contrasting sharply with traditional separate battery packs in electric vehicles. By integrating batteries into the vehicle’s frame, SBCs promise lighter, more efficient electric cars and aircraft. Although regulatory frameworks and safety standards need development for widespread adoption, SBCs hold immense potential for cutting costs and reducing environmental impact.
2. Osmotic Power Systems
Harnessing the energy from the salinity difference between freshwater and seawater, osmotic power systems offer a renewable, low-impact source of electricity. Advances in materials and membrane technology have revitalized interest in two main types: Pressure Retarded Osmosis and Reverse Electrodialysis. These systems capitalize on the natural tendency of water to seek salinity equilibrium — generating pressure or electric charges in the process — with promising applications for sustainable power generation.
3. Advanced Nuclear Technologies
Nuclear energy is witnessing a renaissance with innovations such as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and alternative cooling methods aiming to enhance safety, lower costs, and expand energy output. The international ITER project in France represents the forefront of this evolution, striving toward nuclear fusion, an energy source with the potential to drastically transform global energy systems by delivering abundant and clean power.
4. Engineered Living Therapeutics
This pioneering biotechnology transforms beneficial microbes into “living drug factories” that can produce therapeutic molecules directly inside the human body. By circumventing traditional drug manufacturing processes, these therapeutics offer sustained treatment delivery at a fraction of the cost, benefiting patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes. This innovation holds promise for making long-term care cheaper, more effective, and more natural.
5. GLP-1s for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Originally developed to manage type 2 diabetes and obesity, Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are now showing encouraging results in treating neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. These drugs reduce brain inflammation and facilitate the removal of toxic proteins, potentially slowing or preventing disease progression. With over 55 million people worldwide affected by dementia, this could alleviate both medical and socioeconomic burdens.
6. Autonomous Biochemical Sensing
Autonomous sensors capable of continuously monitoring biochemical markers are expanding beyond well-known applications such as wearable glucose monitors. These devices, equipped with self-sustaining power sources and wireless communication, enable real-time data collection for health indicators, environmental pollutants, and food safety, opening new frontiers in proactive healthcare and environmental monitoring.
Continuing the Quest for Clean Energy and Sustainability
The report also underscores the ongoing global challenge of transitioning to clean energy. Despite emissions from energy production and consumption accounting for roughly two-thirds of global greenhouse gases, 81% of the world’s energy system still relies on fossil fuels—unchanged from three decades ago. Energy efficiency improvements are also slowing, with the 2018 rate being the lowest since 2010. The World Economic Forum is actively advancing initiatives through its Centre for Energy & Materials and the Mission Possible Partnership to accelerate decarbonization of heavy industries and mobility sectors via innovative technologies and collaborative public-private efforts.
7. Green Nitrogen Fixation
Nitrogen fixation is essential for producing ammonia-based fertilizers that support about half of global food production. Conventional nitrogen fixation methods are energy-intensive and environmentally damaging. Emerging green nitrogen fixation techniques aim to drastically reduce the ecological footprint of fertilizer production, fostering sustainable agriculture while maintaining food security.
Looking Ahead
The Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2025 report encapsulates a forward-looking vision where scientific breakthroughs increasingly translate into tangible societal gains. As these technologies mature and integrate into wider systems, they hold promise not only to improve quality of life but also to tackle critical global challenges related to health, environment, and energy.
For policymakers, business leaders, and researchers, this report provides a blueprint for strategic investment and collaboration to help usher in a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient future.
For more information, visit the World Economic Forum’s official website and explore the full Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2025 report.
