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.
4194Total
4194Open
0Solved
9Humans
Fruit, vegetables, and fish often spoil before reaching international markets due to temperature breaks along the supply chain. Investment in integrated cold-chain infrastructure and IoT monitoring could reduce losses.
economics-resources
africa
supply-chain
cold-chain
logistics
perishable
exports
remain
underdeveloped
fruit
vegetables
fish
african
global-unspecified
cold
chain
local-regional
vaccines
First 1,000-day programs that improve long-term outcomes are not widely available. Community-based early-childhood centers with nutrition and parenting support could fill the gap.
social-civic-problems
africa
early-childhood
access
quality
interventions
vulnerable
african
children
sparse
first
000-day
low
global-unspecified
improve
society-governance
remains
Response times are long due to traffic, poor coordination, and scarce vehicles. Tech-enabled ambulance dispatch and motorcycle first responder networks could reduce mortality.
health-biology
africa
access
emergency
medical
services
such
ambulances
limited
african
cities
response
global-unspecified
urban
rural
remains
asia
Short-term grants limit long-term impact and organizational stability. Recurring-donation platforms and social-impact bonds could provide more stable support.
society-governance
africa
african
youth-led
civic
organizations
often
lack
sustainable
funding
short-term
grants
global-unspecified
remains
technology-computing
long
term
economics-resources
Decades of subsidized electricity have encouraged excessive borewell pumping, dropping water tables dangerously fast. Smart metering combined with drip-irrigation subsidies could slow depletion.
local-regional
asia
india
food-security
depletion
groundwater
irrigation
threatens
long-term
food
security
pakistan
decades
global-unspecified
climate-environment
water
urban
long
open
South & Central Asia, Asia
Melting Himalayan glaciers, overextraction, and pollution are shrinking freshwater availability faster than population growth. Efficient irrigation technology and river-basin cooperation agreements are urgently needed.
climate-environment
asia
south-central-asia
water-scarcity
water
scarcity
affects
hundreds
millions
south
central
melting
himalayan
global-unspecified
urban
african
long
whether
Naturally occurring contaminants in aquifers in Bangladesh and parts of India cause long-term health damage when consumed untreated. Affordable household filtration technology needs wider distribution.
climate-environment
asia
india
arsenic
fluoride
contamination
groundwater
poisons
millions
south
naturally
occurring
global-unspecified
removing
health-biology
remains
Rivers originating from the Himalayas feed major agricultural regions across Asia, and their flow patterns are becoming increasingly unpredictable. Better glacier-monitoring satellite systems could improve long-term water planning.
science-space
asia
long-term
water
melting
himalayan
glaciers
threaten
supply
nearly
billion
people
climate-environment
systems
global-unspecified
long
urban
whether
Urban private schools vastly outperform rural public schools in resources and outcomes, deepening long-term inequality. Digital learning platforms optimized for low-bandwidth rural connections could help level the field.
technology-computing
asia
rural-urban
disparities
school
quality
remain
stark
schools
rural
urban
access
social-civic-problems
remains
african
digital
global-unspecified
economics-resources
Smaller countries lack the compute infrastructure and talent pipelines to participate meaningfully in the AI race, risking long-term digital dependency. Regional shared compute clusters and cross-border research partnerships could help.
local-regional
asia
development
remains
concentrated
handful
large
economies
compute
smaller
countries
technology-computing
african
global-unspecified
digital
africa
infrastructure
mathematics-logic
Long-standing grievances in regions like Myanmar and parts of South Asia periodically escalate into violence and displacement. Community-level reconciliation programs paired with inclusive economic development could ease tensions.
social-civic-problems
asia
myanmar
tensions
parts
ethnic
religious
continue
fuel
conflict
several
long-standing
rural
global-unspecified
african
remains
south
remain
Historic neighborhoods and monuments are frequently demolished to make way for commercial development, erasing cultural heritage. Digital heritage-mapping and adaptive-reuse financing models could balance preservation with growth.
technology-computing
asia
heritage
cultural
preservation
development
site
under
threat
rapid
urban
climate-environment
society-governance
climate
long
term
global-unspecified
philosophy-ethics
open
Sub-Saharan Africa, Africa
Resistance to insecticides and antimalarial drugs is rising, and many rural clinics lack rapid diagnostic tools. Better low-cost diagnostics, vaccines with longer efficacy, and resistance-tracking data platforms are urgently needed.
health-biology
africa
sub-saharan-africa
malaria
kills
over
200
000
africans
year
despite
decades
intervention
global-unspecified
african
data
society-governance
lack
Many farmers, especially women, lack formal land titles, making it risky to invest in irrigation or trees. Digital land registries using satellite mapping could formalize ownership quickly and cheaply.
technology-computing
africa
land
tenure
insecurity
discourages
long-term
farm
investment
farmers
especially
women
society-governance
economics-resources
global-unspecified
communities
fraud
african
Unregulated borehole drilling for agriculture and cities is drawing down aquifers faster than they recharge. Satellite-based groundwater monitoring tools could inform sustainable extraction limits.
science-space
africa
groundwater
depletion
threatens
long-term
water
security
several
regions
unregulated
borehole
climate-environment
global-unspecified
urban
asia
whether
long
open
United States, North America
Menstrual hygiene management gaps and long, unsafe commutes push girls out of the education system permanently. Affordable reusable sanitary pad manufacturing and school-proximity boarding models can help retention.
social-civic-problems
north-america
united-states
girls
out
sanitary
regions
drop
school
puberty
due
lack
products
secondary
reducing
education
global-unspecified
african
Most African children under 5 have no access to structured pre-primary learning, affecting long-term cognitive development. Low-cost community-run preschool franchise models could scale quickly.
social-civic-problems
africa
early
childhood
education
coverage
very
low
continent
african
children
under
society-governance
global-unspecified
access
health-biology
development
Frequent devaluations make long-term investment risky for both local entrepreneurs and foreign investors. Regional currency stabilization mechanisms and dollar-indexed savings products could offer some protection.
economics-resources
africa
currency
savings
volatility
inflation
erode
business
planning
african
economies
frequent
local-regional
global-unspecified
remains
asia
society-governance
whether
Few universities have the compute infrastructure or funding to pursue frontier research in these fields, risking long-term technological dependency. Shared regional compute clusters and diaspora-led research partnerships could help close this gap.
mathematics-logic
africa
research
quantum
investment
lags
far
behind
continents
compute
global-unspecified
society-governance
technology-computing
systems
philosophy-ethics
african
infrastructure
whether
open
United Kingdom, Europe
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for solutions for safe long-term storage and monitoring of captured carbon dioxide creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.
society-governance
europe
united-kingdom
solutions
safe
long-term
storage
monitoring
captured
carbon
dioxide
breakthrough
approaches
systems
climate-environment
enabling
methods
robust