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IB DP Digital Society HL: 5.1 Global Well-Being (STAGE TWO): Explore and investigate challenges

  • Writer: lukewatsonteach
    lukewatsonteach
  • Sep 16
  • 10 min read

Updated: Sep 18

5.1 Global Well-Being Deep Dive: STAGE TWO: Explore and investigate challenges

Students explore sources and investigate their extended inquiry focus by considering some of the following questions.

  • What is the relationship between digital systems and this challenge?

  • What is the nature and scope of this challenge in digital society?

  • What course concepts, content and contexts will be most helpful to consider with this challenge?

  • How does this challenge manifest itself at local and global levels?

  • Who are the specific people and communities affected by this challenge?

  • What are some impacts and implications related to this challenge?


Global Well-being Challenges: Key Statistics and Insights for IB DP Digital Society

5.1A Local and Global Inequalities

Economic Inequality and Stratification

Digital Divide as Economic Barrier:

  • 2.6 billion people remained offline as of 2024, with access to and use of technologies such as the internet and artificial intelligence being highly uneven (ISPI - The Digital Divide: A Barrier to Social, Economic and Political Equity, 2025)

  • In low and lower-middle income countries, only 27% and 53% of the population have, respectively, internet access, compared to 80% and 93% in upper-middle and high-income countries (ISPI - The Digital Divide: A Barrier to Social, Economic and Political Equity, 2025)

  • Approximately 627 million people are digitally excluded globally, with digital service providers risking losing $1.75 trillion in revenue by excluding digitally marginalized individuals (Sumsub - Addressing the Digital Divide in 2025)


Key Challenges:

  • Digital exclusion perpetuates economic inequality by limiting access to employment, education, and financial services

  • Fixed-broadband services accounted for more than 80% of global internet traffic in 2023 but in low-income countries there was only one fixed-broadband subscription per 100 people due to high prices and a lack of infrastructure (World Economic Forum - Bridging the digital divide by putting the focus on people, 2024)

  • A 10% rise in mobile broadband penetration can increase per capita GDP by 1.5-1.6% (ISPI - The Digital Divide: A Barrier to Social, Economic and Political Equity, 2025)


Food Insecurity and Access to Safe, Nutritious and Sufficient Food

Global Hunger Crisis:

  • Around 733 million people faced hunger in 2023, equivalent to one in eleven people globally and one in five in Africa (WHO - Hunger numbers stubbornly high for three consecutive years, July 2024)

  • In 2024, over 295 million people across 53 countries and territories faced acute hunger—an increase of almost 14 million people compared to 2023 (UNICEF - Acute food insecurity and malnutrition rise for sixth consecutive year, 2024)

  • 2.6 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in 2024 (UNICEF Data - The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025)


Digital Technology's Role:

  • High prices may push families toward cheaper, ultra-processed foods with low nutritional value while fruits, vegetables and high-quality proteins remain expensive

  • A 10 percent increase in food prices is associated with a 2.7 to 4.3 percent rise in child wasting and a 4.8 to 6.1 percent rise in severe wasting (UNICEF Data - The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025)

  • Digital platforms could improve food distribution and affordability but require infrastructure investment


Key Challenges:

  • Conflict remained the top driver of acute food insecurity, affecting around 140 million people in 20 countries and territories (UNICEF - Acute food insecurity and malnutrition rise for sixth consecutive year, 2024)

  • In 2023, around 2.33 billion people globally faced moderate or severe food insecurity (UNICEF Data - The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024)

  • Climate change and economic downturns are making food systems more vulnerable


Access to Health Care and Medicine

Healthcare Inequality Statistics:

  • In 2022, 141 governments spent less than 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on health care through public means (Human Rights Watch - New Data Exposes Global Healthcare Funding Inequalities, May 2025)

  • About 84 percent of the world's population, or 6.6 billion people, lived in a country where public healthcare funding missed this benchmark (Human Rights Watch - New Data Exposes Global Healthcare Funding Inequalities, May 2025)

  • Children born in poorer countries are 13 times more likely to die before the age of 5 than in wealthier countries (WHO - Health inequities are shortening lives by decades, May 2025)


Digital Health Disparities:

  • The lower an individual's socio-economic position, the higher their risk of poor health (WHO - Health inequities and their causes, 2018)

  • Women comprise 67% of the paid global health and care workforce. In addition to this paid work, it has been estimated that women perform an estimated 76% of all unpaid care activities (WHO - WHO report reveals gender inequalities at the root of global crisis in health and care work, March 2024)

  • Digital health technologies could bridge gaps but require equitable access to devices and internet


Key Challenges:

  • People in the country with the lowest life expectancy will, on average, live 33 years shorter than those born in the country with the highest life expectancy (WHO - Health inequities are shortening lives by decades, May 2025)

  • Health inequities cost around 1.4% of gross domestic product (GDP) within the European Union (WHO - Health inequities and their causes, 2018)


5.1B Changing Populations

Population Growth

Global Trends:

  • The world's population is expected to keep growing for another 50 or 60 years, peaking at around 10.3 billion in the mid-2080s, up from 8.2 billion in 2024 (UN - Ageing | United Nations, 2024)

  • The global fertility rate has more than halved since the 1960s, from over 5 children per woman to 2.3 (Our World in Data - Peak global population and other key findings from the 2024 UN World Population Prospects)


