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
incomplete control of the hiv epidemic remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.
incomplete
control
hiv
epidemic
building
health-biology
Seating that morphs to deter anyone except previous users reduces spontaneous social contact and excludes newcomers. The problem is designing street furniture that remains welcoming while still managing wear and anti-social behaviour.
preventing
public
benches
discouraging
strangers
health-biology
Many countries will need to support more older people with fewer workers and uncertain productivity gains. The challenge is redesigning pensions, care, migration, housing, and employment without increasing generational conflict. The solution must work with limited capital, intermittent services, and local maintenance capacity. The research opportunity is to define measurable success criteria, test the approach in realistic settings, identify failure modes, and create a pathway from prototype to accountable deployment.
economics-resources
pension
systems
societies
shrinking
working-age
populations
low-income
communities
countries
will
technology-computing
climate-environment
society-governance
infrastructure
quantum
social-civic-problems
science-space
persistence of tuberculosis as a major killer remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.
successful
persistence
tuberculosis
major
killer
health-biology
Audio that silences during stillness can exclude people with limited mobility or those who need to remain seated. The challenge is providing movement-linked experiences without turning stillness into auditory deprivation.
maintaining
continuous
access
music
only
other
continued high burden of malaria remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.
continued
high
burden
malaria
designing
other
Lifts that prioritise or restrict floors according to behavioural scores create physical segregation inside buildings. The problem is designing vertical mobility that remains accessible and non-discriminatory regardless of any scoring system in use.
floors
ensuring
destination
fairness
when
economics-resources
incomplete vaccination coverage for children remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.
incomplete
vaccination
coverage
children
establishing
other
If people can sell the rights to their anticipated future regrets, they may later be forced to experience or suppress emotions for the buyer’s benefit. The challenge is protecting emotional autonomy from advance commodification that locks individuals into predetermined affective paths.
future
regrets
preventing
market
personal
economics-resources
The problem of medicines priced beyond the reach of the poor continues to affect hundreds of millions of people and undermines progress on multiple Sustainable Development Goals. Existing responses remain fragmented, under-resourced and poorly adapted to local contexts. A strong solution must operate effectively under severe constraints of skilled personnel, infrastructure, electricity and connectivity. It should define clear measurable outcomes, identify possible unintended harms, and demonstrate how the intervention can be sustained by local institutions long after initial funding ends.
medicines
priced
beyond
reach
poor
other
When the first person to capture an image of a cloud asserts property rights, the atmosphere itself becomes a contested resource. The problem is keeping the sky as a shared commons while still recognising legitimate creative or scientific claims on specific observations.
claims
resolving
ownership
over
photographed
technology-computing
The problem of critical shortage of doctors in rural areas continues to affect hundreds of millions of people and undermines progress on multiple Sustainable Development Goals. Existing responses remain fragmented, under-resourced and poorly adapted to local contexts. A strong solution must operate effectively under severe constraints of skilled personnel, infrastructure, electricity and connectivity. It should define clear measurable outcomes, identify possible unintended harms, and demonstrate how the intervention can be sustained by local institutions long after initial funding ends.
critical
shortage
doctors
rural
areas
other
Texts that alter their conclusions according to the reader’s physiological responses erase shared cultural references. The challenge is allowing adaptive storytelling for personal benefit without destroying the possibility of common, stable narratives.
preserving
fixed
literary
works
when
mathematics-logic
Addressing hospitals located too far from rural populations is critical for achieving the 2030 Agenda. Current efforts fall short in scale, speed and equity, leaving the most vulnerable behind. Any viable solution must function in low-resource settings with limited specialists, transport, laboratory capacity and broadband. Proposals should specify quantifiable biological, social or environmental outcomes, openly discuss potential risks, and present a realistic pathway for long-term maintenance and local ownership beyond short research pilots.
hospitals
located
too
far
rural
mathematics-logic
If pets can be induced to shift attachment based on economic offers, the human-animal bond becomes a marketable asset. The problem is protecting enduring relationships from commercial override while still allowing rehoming under genuine welfare conditions.
preventing
loyalty
transfer
companion
animals
economics-resources
Addressing harm caused by excessive consumption of sugary drinks is critical for achieving the 2030 Agenda. Current efforts fall short in scale, speed and equity, leaving the most vulnerable behind. Any viable solution must function in low-resource settings with limited specialists, transport, laboratory capacity and broadband. Proposals should specify quantifiable biological, social or environmental outcomes, openly discuss potential risks, and present a realistic pathway for long-term maintenance and local ownership beyond short research pilots.
harm
caused
excessive
consumption
sugary
mathematics-logic
Pavements that adjust temperature beneath each walker can create comfort for some and exclusion or health risk for others. The challenge is ensuring that personalised thermal control does not become a new form of public-space discrimination.
equalising
sidewalk
micro
climates
heat
climate-environment
rising rates of obesity driven by poor diets remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.
rising
rates
obesity
driven
poor
other
If legal names must be renewed annually like licenses, administrative barriers and fees can strip people of identity continuity. The problem is designing naming regimes that allow flexibility without turning a core personal identifier into a recurring bureaucratic burden.
personal
licenses
creating
fair
renewal
health-biology
children suffering from chronic undernutrition remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.
children
suffering
chronic
undernutrition
establishing
other
