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
Researchers and entrepreneurs struggle to obtain reliable datasets for building solutions. Open-data portals with standardized formats and APIs could catalyze innovation.
society-governance
africa
access
high-quality
open
government
data
african
countries
limited
researchers
entrepreneurs
global-unspecified
solutions
technology-computing
providing
systems
Information on yields, soils, and weather sits in disconnected silos, hindering data-driven agri-tech solutions. Open agricultural data platforms could enable more effective tools.
society-governance
africa
agricultural
data
african
fragmented
inaccessible
innovators
information
yields
soils
weather
global-unspecified
technology-computing
systems
incomplete
limited
sparse
open
South & Southeast Asia, Asia
Vehicle emissions, crop burning, and industrial smoke create hazardous smog seasons in cities like Delhi and Jakarta. Low-cost air-purification tech and stricter enforceable emission-trading systems are needed.
climate-environment
asia
south-southeast-asia
air-pollution
air
pollution
south
southeast
asian
megacities
causes
millions
premature
deaths
global-unspecified
african
urban
cities
open
South & Southeast Asia, Asia
Poor drainage and standing water in fast-growing cities create ideal breeding grounds, overwhelming health systems during outbreaks. AI-based outbreak prediction and community larvae-control apps could reduce case spikes.
climate-environment
asia
south-southeast-asia
climate-change
dengue
mosquito-borne
diseases
surging
urbanization
climate
change
poor
drainage
cities
society-governance
water
systems
health-biology
Japan, South Korea, and China face rapidly rising elderly populations with too few caregivers and hospital beds. Robotics-assisted elder care and remote health monitoring startups are emerging solutions.
health-biology
asia
china
populations
aging
east
straining
healthcare
elder-care
systems
japan
south
solutions
society-governance
health
providing
care
global-unspecified
Cities like Karachi, Dhaka, and Chennai face chronic shortages and rely heavily on costly tanker deliveries. Rainwater harvesting mandates and leak-reduction technology could ease urban water stress.
climate-environment
asia
south-asia
urban
water
systems
south
asian
megacities
cannot
keep
pace
population
cities
african
global-unspecified
heat
haven
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
open
South & Southeast Asia, Asia
Untreated factory effluent and sewage flow directly into major rivers, harming both ecosystems and communities that depend on them for drinking water. River-cleanup technology paired with stricter enforcement is needed.
climate-environment
asia
south-southeast-asia
rivers
industrial
pollution
has
severely
degraded
like
ganges
citarum
untreated
water
global-unspecified
philosophy-ethics
whether
urban
Open defecation persists in some regions despite large public sanitation campaigns, contributing to disease spread. Low-cost decentralized toilet and sludge-treatment systems could close remaining gaps.
health-biology
asia
south-asia
sanitation
coverage
remains
incomplete
rural
parts
south
open
defecation
global-unspecified
society-governance
public
systems
african
access
Cheap subsidized electricity and fuel encourage overuse and strain government budgets that could otherwise fund renewables. Smart-subsidy targeting using digital ID systems could redirect support to those who need it most.
society-governance
asia
energy
subsidies
several
asian
countries
discourage
efficient
consumption
cheap
subsidized
systems
resilient
corruption
global-unspecified
climate-environment
creating
Slum residents often rely on illegal, unsafe electricity connections due to lack of formal grid access. Pay-as-you-go solar kits designed for dense urban informal housing could offer safer alternatives.
social-civic-problems
asia
access
informal
urban
energy
settlements
asian
megacities
remains
inconsistent
slum
global-unspecified
african
economics-resources
society-governance
systems
Rapid expansion of universities has sometimes outpaced faculty quality and research infrastructure investment. Stronger accreditation systems and research-funding reform could improve academic standards.
social-civic-problems
asia
systems
quality
research
higher
education
parts
struggle
assurance
output
society-governance
technology-computing
climate-environment
economics-resources
global-unspecified
mathematics-logic
philosophy-ethics
Cities like Manila, Jakarta, and Mumbai rank among the world's most congested, costing billions in lost time and fuel. Integrated mass-transit expansion and smart traffic-management systems are urgently needed.
economics-resources
asia
traffic
congestion
asian
megacities
causes
massive
economic
productivity
losses
cities
african
systems
urban
global-unspecified
climate-environment
infrastructure
Rapid urban migration combined with limited land supply is pushing housing prices far beyond what average incomes can support. Modular and prefabricated housing ventures could help increase affordable supply faster.
social-civic-problems
asia
housing
affordability
crises
worsening
major
asian
cities
supply
rapid
urban
african
global-unspecified
economics-resources
systems
climate-environment
affordable
Secondary cities often lack the metro or bus rapid transit systems that ease congestion in capitals, forcing reliance on private vehicles. Lower-cost bus rapid transit models could be replicated more widely.
society-governance
asia
transit
cities
public
coverage
remains
limited
outside
capital
bus
systems
urban
global-unspecified
secondary
african
climate-environment
economics-resources
Congested ports and inefficient customs processes in countries like India and Bangladesh slow down import-export operations. Digital single-window customs clearance systems could significantly cut delays.
economics-resources
asia
india
port
logistics
bottlenecks
raise
trade
costs
south
customs
congested
african
global-unspecified
systems
africa
many
technology-computing
Rising consumption and inadequate recycling infrastructure mean much of urban waste ends up in rivers, oceans, or informal dumps. Decentralized waste-to-value recycling ventures could turn this into an opportunity.
climate-environment
asia
waste-management
waste
management
systems
fast-growing
asian
cities
overwhelmed
recycling
rising
consumption
global-unspecified
urban
informal
african
infrastructure
Concrete-heavy construction with little greenery raises city temperatures well above surrounding areas, increasing heat-related illness. Urban greening mandates and reflective building materials could reduce heat buildup.
local-regional
asia
urban
heat
islands
intensifying
health
risks
densely
built
asian
cities
climate-environment
african
global-unspecified
water
systems
climate
Banks, hospitals, and government systems are digitizing quickly without matching investment in security infrastructure, creating major breach risks. Affordable managed cybersecurity services for SMEs are an underexplored market.
technology-computing
asia
cybersecurity
capacity
lags
behind
rapid
digitization
several
asian
economies
banks
systems
global-unspecified
society-governance
african
whether
public
Discarded phones, computers, and batteries often end up in informal, toxic recycling operations that harm workers and the environment. Formal e-waste recycling ventures could recover valuable materials safely.
climate-environment
asia
recycling
e-waste
booming
electronics
consumption
lacks
adequate
infrastructure
discarded
waste
global-unspecified
systems
informal
haven
economics-resources
management
