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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4194Total
4194Open
0Solved
9Humans
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
Banks demand collateral most small businesses cannot provide, stalling job-creating ventures. Alternative credit-scoring using mobile and transaction data could unlock lending at scale.
economics-resources
africa
small
medium
enterprises
face
massive
financing
gap
estimated
hundreds
billions
businesses
global-unspecified
climate-environment
african
technology-computing
solar
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
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
Weak digital literacy and law enforcement capacity make the continent both a source and target of online fraud and scams. Regional cybercrime units and public awareness campaigns need significant investment.
social-civic-problems
africa
cybercrime
originating
targeting
rising
rapidly
weak
digital
literacy
law
technology-computing
public
african
asia
global-unspecified
gap
online
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
Divergent definitions of 'sustainable investments' across regional stock exchanges allow carbon-intensive industries to access green bond financing without verified emissions reductions.
climate-environment
asia
singapore
green
haven
harmonized
taxonomy
standards
asian
capital
markets
eliminate
greenwashing
african
remains
africa
global-unspecified
education
Women perform the vast majority of line-level factory work in textile exports but are consistently passed over for supervisory, engineering, and managerial promotions.
society-governance
asia
vietnam
haven
closed
persistent
gender
pay
gap
manufacturing
garment
assembly
sectors
economics-resources
global-unspecified
formal
sector
philosophy-ethics
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
This disfiguring and disabling condition continues to affect millions in tropical regions, and while some treatments exist, access remains inconsistent and the underlying infection prevention needs further improvement. Closing this gap remains an ongoing global health priority.
health-biology
global-unspecified
remains
regions
haven
found
effective
affordable
way
treat
elephantiasis
all
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
determine
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Complications during childbirth can become fatal within minutes without access to emergency care, and many regions still lack the infrastructure to respond quickly enough. Closing this gap remains one of the most urgent unmet needs in global health.
health-biology
global-unspecified
regions
access
emergency
care
don
have
scalable
way
reduce
maternal
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Testicular cancer is highly treatable when caught early, but a lack of widespread screening awareness means some cases are diagnosed later than they should be. Improving early detection and awareness remains an underaddressed public health gap.
health-biology
global-unspecified
public-health
early
awareness
testicular
cancer
screening
don
have
reliable
way
detect
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Effective treatments for addiction exist, but cost and availability limits keep many people from accessing them, particularly in underserved communities. Closing this access gap remains as important as any treatment breakthrough.
health-biology
global-unspecified
effective
addiction
treatment
haven
solved
make
accessible
everyone
needs
not
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
way
resolved
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Postpartum anxiety is common but often overlooked compared to postpartum depression, leaving many new parents without adequate screening or treatment. Closing this awareness and treatment gap remains an unmet need in maternal healthcare.
health-biology
global-unspecified
maternal-health
postpartum
anxiety
depression
haven
solved
detect
treat
effectively
treatment
common
philosophy-ethics
whether
way
determine
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Hospitals with limited resources for sterile equipment and infection control see higher rates of post-surgical infections than better-equipped facilities. Closing this gap requires both medical and infrastructure solutions that remain incomplete in many regions.
health-biology
global-unspecified
infections
haven
solved
prevent
surgical
site
resource-limited
hospital
settings
hospitals
whether
philosophy-ethics
solutions
society-governance
way
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many patients with chronic conditions end up back in the hospital shortly after being discharged, often due to gaps in follow-up care rather than a failure of the original treatment. Better post-discharge support remains an unresolved healthcare system issue.
health-biology
global-unspecified
hospital
chronic
patients
haven
found
reliable
way
prevent
readmissions
disease
whether
philosophy-ethics
mathematics-logic
resolved
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some diseases occur far more frequently within certain populations due to genetic factors that aren't yet fully mapped or understood. Filling this knowledge gap could lead to more targeted prevention and treatment.
health-biology
global-unspecified
yet
fully
certain
populations
diseases
explain
genetically
susceptible
specific
some
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
haven
resolved
prevent
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Research shows a strong link between childhood trauma and adult physical illness, but effective, scalable prevention and early intervention remain limited. Closing this gap could improve both mental and physical health outcomes across entire populations.
health-biology
global-unspecified
physical
childhood
trauma
adult
health
yet
fully
prevent
long-term
effects
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
mathematics-logic
society-governance
way
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for technologies for the safe and efficient long-term storage of renewable energy at seasonal scales. Scientific understanding, engineering readiness and institutional capacity remain insufficient to translate promising concepts into durable impact under real-world constraints of cost, skills and governance.
society-governance
europe
france
renewable-energy
scalable
solutions
technologies
safe
efficient
long-term
storage
renewable
energy
seasonal
systems
methods
enabling
climate-environment
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many people who experience one episode of depression go on to experience another, and current treatments don't reliably prevent this recurrence. Better long-term prevention strategies remain an important gap in mental health care.
health-biology
global-unspecified
mental-health
don
prevent
recurrence
depression
episode
have
effective
way
first
experience
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Infections like Zika or cytomegalovirus can cause serious birth defects if contracted during pregnancy, and prevention options remain limited in many regions. Better vaccines or protective treatments remain needed to close this gap.
health-biology
global-unspecified
birth
defects
infections
during
pregnancy
yet
fully
prevent
caused
certain
philosophy-ethics
whether
haven
way
mathematics-logic