Scanning electron microscope image of SARS-CoV-2 (center, yellow), the virus that causes COVID-19, which in the year 2020 became a pandemic that has so far dominated the decade.
The 2020s (commonly pronounced "twenty-twenties"; and, like the 1920s, also shortened to the '20s[1][2]) is the current decade of the Gregorian calendar, which began on 1 January 2020 and will end on 31 December 2029.
The conflict between Jewish and Arab communities in Israel and the West Bank has been ongoing since 1948.[5] After Israel took control of the West Bank, it began making settlements there, which led to heightened clashes to this day.[6]
The region of Karabakh has been disputed over the Republic of Artsakh, which is supported by the Armenian government. A ceasefire was held in 1994. In July 2020, a series of border skirmishes left at least 15 dead. From 27 September until 10 November 2020, a second war broke out in the region.
Motivated by the September 11 attacks, the United States and other governments started a large scale effort to eliminate terrorism.[7] With support from NATO, the United States invaded Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and overthrew the government, however remained in the country to stabilise the situation.[8] Two years later, on the pretext that the government of Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction,[9] the United States and a coalition of partners invaded Iraq and overthrew Hussein's regime,[10] after which the U.S. occupied the country, officially leaving in 2011.[11] However, insurgencies remained active in both countries, long after the invasions.[12]
After the fall of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, Russian soldiers took control of strategic positions in the Ukrainian territory of Crimea and subsequently annexed the region after a controversial referendum.[13] In the months that followed, demonstrations in Donbass escalated into an armed conflict between the government of Ukraine and Russia-backed separatist forces.
In late-2013, a terrorist organisation called the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant began making rapid advances and territorial gains in Iraq and Syria. It captured Mosul in June[14] and made Raqqa its capital.[15] Various international coalitions were formed to help fight the militants.[16][17] By December 2017, ISIL had lost much of its former territory.
Following a rise in criminal violence as a result of drug trafficking in the country, Mexican President Felipe Calderón declared a war on drugs in December 2006.[18] Since the start of the war, the death toll from drug violence had sharply increased.[19] Arrests of key cartel leaders led to increasing violence as cartels fought for control of trafficking routes into the United States.[20][21][22]
In 2009, Al-Shabaab, an Islamist militant group, began waging an insurgency against the newly formed Transitional Federal Government. In 2011, the federal government captured Mogadishu[23] and subsequently retook several towns across the country.[24] Since then, the government has attempted to clean out the remaining Al-Shabaab strongholds with help from AMISOM soldiers.[25]
In January 2012, a rebellion by Tuaregs in Northern Mali began. After Malian president Amadou Toumani Touré was ousted in a coup d'état, Tuaregs captured Northern Mali,[26] and declared it to be the independent state of Azawad.[27] However, shortly afterward, various Islamists groups took over Northern Mali from the Tuaregs and imposed sharia law on the region.[28]
On 22 February 2020, rivals Kiir and Machar struck a unity deal and formed a coalition government, after an estimated 400,000 deaths and more than 4 million people displaced by the war.
Following a rise in criminal violence as a result of drug trafficking in the country, the Philippines has been engaged in a drug war since Philippine PresidentRodrigo Duterte was inaugurated on 30 June 2016. It had caused more than 5,000 deaths and over 150,000 arrests by the beginning of the decade.[31][32]
Note: To be included, entries must be notable (have a stand-alone article) and described by a consensus of reliable sources as "terrorism". They also must have 100 or more fatalities reported.
During a political crisis, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele sent forty soldiers of the Salvadoran Army into the Legislative Assembly building in an effort to coerce politicians to approve a loan request of 109 million dollars from the United States for Bukele's security plan for the country.
The event has been condemned by foreign governments, the political opposition, and human rights organizations and is considered the first major political crisis in the country since the conclusion of the Salvadoran Civil War in 1992 and has been referred to as a coup attempt.[37]
Protests and riots due to the murder of George Floyd spread throughout the US and lasted many months. The stated goal was to end systemic racism and police brutality. These protests and riots caused more than $1 billion in damage.
The 59th United States presidential election was held on 3 November 2020. Democrat and former Vice-PresidentJoe Biden defeated Republican and then-incumbent PresidentDonald Trump, with the Electoral College formally declaring Biden the winner on 14 December 2020. Trump refused to concede, and filed lawsuits challenging the results in several states,[38] though most of the legal challenges were either dismissed or dropped, with judges citing lack of evidence to suggest voter fraud occurred. Trump had also unsuccessfully attempted to undo the election results by forcing government officials to stop Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Georgia from certifying Biden as the winner, and urging his supporters to "walk" to the United States capitol to demand Trump be declared the winner of the election.[39] This was one of the reasons for the decision of a group of his supporters to gather in Washington, D.C on 6 January 2021 and break into the Capitol building during a Joint session of Congress. The attack against the United States Capitol disrupted Congress while certifying the election, forcing both chambers to undergo lockdown lasting for four hours. On the same day, Trump coerced then-incumbent Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election results to which Pence refused. During the attack, Trump tweeted directly to his supporters falsely claiming Congress was attempting to assist in stealing the election. Twitter responded by suspending Trump's account permanently following Trump's tweet. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat all also suspended Trump from using their platforms worrying his posts may incite additional violence to the Capitol attacks. In relation to this, Trump was impeached for the second time by the House of Representatives and became the first U.S. President to be impeached twice. Meanwhile, Joe Biden was sworn in as the United States President on 20 January 2021. The impeachment trial ended on 13 February 2021, one month after its start. Trump was found not guilty of inciting the Storming of the Capitol.
Since 5 May 2020, Chinese and Indian troops have engaged in aggressive melee, face-offs and skirmishes at locations along the Sino-Indian border, including near the disputed Pangong Lake in Ladakh and the Tibet Autonomous Region, and near the border between Sikkim and the Tibet Autonomous Region. Additional clashes also took place at locations in eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Beginning on 1 May 2021, the Taliban and allied militant groups made a final offensive against the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and its allies, coinciding with the withdrawal of most United States and allied troops from Afghanistan. It resulted in the de facto takeover of the country and the reinstatement of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, ending the twenty-year long War in Afghanistan on 15 August 2021.
Massive explosion occurred in the port of Beirut. Reportedly, the blast was so loud that it was even claimed to be heard in Cyprus, which is 240 km from the location of the explosion.[74] The windows of major buildings in a 6-mile radius were shattered and roads were filled with debris. According to initial findings, it was estimated that a warehouse with 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded, which was confiscated by the Lebanese government from the abandoned ship MV Rhosus and then stored in the port without proper safety measures for six years.[75] There had been confirmed 220 deaths, more than 110 people were missing and at least more than 7,000 were reported injured.[76] Beirut governor Marwan Abboud estimated that up to 300,000 people were left homeless by the explosions and there was a US$10–15 billion in property damage.
A 12-story beachfront condominium in the Miami suburb of Surfside, Florida, partially collapsed. As of 22 July 2021, a total of 98 people are confirmed to have died, while 11 were injured.[77] One person was rescued from the rubble and about 35 people were rescued on 24 June from the uncollapsed portion of the building, which was demolished 11 days later as a safety precaution due to the approach of Hurricane Elsa. On 7 July, authorities announced that the objective of the search was transitioning from rescue to recovery, and that the missing victims are presumed dead.
A 7.7Mw 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. No damages were reported. A small (12.2 cm) tsunami was reported in the Cayman Islands.[78][79]
Lesser Antilles, Greater Antilles, Gulf Coast of the United States, Midwestern United States
77 people were killed and thousands made homeless during one of the strongest storms to make landfall in the United States. Damages estimated at US$19.1 billion.[84][85]
A total of 278+ people were killed during both Hurricane Eta and Hurricane Iota in Nicaragua and Honduras. Damages totaled up to US$9.3 billion from both hurricanes.
This category-4 cyclone hit the western coast of India. 174 total fatalities recorded (all countries). Damages totaled up to US$2.12 billion. Other countries affected were Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Maldives.
Several southern provinces in the Philippines were flooded and ravaged by the typhoon. 392 people have died, with at least 515 people injured. Damages amount up to US$720 million.[86]
Tornado activity swept the southern and midwestern United States in the evening of December 10 through the following morning. Arkansas, Missouri, and Kentucky suffered extensive damage.[87]
Floods, avalanches, and mudslides
Note: This section reports only floods with 200 or more deaths and avalanches and landslides involving 30 or more deaths.
On 12 January the Taal Volcano in the Philippines erupted at VEI 4 intensity, bringing intense ashfall to the surrounding areas and killing at least 3 people.[citation needed]
The collapse of an unbstable lava dome on the summit of Semeru due to heavy rainfall triggered large pyroclastic flows, killing 48, injuring over 100 and leaving 23 missing.[89]
The Hunga Tonga volcano in the South Pacific erupted violently on January 15, causing tsunamis to hit Hawaii, Japan, and Tonga's largest island, Tongatapu and sent waves flooding into Nukuʻalofa. [90]
An ongoing period of drought began in the country of South Africa in late October 2018 and continued into early 2021, negatively affecting food security in the region.
