Repository of problems worth solving
World Solve is a public institutional repository for identifying real unresolved problems across science, society, health, governance, economics, and local systems. Each entry is intended to be citable, inspectable, and actionable.
Publicly citable
Every problem has a stable citation code for reference and discussion.
Filtered by relevance
Search by category, geography, status, and keywords.
Builder-oriented
Use the repository to find startup ideas, policy leads, and research agendas.
4094Total
4094Open
0Solved
9Humans
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Large multinational companies can shift profits between countries to minimize taxes, leaving many nations without a fair share of revenue from businesses operating within their borders. A truly fair global tax system remains unresolved.
society-governance
global-unspecified
fair
tax
companies
haven
found
way
operate
everywhere
nowhere
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
determine
mathematics-logic
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Criminal networks move money, goods, and people across borders quickly, while law enforcement cooperation between countries is often slow and limited. Closing this gap requires faster, more trusted international coordination.
society-governance
global-unspecified
borders
faster
law
enforcement
stop
organized
crime
operating
cooperate
criminal
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
have
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Personal and corporate data crosses borders constantly, but laws about who owns it and how it can be used vary wildly by country. This patchwork makes real data protection difficult to enforce globally.
society-governance
global-unspecified
data
owns
don
have
consistent
international
rules
controls
personal
corporate
technology-computing
whether
philosophy-ethics
systems
resolved
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Rising demand keeps pushing housing costs higher in growing cities, pricing out the very workers those cities depend on. Making urban growth compatible with affordability remains an unresolved policy challenge nearly everywhere.
society-governance
global-unspecified
cities
haven
solved
make
affordable
live
grow
rising
demand
keeps
climate-environment
whether
urban
philosophy-ethics
african
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Foreign actors have repeatedly used social media and cyberattacks to influence elections in other countries, and defenses remain reactive rather than preventive. Protecting democratic processes requires staying ahead of these tactics, not catching up after the fact.
society-governance
global-unspecified
elections
foreign
fully
protect
interference
manipulation
actors
have
repeatedly
social
climate-environment
institutions
designing
democratic
high
disinformation
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
As gene editing and synthetic biology become more accessible, so does the risk of these tools being misused, deliberately or accidentally. International cooperation on this has lagged far behind the pace of the science itself.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
don
have
framework
prevent
misuse
biological
research
gene
editing
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
way
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many prison systems focus on punishment over rehabilitation, and high reoffending rates suggest this approach often fails at its stated goal. A system genuinely built around rehabilitation could reduce crime and human cost.
social-civic-problems
global-unspecified
haven
found
way
make
prisons
rehabilitate
people
instead
just
punishing
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
systems
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Economic and political power increasingly concentrates in fewer hands, while regulation struggles to keep pace with how quickly this happens. Left unchecked, this threatens both economic fairness and democratic balance.
society-governance
global-unspecified
power
stop
wealth
concentrating
faster
laws
adapt
economic
political
increasingly
whether
philosophy-ethics
have
determine
resolved
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many large-scale policies are implemented based on assumptions rather than solid evidence, and by the time results come in, the damage or waste is already done. Better testing methods could save enormous public resources.
society-governance
global-unspecified
policies
don
have
reliable
way
measure
whether
government
actually
work
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Anti-corruption agencies themselves can become corrupted, and oversight bodies often lack real power to enforce accountability. Breaking this cycle requires structural solutions, not just stricter laws on paper.
society-governance
global-unspecified
haven
solved
reduce
corruption
institutions
meant
prevent
anti-corruption
agencies
themselves
whether
philosophy-ethics
way
public
resolved
lack
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
AI systems built in one country are used worldwide, but there's no shared international rulebook governing how they should behave. Without cooperation, regulation ends up fragmented and easy to bypass.
society-governance
global-unspecified
agree
regulate
countries
different
laws
values
systems
built
country
worldwide
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
haven
determine
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Refugees often end up concentrated in a handful of neighboring countries while the rest of the world debates policy from a distance. A fairer, shared system could ease pressure on frontline nations and improve outcomes for displaced people.
society-governance
global-unspecified
system
refugees
don
have
fair
handling
asylum
seekers
often
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
agreed
way
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Once elected, officials often face little real consequence for broken promises until the next vote, years later. Stronger accountability tools could make representation meaningful beyond election day.
society-governance
global-unspecified
election
haven
found
way
keep
politicians
accountable
between
cycles
once
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
mathematics-logic
determine
make
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
False information often reaches millions of people before any correction catches up, and by then the damage to public understanding is already done. Fixing this gap is critical to informed public debate.
society-governance
global-unspecified
stop
misinformation
spreading
faster
fact-checks
catch
public
false
information
often
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
services
resolved
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Doubts about election security, counting errors, and manipulation persist in democracies around the world. Restoring full public trust in voting systems is essential for democracy to function as intended.
society-governance
global-unspecified
voting
trust
don
have
system
citizens
fully
fair
accurate
doubts
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
public
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Maternal death rates in some parts of the world remain drastically higher than in wealthy nations, despite childbirth being a universal human experience. Making safe childbirth truly global remains an unmet basic need.
health-biology
global-unspecified
childbirth
safe
wealthy
haven
solved
make
pregnancy
everywhere
not
just
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
way
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Chronic stress physically changes the brain and body over time, and we don't yet have treatments that fully reverse that damage. Understanding this could transform how we treat burnout, trauma, and related illness.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
yet
reverse
damage
stress
biological
caused
long-term
chronic
physically
changes
whether
philosophy-ethics
health-biology
resolved
determine
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Wealthier countries can screen for many rare genetic conditions at birth, but most of the world's newborns are never tested. Expanding this access could catch treatable conditions before irreversible damage occurs.
health-biology
global-unspecified
rare
genetic
newborns
don
have
scalable
way
detect
diseases
everywhere
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Getting a broken bone fixed is usually straightforward; getting consistent mental health support often isn't, due to cost, stigma, and shortage of providers. Closing this gap could prevent enormous, often invisible suffering.
health-biology
global-unspecified
mental-health
health
care
mental
haven
found
way
make
accessible
physical
getting
whether
philosophy-ethics
society-governance
access
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Kids today are developing weight-related health problems that used to appear mostly in adults, and this trend is accelerating globally. Solving it needs more than individual willpower, it needs changes to food systems and environments.
health-biology
global-unspecified
stop
rise
childhood
obesity
related
diseases
worldwide
needs
kids
today
whether
health
philosophy-ethics
access
determine
don