Digital Challenges:

  • Rapid population growth in developing countries strains digital infrastructure development

  • Of the 1.4 billion people in the world's least developed countries, just 36% have access to the internet (World Economic Forum - How poorer countries can achieve digital transformation, 2024)


Shifting Demographics (Ageing and Youth Populations)

Global Ageing Crisis:

  • By the late 2070s, the global population aged 65 and older is projected to reach 2.2 billion, surpassing the number of children under age 18 (UN - Ageing | United Nations, 2024)

  • Europe is already a super-aged society, with over 20% of its population aged 65 or older in 2024 (MacroMicro - Demography Is Destiny: 5 Key Findings from 2024 UN World Population Prospects)


Youth Demographics:

  • In 2024, 4.7 million babies, or about 3.5 per cent of the total worldwide, were born to mothers under age 18 (UN - Ageing | United Nations, 2024)

  • Africa remains the only continent expected to maintain a relatively young demographic structure (MacroMicro - Demography Is Destiny: 5 Key Findings from 2024 UN World Population Prospects)


Digital Implications:

  • Aging populations require accessible digital healthcare and social services

  • Youth populations in developing countries need digital skills training for economic participation

  • Intergenerational digital divides create social and economic challenges


Migration and Movement of People

Migration Statistics:

  • Millions of Ukrainians fled the country in 2022 as a result of the Russian invasion. The UN estimates that net migration out of Ukraine was 5.7 million in 2022 and 300,000 in 2023 (Our World in Data - Peak global population and other key findings from the 2024 UN World Population Prospects)

  • Immigration is projected to be the main driver of population growth in 52 countries and areas through 2054 and in 62 through 2100 (UN Population Division - Immigration is projected to be the main driver of population growth)


Digital Challenges:

  • According to Sumsub's research, 243 million people may need help accessing services because their identity documents are non-standard or outdated (Sumsub - Addressing the Digital Divide in 2025)

  • Digital identity systems often exclude migrants and refugees (case example: Zaarah, a Libyan refugee, struggles to access basic services due to rigid asylum policies and automated systems requiring standard documentation)

  • Language barriers in digital services affect integration


5.1C The Future of Work

Automation and Employment

Job Displacement Projections:

  • In the next five years, 170 million jobs are projected to be created. Alongside, 92 million roles will be displaced by these same trends (World Economic Forum - Future of Jobs Report 2025)

  • By 2030, 14% of workers might have to find new careers because of AI (Zoe Talent Solutions - Automation's Impact on Employment Trends Statistics, 2025)

  • AI could displace 300 million jobs globally by 2030 (Zoe Talent Solutions - Automation's Impact on Employment Trends Statistics, 2025)


Economic Impact:

  • AI and automation will add up to $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030 (Zoe Talent Solutions - Automation's Impact on Employment Trends Statistics, 2025)

  • Current gen AI and other technologies have the potential to automate work activities that absorb up to 70 percent of employees' time today (McKinsey - Jobs lost, jobs gained: What the future of work will mean for jobs, skills, and wages)


Ensuring Meaningful and Secure Employment

Skills Transformation:

  • Employers expect 39% of key skills required in the job market will change by 2030 (World Economic Forum - Future of Jobs Report 2025: The jobs of the future)

  • World Economic Forum research estimates that half the global labour force may need reskilling over the next two years, and 1.1 billion jobs will be transformed by technology in the coming decade (World Economic Forum - Discover what needs to be done to close the digital divide, 2024)


Growing Job Categories:

  • Farmworkers, labourers, and other agricultural workers lead the largest-growing jobs, with 35 million new positions projected by 2030 (Business Because - The Future Of Work: 170 Million Jobs To Be Created, 92 Million Lost By 2030)

  • Big data specialists, fintech engineers and AI and machine learning specialists are among the fastest-growing roles (World Economic Forum - Future of Jobs Report 2025: The jobs of the future)


Addressing Collective Needs of Workers

Reskilling and Adaptation:

  • An average of 66% of employers surveyed expect to see a return on investment in upskilling and reskilling of current employees within one year (World Economic Forum - Recession and Automation Changes Our Future of Work, 2020)

  • Up to 12 million workers in Europe and the United States will need to change jobs (McKinsey - Jobs lost, jobs gained: What the future of work will mean for jobs, skills, and wages)


Vulnerable Groups:

  • Lower-wage workers may need support in upskilling to be competitive in the new market (McKinsey - Jobs lost, jobs gained: What the future of work will mean for jobs, skills, and wages)

  • Clerical and administrative jobs are among those hardest hit, largely due to the impact of automation and AI technologies (Business Because - The Future Of Work: 170 Million Jobs To Be Created, 92 Million Lost By 2030)


Key Challenges:

  • Digital divide affects access to online training and reskilling opportunities

  • Need for social safety nets during employment transitions

  • Ensuring equitable access to emerging job opportunities across different socioeconomic groups


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Economic Inequality and Digital Divide


Food Security and Nutrition


Healthcare Access and Inequality


Population Demographics and Migration


Future of Work and Automation

Additional Resources

IB DP Digital Society student studying Migration and Movement of People
IB DP Digital Society student studying Migration and Movement of People

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2025 IBDP DIGITAL SOCIETY | LUKE WATSON TEACH

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