Parts of Russia and eastern Europe were hit by a record-breaking heat wave in May and June 2021, with temperatures in the Arctic Circle above 30 °C and the highest temperatures recorded in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Extreme temperatures caused by a prolonged heat dome over western Canada and United States kills over 613 people including over 480 people in British Columbia alone. The village of Lytton, British Columbia, which recorded the highest temperatures in Canada, is destroyed by a large wildfire as over 200 other ones devastate wide areas of the province. Wildfires in parts of the western coastal states of the US such as Washington, Oregon and California are also greatly worsened by the heat wave.
Over a hundred wildfires began in the Mediterranean Region of the forest in Turkey, the worst in the country for at least a decade. The wildfires started in Manavgat, Antalya on 28 July 2021, with the temperature around 37 °C (99 °F).
Drought developed in the Western, Midwestern and Northeastern United States in the summer of 2020. Over the course of 2021, conditions improved in the Northeast but worsened in the Western US. As of June 2021, 97% of the region was facing abnormally dry conditions. By August 2021, parts of the upper Midwestern US were experiencing some of the worst drought spells since the 1980s. Drought also affected a wide area of Mexico as of 2021, as well as the prairies of Canada.
The Brexit withdrawal agreement went into effect at the end of January 2020 with the UK completing its economic withdrawal from the EU at the end of that year.[98][99]
The United States, Mexico, and Canada signed the USMCA agreement, which came into effect on 1 July 2020.[100][101]
The World Trade Organization reported that trade growth had stagnated and that trade restrictions were increasing as the decade began. The sectors most affected by import restrictions were mineral and fuel oils (17.7%), machinery and mechanical appliances (13%), electrical machinery and parts (11.7%), and precious metals (6%).[104]Regional trade agreements were found to be increasing.[105]
37.9 million people living with HIV (end of 2018), 24.5 million people accessing antiretroviral therapy (end of June 2019), 32.0 million deaths from AIDS-related illnesses since the start of the epidemic (end 2018).[111]
NASA launched the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter drone on 30 July 2020 as part of their Mars 2020 mission to search for signs of ancient life on Mars.[112] On 19 April 2021, the Ingenuity helicopter drone performed the first powered controlled flight by an aircraft on a planet other than Earth.[113]
On 11 July 2021, Virgin Galactic became the first spaceflight company to independently launch a paying civilian into outer space using the 50 mile high definition of outer space, having flown Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson above the 50 mile mark, enabling him and the rest of the crew to experience approximately 3 minutes of weightlessness above Earth’s atmosphere.
Low-income individuals were more likely to contract the coronavirus and to die from it. In both New York City and Barcelona, low-income neighborhoods were disproportionately hit by coronavirus cases. Hypotheses for why this was the case included that poorer families were more likely to live in crowded housing and work in the low-skill jobs, such as supermarkets and elder care, which were deemed essential during the crisis. In the United States, millions of low-income people may lack access to health care due to being uninsured or underinsured. Millions of Americans lost their health insurance after losing their jobs. Many low-income workers in service jobs became unemployed.
The coronavirus pandemic was followed by a concern for a potential spike in suicides, exacerbated by social isolation due to quarantine and social-distancing guidelines, fear, and unemployment and financial factors. Many countries reported an increase in domestic violence and intimate partner violence attributed to lockdowns amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Financial insecurity, stress, and uncertainty led to increased aggression at home, with abusers able to control large amounts of their victims' daily life. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for a domestic violence "ceasefire".
Population
The population of Egypt reached 100 million in February 2020.[117]
Population growth, life expectancy and birth rates declined globally in the early 2020s, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.[118]
Race
The murder of George Floyd led to many protest and riots across the United States and internationally in 2020. The stated goal of the protest has been to end police brutality and racial inequality, and is closely linked with the Black Lives Matter movement.
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.[119]
·Team Seas is an international collaborative fundraiser founded by the Youtuber/Influencers Mark Rober and MrBeast on October 29, 2021 as a follow-up to Team Trees. The aim is to raise 30 million USD$ to remove 30 million pounds of trash from the ocean by the end of the year. They have also partnered with the Ocean Cleanup and the Ocean Conservancy.
Switzerland banned discrimination based on sexuality due to a referendum, putting into effect a law previously introduced in 2018, that was subsequently blocked by the government that requested a referendum to be held on the matter first.[122]
The Trump Administration passed a law on 12 June 2020 removing protections against discrimination from LGBTQ people in terms of health care and health insurance in the United States.[125]PresidentJoe Biden reversed a policy enacted during the Trump administration which previously allowed healthcare companies to deny coverage to gay and transgender people on 10 May 2021.[126]
The U.S State Department issued its first ever passport with an "X" gender marker in October 2021, intended to support nonbinary people.[127]
Same-sex marriage became legal in Switzerland after a 2021 referendum, which will be enforced in July 2022.
Culture
Decorated cloth face masks. Wearing a face covering in settings such as shops, bars, airports, and on public transport became mandatory in many countries in the early 2020s, in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The Xbox Series X was also released at the beginning of the 2020s.
