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A Century of Plenty: A Story of Progress for Generations to Come
“This book is as persuasive as it is useful. Well-written and accessible, yet the research is excellent.”—Joel Mokyr, 2025 Nobel laureate in Economic Sciences
Can you imagine even the poorest country in the world achieving the prosperity and quality of life of today's Switzerland—by 2100? Seems crazy, doesn't it? After all, we live in uncertain times. But we have pulled off marvels before. Human advances over the past 100 years have been unprecedented. Can we achieve another century of progress?
This book, a major research effort from the McKinsey Global Institute, explores the advances of the past century and what drove them—what we call the progress machine. It then investigates the possibility of a world of plenty by 2100 in which every person lives at, or above, the levels of prosperity enjoyed by Switzerland today. Such a future would require the global economy to be eight times bigger than it is today. Is this realistic? Will we have enough energy, food, metals and minerals? Can we keep innovating quickly enough? Can we deliver plenty while protecting our planet?
We ran the numbers, and the answer is yes.
But progress is a choice. Making what is possible probable needs a new narrative. A story in which growth is good, plenty is achievable, and people are inspired to innovate and build. Again and again, optimists have been on the right side of history. We believe they will be once more.
About the authors
Sven Smit is a McKinsey senior partner and the former chair of the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI). During his 35-year McKinsey career he also led the firm's European region and the Strategy and Corporate Finance Practice. He is based in Amsterdam.
Chris Bradley is a McKinsey senior partner and director of MGI. Along with Sven, he was a coauthor of the best-selling book Strategy Beyond the Hockey Stick. He is based in Sydney.
Nick Leung is a McKinsey senior partner and director of MGI. In his 33 years at the firm, he was chairman of McKinsey's Greater China region for over a decade, and leader of the Corporate Finance Practice in Asia. He is based in Hong Kong.
Marc Canal is an MGI senior fellow and leads research on global progress, with a focus on productivity, demographics, human capital, and technology. He is based in Barcelona.
The McKinsey Global Institute is McKinsey's independent research arm, established in 1990. This book draws on that long heritage, and on the specific contributions of our coauthor Janet Bush, MGI executive editor; Sherlyn Chen, engagement manager; Suhayl Chettih, MGI fellow; and MGI partners Jan Mischke and Jeongmin Seong.
Can you imagine even the poorest country in the world achieving the prosperity and quality of life of today's Switzerland—by 2100? Seems crazy, doesn't it? After all, we live in uncertain times. But we have pulled off marvels before. Human advances over the past 100 years have been unprecedented. Can we achieve another century of progress?
This book, a major research effort from the McKinsey Global Institute, explores the advances of the past century and what drove them—what we call the progress machine. It then investigates the possibility of a world of plenty by 2100 in which every person lives at, or above, the levels of prosperity enjoyed by Switzerland today. Such a future would require the global economy to be eight times bigger than it is today. Is this realistic? Will we have enough energy, food, metals and minerals? Can we keep innovating quickly enough? Can we deliver plenty while protecting our planet?
We ran the numbers, and the answer is yes.
But progress is a choice. Making what is possible probable needs a new narrative. A story in which growth is good, plenty is achievable, and people are inspired to innovate and build. Again and again, optimists have been on the right side of history. We believe they will be once more.
About the authors
Sven Smit is a McKinsey senior partner and the former chair of the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI). During his 35-year McKinsey career he also led the firm's European region and the Strategy and Corporate Finance Practice. He is based in Amsterdam.
Chris Bradley is a McKinsey senior partner and director of MGI. Along with Sven, he was a coauthor of the best-selling book Strategy Beyond the Hockey Stick. He is based in Sydney.
Nick Leung is a McKinsey senior partner and director of MGI. In his 33 years at the firm, he was chairman of McKinsey's Greater China region for over a decade, and leader of the Corporate Finance Practice in Asia. He is based in Hong Kong.
Marc Canal is an MGI senior fellow and leads research on global progress, with a focus on productivity, demographics, human capital, and technology. He is based in Barcelona.
The McKinsey Global Institute is McKinsey's independent research arm, established in 1990. This book draws on that long heritage, and on the specific contributions of our coauthor Janet Bush, MGI executive editor; Sherlyn Chen, engagement manager; Suhayl Chettih, MGI fellow; and MGI partners Jan Mischke and Jeongmin Seong.
- GenresNonfictionEconomics
572 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 13, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 13, 2026
Interesting. More optimistic about our future as a species than most things in the press currently.
January 18, 2026
There Is A Great Future For All
This book is tremendously uplifting. Rooted in historical fact and coupling that with current advancements, the book presents a realistic assessment that we can build an even better world for all. My take away is threefold. 1. The best time to be alive is now. 2. The opportunity exists for us, if we choose, to create an even better, more sustainable world for the generations that follow us. 3. We must be deliberate in taking the necessary steps to make this vision a reality.
This book is tremendously uplifting. Rooted in historical fact and coupling that with current advancements, the book presents a realistic assessment that we can build an even better world for all. My take away is threefold. 1. The best time to be alive is now. 2. The opportunity exists for us, if we choose, to create an even better, more sustainable world for the generations that follow us. 3. We must be deliberate in taking the necessary steps to make this vision a reality.
April 21, 2026
“In this world, the optimists have it, not because they are always right, but because they are positive. Even when wrong, they are positive, and that is the way of achievement, correction, improvement, and success. Educated, eyes-open optimism pays; pessimism can only offer the empty consolation of being right.
The one lesson that emerges is the need to keep trying. No miracles. No perfection. No millennium. No apocalypse. We must cultivate a skeptical faith, avoid dogma, listen and watch well, try to clarify and define ends, the better to choose means.” -David Landes
https://mckinsey.louisa.ai/group/grou...
The one lesson that emerges is the need to keep trying. No miracles. No perfection. No millennium. No apocalypse. We must cultivate a skeptical faith, avoid dogma, listen and watch well, try to clarify and define ends, the better to choose means.” -David Landes
https://mckinsey.louisa.ai/group/grou...
February 19, 2026
This is a tremendously positive story of human achievement and potential. I felt good listening to it in the same way and for the same reasons it felt good to watch Hans Rosling TED talks. It uses facts to elevate us from the temporary struggles and inability to see the hugely positive overall trajectory that we are on. In a similar way, it uses facts to argue why the future has all the prerequisites to be bright if we want it to.
Admittedly, a few of the authors and contributors are friends and old colleagues of mine, and some of the brightest minds I ever came across - hence, I might be a bit biased in my views here. Nonetheless, an amazing story.
Admittedly, a few of the authors and contributors are friends and old colleagues of mine, and some of the brightest minds I ever came across - hence, I might be a bit biased in my views here. Nonetheless, an amazing story.
March 11, 2026
Thoughtful, detailed research with an empowering message: physical limits do not constrain us from achieving a world of “plenty” for everyone on earth as long as we keep the progress machine humming.
April 7, 2026
Interesante ensayo que resume las grandes áreas de progreso de la humanidad. Podría pasar, más bien, por un informe bastante completo. Pero tiene interés.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews