What the Cover Says? The Economist’s The World Ahead 2026

Annually, The Economist releases a special set of news articles as well as a special cover page in its series titled “The World Ahead”. For the cover page of this year, it is expected to encounter the reflections of events the world has been through in 2025.

In The World Ahead, The Economist’s correspondents and experts make a deep analysis on global situations and networks to determine predictions for the following year. This year, the experts were invited as usual to asses the status quo of the world in the field of geopolitics, business technology, culture, economics, clean energy, and medicine.

All of these topics are vital to gain insight into the world we all live in as well as the year that has come to an end. This year’s cover can be found below:

Illustration: Andrew Rae

The editor of “The World Ahead,” Tom Standage, has written an article on the main points of the illustration. First and foremost, he mentions that 2026 will mark 250 years since the founding of the United States. In the middle of the sphere illustration, a birthday cake is depicted with candles marking this age. Plus, there is an American flag, with a hand in front of it, cuffed to the cake. This symbolizes the trapped state of American politics, economics, and cultural elements. The editor also mentions that since this day can be celebrated together by both Republicans and Democrats, it will be one of the first things in recent years that the two sides can harmoniously celebrate. Amid political crises, under Trump’s government, anything can be regarded as unstable in both the United States and the world. Thus, it is unsurprising to see Trump on this year’s cover too. Seen in the design, there is a figure that represents Trump. In 2026, the voters will give their verdict on the future of the States in the midterm elections in November. Still, even if the Democrats take the House, Trump’s tariffs and orders will go on. The pictogram of an individual voting can also be seen in the illustration.

Trump’s impacts on the world are not solely political. With economic effects, people carry concerns regarding a cold war between countries like China, Russia, and the United States. Considering that modern-day wars can be merely economic and monetary, this is a serious topic of discussion. Right in the middle of the illustration are two crossed swords over a graph that seemingly represents a market; this supports the editor’s note.

One of the greatest conflicts of this century, the war between Palestine and Israel is still ongoing. The editor suggests that peace will continue to thrive in Gaza only if we are lucky. Besides Israel-Palestine peace establishment efforts, the editor writes that the conflicts will continue to grind on in Ukraine, Sudan, and Myanmar. Tanks and other elements that signal war zones are present in the illustration.

This year was a hard one for Europe as a whole, as the continent was greatly impacted by ongoing global events. The editor comments that in the following year, Europe must increase its defence spending, keep America on side, increase economic growth, while also dealing with huge deficits alongside the ever-increasing support for far-right parties. These countries, despite many hardships, want to remain the main advocates of free trade as well as sustainability; however, these cannot be done at once, together, quickly.

When it comes to China, it is possible to comment that they have their own internal issues alongside international problems. China, as the editor writes, is currently trying to deal with deflation, slowed growth, and industrial growth. However, besides all the hardships they are facing with Trump’s harsh tariffs, they may also be in China’s favor. Through Trump’s America-focused approach, China might be able to increase its global influence and present itself as a more reliable partner. It is expected that they will keep relations with America transactional and not confrontational.

As mentioned in the paragraphs above and seen in the illustration, many economic problems are expected to rise in 2026. The editor suggests that Trump’s tariffs will dampen economic growth, even though they intend to show resilience in the nation: “And with rich countries living beyond their means, the risk of a bond-market crisis is growing.” Furthermore, it is stated that the replacement of Powell as chair of the Federal Reserve will change and trigger. The icons of the dollar sign, market graphs, and coins are present in the illustration, all relating to this topic.

Technological advancements grow increasingly important each year. Similarly, artificial intelligence has been in our lives for some time now, yet, has undergone major improvements this year. In 2026, even more advanced models of artificial intelligence are expected to be developed. There is an icon of a brain tied to a gaming console, signaling this topic. It is expected to have a substantial impact on infrastructure. Most importantly, AI might have a wide economic impact. The main concern is about its impact on jobs, particularly those of graduates.

The topic of sustainability has become more important as the problem of global warming and climate change has grown more tangible through their impacts on our daily lives. Although the limiting warning of a temperature increase of 1.5O Celsius is off the table, Trump and some other leaders dislike renewables. Regardless, clean technology has been becoming more important every day. The melting ice cubes in the illustration depict this environmental issue. Additionally, it is noted that geothermal energy is worth following.

Sports are usually considered to be separate elements from politics, but 2026 may be an exception. The football World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This may cause further tension due to their already strained relations. A football player shooting a ball can be seen in the illustration, outside of the main sphere.

The editor says that improved and more affordable GLP-1 weight-loss drugs will soon be available in the form of pills, making them more accessible. The topic of such drugs, especially Ozempic, is the center of discussion nowadays, whether it's healthy or counts as cheating. There are many illustrations of pills on the cover page as well.

In general, The World Ahead 2026 highlights Trump’s global impact, economic challenges, AI, climate, sports tensions, and medical and geopolitical issues.

Edited by: Leyla Hacioglu