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.
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4194Open
0Solved
9Humans
Without hands-on science and coding exposure, students struggle to compete in tech-driven economies. Portable lab kits and shared community coding hubs could democratize access.
social-civic-problems
africa
stem
education
infrastructure
like
labs
computers
scarce
african
schools
coding
access
global-unspecified
remains
students
rural
urban
Traditional banks avoid low-income and rural customers due to high servicing costs, leaving many without savings or credit access. Mobile money platforms have proven the model, but rural agent networks still need expansion.
economics-resources
africa
over
half
population
remains
unbanked
underbanked
rural
traditional
banks
global-unspecified
access
african
urban
asia
low
Nearly a third of rural Africans live more than 2km from an all-season road, isolating farmers from buyers. Low-cost road-building techniques and community-maintained feeder roads could improve access.
economics-resources
africa
road
rural
networks
connecting
african
communities
markets
remain
poorly
developed
access
remains
global-unspecified
urban
service
public
Laying fiber to remote areas is costly, so many villages rely on expensive, slow mobile data instead. Community network cooperatives and satellite backhaul could bridge the rural-urban digital divide.
science-space
africa
broadband
infrastructure
gaps
leave
rural
digitally
isolated
laying
fiber
african
digital
global-unspecified
technology-computing
remains
access
urban
Economies are not creating enough formal jobs to absorb the roughly 10-12 million youth entering the labor market annually. Skills-matching platforms and support for youth-led micro-enterprises are urgently needed.
economics-resources
africa
youth
unemployment
remains
critically
high
despite
young
growing
population
global-unspecified
low
asia
rural
Competition over shrinking grazing land and water is turning traditional rivalries deadly in several regions. Conflict-early-warning systems and shared resource-management agreements could ease tensions.
social-civic-problems
africa
cattle
rustling
farmer-herder
clashes
growing
source
rural
violence
competition
over
global-unspecified
water
climate-environment
urban
african
asia
Over 80% of workers in countries like India, Bangladesh, and Nepal operate within informal economies without access to pensions, disability insurance, or minimum wage guarantees. Traditional bureaucratic tax and welfare systems fail to track or protect these transient and cash-reliant populations during economic shocks.
economics-resources
asia
india
informal
workers
haven
found
effective
mechanism
extend
formal
social
safety
global-unspecified
systems
african
technology-computing
settlements
Up to 40% of fresh produce in nations like Vietnam, Myanmar, and Indonesia spoils before reaching urban markets due to lack of refrigerated transport, decentralized storage, and unreliable off-grid power, exacerbating regional food insecurity.
local-regional
asia
indonesia
haven
created
scalable
cold-chain
networks
capable
preventing
post-harvest
crop
losses
african
urban
rural
climate-environment
economics-resources
Deep social stigma, severe shortages of qualified psychiatric professionals, and centralized medical infrastructure leave hundreds of millions of rural residents without access to mental health diagnosis or intervention.
health-biology
asia
indonesia
mental-health
mental
rural
haven
established
adequate
healthcare
frameworks
tailored
low-resource
asian
access
health
remains
global-unspecified
Students in remote, mountainous topographies like Bhutan, Central Asia, and northern Pakistan lack stable internet connectivity and localized digital curricula, leaving them disadvantaged in higher education and global digital workforce participation.
social-civic-problems
asia
pakistan
digital
education
haven
closed
learning
divide
between
rural
mountain
communities
technology-computing
access
global-unspecified
african
remains
High pupil-to-teacher ratios in low-income schools often result in 'learning poverty,' where children complete primary school without basic functional literacy. Current retraining programs for rural educators struggle to scale effectively.
social-civic-problems
asia
cambodia
literacy
primary
haven
successfully
modernised
foundational
numeracy
pedagogy
over-crowded
classrooms
global-unspecified
children
students
low
school
Millions of people across Bangladesh, West Bengal, and the Mekong region consume groundwater contaminated with toxic levels of arsenic and fluoride, causing severe chronic diseases due to lack of affordable community filtration systems.
health-biology
asia
bangladesh
arsenic
groundwater
haven
engineered
low-cost
technologies
filter
naturally
occurring
heavy
contamination
global-unspecified
fluoride
removing
climate-environment
Over a billion people in Asia still rely on wood, dung, and coal for daily cooking, causing severe indoor air pollution and chronic respiratory illnesses, primarily affecting women and young children.
climate-environment
asia
myanmar
air-pollution
cooking
haven
replaced
dangerous
traditional
biomass
fuels
remote
rural
households
global-unspecified
health-biology
remains
reducing
While urban centers rapidly transition to cashless, tech-driven economies, rural populations with poor smartphone access and low digital literacy are increasingly excluded from formal banking, credit, and investment opportunities.
economics-resources
asia
cambodia
access
digital
rural
haven
bridged
widening
wealth
gap
driven
unequal
technology-computing
african
global-unspecified
remains
social-civic-problems
Rising sea levels and severe droughts force rural families to migrate into overcrowded urban slums where municipal infrastructure cannot absorb them, leading to social friction and extreme vulnerability.
climate-environment
asia
bangladesh
urban
haven
created
effective
reintegration
pathways
millions
internal
climate
refugees
cities
society-governance
economics-resources
change
african
Without official birth certificates, millions of children across border regions are unable to access public healthcare, attend public schools, or obtain legal identification later in life.
health-biology
asia
myanmar
public-health
birth
haven
achieved
full
universal
registration
rural
stateless
populations
public
society-governance
global-unspecified
access
economics-resources
Multiple competing microfinance institutions operating in rural districts frequently over-indebt low-income borrowers, forcing families to liquidate essential assets or migrate to repay interest rather than building sustainable livelihoods.
economics-resources
asia
india
rural
haven
eliminated
microfinance-induced
predatory
debt
traps
among
women
south
access
public
african
remains
urban
Out-of-pocket medical expenditure remains the single largest cause of unexpected impoverishment in developing Asian nations due to incomplete public health coverage.
health-biology
asia
pakistan
public-health
health
haven
mitigated
economic
impact
chronic
shocks
driving
rural
households
global-unspecified
whether
remains
philosophy-ethics
Overgrazing and desertification in Central Asian steppes reduce pastoral yields, impoverishing rural herder communities who rely entirely on livestock assets.
economics-resources
asia
kazakhstan
pastoral
central
haven
established
land
degradation
neutrality
mechanisms
protect
livelihoods
rural
communities
global-unspecified
automated
farms
Poor supply chain oversight allows fake antibiotics, malaria medications, and life-saving drugs to enter rural retail markets, leading to treatment failures and drug resistance.
economics-resources
asia
myanmar
supply-chain
rural
haven
solved
crisis
counterfeit
substandard
pharmaceuticals
circulating
decentralized
pharmacies
global-unspecified
health-biology
african
philosophy-ethics