Popular singer Olivia Rodrigo visited the White House in 2021 in a push to normalize vaccine use for American youth. Pictured above is Rodrigo with President Joe Biden, the two of them putting on Biden's signature aviator sunglasses.
The videosharing site TikTok became an influence to pop culture and the music industry in the early 2020s.
By the early 2020s, foldable phones became retail available, though they were quite expensive in comparison to standard phones, or the bulkier phone of the 2010s.
Bright multi-colored clothing became a trend in the early 2020s, as did baggier, looser-fitting clothing (in a rejection to the form-fitting 2010s fashion), as modeled here by Billie Eilish, one of the most popular musicians of the decade.
In the 2020s, multiple online food delivery services such as Uber Eats, Postmates, DoorDash and Grubhub became popular. Pictured above is an Uber Eats employee delivering a meal.
The Netflix show Squid Game became an immediate global success in the early 2020s. Beyond television, its effects in popular culture were also notable for the increased sales of outfits and shoes featured in the show.
The use of cryptocurrency became more mainstream in the 2020s. Crypto such as Bitcoin and others were notable. The Staples Center was even renamed Crypto.com Arena in 2021. (As well as crypto, NFTs became popular in the 2020s.)
The holding company of Facebook and Instagram changed its name to Meta Platforms in 2021, with intention to put greater focus on building the metaverse, a social network of 3D virtual worlds.
In the early 2020s, K-pop continued to experience greater growth and success with groups like BTS and Blackpink leading the popularity. Tomorrow X Together, Stray Kids, Twice and others have also been part of the cultural phenomenon.
5G was introduced during the early part of the decade, with the Samsung Galaxy S20 and iPhone 12 smartphones having 5G capabilities.
Fashion trends of the early 2020s have been largely inspired by the 2000s.[128][129][130] Wearing a decorative mask to prevent the disease COVID-19 from spreading was a fashion trend in the early 2020s.[131]
Several films and other upcoming movies were released exclusively on streaming platforms instead of in theatres, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As COVID-19 cases declined through 2021 and some restrictions were lifted, some films were released both in theatres and on streaming services. Universally acclaimed films in the early 2020s included the likes of C'mon C'mon, Licorice Pizza, and The French Dispatch released in theaters, with successes like CODA occurring on streaming platforms.
By 2020, TikTok had become an extremely popular music platform on social media.[133] Streaming on platforms such as Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music and Apple Music increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Festivals such as Coachella were cancelled because of the virus. The COVID-19 pandemic devastated the touring business.[134][135]
The Unity Tower was finally completed on 30 September 2020. The construction of the building originally started in 1975, but stopped permanently in 1981 because of economic constraints and political unrest at the time. Due to the unfinished building's resemblance to a skeleton, it was nicknamed after Skeletor, the arch-villain in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, which was popular in Poland at the time construction began.[141]
The COVID-19 pandemic leads to the cancellation or rescheduling of numerous sporting events globally:
The 2020 Summer Olympics was postponed to July–August 2021. This was the first Olympic games to be postponed rather than cancelled in history.[142]
The 2020 T20 Cricket World Cup, originally scheduled to take place in Australia, was rescheduled to occur in India in 2021. The tournament was ultimately held in the UAE and Oman (primarily the former) in 2021, with Australia winning the final against New Zealand to earn its first T20 World Cup title.
Tampa Bay Lightning won second Stanley Cup championship during playoffs that were held in two "hub" cities in Canada (Toronto, Edmonton). It is the first time since 1925 that the Stanley Cup is contested entirely in Canada.
COVID-19 pandemic: Due to cross-border restrictions, the NHL realigns its team divisions with all seven Canadian teams competing in their own division for the first time.
With the easing of COVID restrictions in the UK, the 2021 Wimbledon Championships are held with full attendances. Novak Djokovic wins the men's singles title, his 20th Grand Slam win equaling Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's record.
The 2020 Summer Olympics take place in Tokyo, Japan, being the country's fourth time hosting the games. The United States wins the most gold and overall medals, with China coming in second and host Japan coming in third.
Food
Food delivery apps such as DoorDash, Menulog, Uber Eats, GrubHub and Just Eat Takeaway flourished due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[143][144] Indoor dining was also closed in many countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and upon re-opening the usage of QR Codes and other technologies in the restaurant industry increased compared to the 2010s to comply with pandemic restrictions.[145][146]
^Sullivan, Mark P., ed. (18 December 2008). "Mexico – U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress"(PDF). CRS Report for Congress: Mexico and the 112th Congress. Congressional Research Service. pp. 2, 13, 14. Archived(PDF) from the original on 10 June 2010. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
