Source page: McKinsey & Company
Commentary
Dawn of a new era?
Resilience | Economy
December 12, 2022 – Could the current moment of geopolitical and economic upheaval usher in a new era of progress? A look at previous periods after times of turbulence might offer a clue, find senior partner Sven Smit and coauthors in a recent paper. During the Era of Markets (1989–2019), for example—which came as the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union broke up, among other world-shifting events—new majorities emerged. By 2019, 67 percent of the world’s population had a mobile phone and 72 percent of net new annual electricity-generating capacity globally came from renewables.
To read the paper, see “On the cusp of a new era?” October 20, 2022.
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Visual form
Animated category comparison chart.
Layout / body structure
The chart is arranged as a side-by-side comparison of social and economic ‘majorities’ across periods, so the reader moves across grouped categories instead of following one single line. The sequence is meant to be read panel by panel as the era framing shifts from past turbulence into the Era of Markets.
What is being compared
It compares the composition of major economic and social groups before and during the Era of Markets, with the emphasis on how new global majorities emerged after a period of upheaval.
Measurement system
The chart uses shares or category size rather than one simple revenue measure, so the viewer is comparing the relative scale of demographic, economic, or social blocs across eras.
Visible structure inside the graphic
The internal pieces are grouped category markers, period labels, and the emphasized ‘majorities’ that stand out inside the comparison. The structure is built to show how the balance of groups changes when the era changes.
Main takeaway from the visual
The page shows that disruption can be followed by broad structural change rather than just temporary instability. The visual logic is that the Era of Markets produced a new set of majorities, which is why the current moment is framed as potentially another turning point.
Key standout values or extremes
The standout feature is the emergence of multiple new majorities during the Era of Markets rather than a single dominant data point. The chart’s emphasis is on the size and visibility of those newly enlarged groups.
Controls / sequence, when applicable
This is a static chart image with no in-chart controls to operate.
Companion media, when applicable
There is no separate companion audio or video; the chart image is the full visual on this page.