The future of education is shaped by a myriad of economic, social, demographic, and technological trends. The last few years have seen significant global crises, including a rise in armed conflict, and mounting geopolitical tensions, which have implications for public spending, international migration, global health, and national policy priorities. Their implications for education play out in various ways, underscoring the role that education can play in fostering peace and solidarity, but also the necessity of resilience and adaptability in our education systems.
Trends Shaping Education 2025 is the seventh edition in a series designed to support long-term strategic thinking in education. It offers an overview of historical trends in various fields of life and raises pertinent questions about their impact on education. From the increasing integration of AI-powered technology in daily life to the evolving dynamics of human, animal and environmental health, each chapter provides insights into how these trends might shape the future of education, and how education might shape these developments in turn. By examining global trends, we aim to equip education policymakers and stakeholders with the data and knowledge needed to navigate the complexities of the future educational landscape.
If we have learned one thing from the various iterations of this report, it is that the future will always surprise us. Trends are rarely linear and the future seldom a mere continuation of the past. Therefore, the report combines the analysis of robust trend data and evidence with futures thinking tools and scenarios that are more speculative and imaginative. Each chapter concludes with a foresight section offering alternative scenarios exploring how observed trends might break, bend accelerate or interact in unexpected ways.
This report offers both continuity and innovation compared with previous titles in the series. It updates trend data in key areas such as demography, economic growth and democratic participation, while offering new perspectives on global conflict and co-operation, voices and storytelling, and bodies and minds. It builds on the foresight exercises developed in previous editions, while also adding a range of new futures thinking tools to inspire both reflection and action.
Within the OECD’s Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI), since 2023, the work on Trends Shaping Education has been led by Deborah Nusche, and this report was co-authored by Jonathan James, Tali Malkin and Deborah Nusche. Sasha Ramirez-Hughes, Sophie Limoges and Rachel Linden contributed to design, editing and communications, and Kebure Assefa and Szilvia Malik Game formatted the document for publication. We are grateful to Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education and Skills, for his oversight and comments on the report. We would also like to thank members of the CERI Governing Board for their continuous encouragement, support and feedback. Above all, the Trends Shaping Education team is deeply grateful to Tia Loukkola, Head of CERI, whose lasting vision and guidance were invaluable to the completion of this report and will continue to shine and inform our work in the future.
Covering such as vast range of global trends necessarily relies on collaboration, and this volume has benefitted enormously from exchanges with experts inside and outside the OECD, who contributed their ideas, analysis and insights. We are grateful to the following OECD colleagues who offered comments and shared their expertise with us: Willem Adema, Carolin Beck, Joanne Caddy, Jonathan Chaloff, Dexter Docherty, Jean-Christophe Dumont, Marc Fuster, Jordan Hill, Michael Koelle, Sebastian Königs, Clarisse Legendre, Molly Lesher, Ana Llena Nozal, Estelle Loiseau, Francisca Lopes, Javier López González, Mauricio Mejia Galvan, Veerle Miranda, Cian Montague, Hyeshin Park, Joshua Polchar, Christopher Prinz, Christian Reimsbach-Kounatze, Marcia Rocha, Angelica Salvi Del Pero, Cyrille Schwellnus, Carthage Smith, Silviaa Sorescu, Eric Sutherland, Marie-Anne Valfort. Thank you for your expert advice and collegiality.
We also extend our gratitude the many external experts who contributed to this work in various ways: Jeroen Backs, Francisco Benavides, Erica Bol, Antoine Dusséaux, Keri Facer, Daniel Faggella, Catrin Finkenauer, Nicole Fournier-Sylvester, Martin Henry, Harold Hislop, Quirine van der Hoeven, Jan Germen Janmaat, Anthony Mackay, Isabell Ortiz, Roderick Parkes, Tom Schuller, Wendy Schultz, Lars Thornberg, Makito Yurita. Your collective wisdom has been invaluable in shaping this report. We also thank students from the M.A. in Comparative Education at University College London (UCL) for their participation in a futures workshop and their perspectives on the trends analysis and scenarios.