Gen Z : Global Youth Atlas

Our in-depth research has enabled us to analyse the major shifts in consumer behaviour that will shape the long-term business environment. We have combined our extensive youth insights from our intelligence platform into Gen Z: Global Youth Atlas, a new guide now available to purchase in our shop. This report brings together Gen Z analysis from 11 locations, with perspectives from 40 global contributors.

One only needs to look at Gen Z across five continents to see that innovation speaks all languages. In this exclusive report, The Future Laboratory travels from Brazil to South Korea, and Kenya to India, to analyse what local Gen Z think, need and dream of – and what your business can learn from them.

This report shines a light on how young people in the Global South – from Nairobi and Jakarta to São Paulo and Seoul – are reshaping markets, behaviour and culture. It’s their pulse that all brands want to have their finger on. This cohort – born between 1997 and 2012 – shows how trends don’t always originate in the West and can, in fact, teach many western brands what’s new and next for them.

Discover Gen Z : Global Youth Atlas here

‘Global cultural influence is in flux. Soft power is being flexed away from the West. From japa, sapa, mini-bobusang, It Favela, waithood, digital faith, black excellence and the strawberry generation, this report shows how global youth are influencing your cultural intelligence’

What’s Inside?

In these pages, you’ll access a snapshot of each cohort, packed with insights, stats and case studies that help you step into the shoes of a 20something Saudi, Singaporean or Canadian.

The report also features strategic opportunities to help you and your team understand how these signals can inform your next business strategy.

For global brands, these dynamics carry important lessons. Live-stream shopping in West Africa and APAC foreshadowed the rapid adoption of TikTok Shop in Europe and North America. Gen Zers in Thailand, Southeast Asia and East Asia kicked off the Labubu craze in the summer of 2024.

In trend forecasting terms, London was a Labubu laggard. And those dreamy, colourful TikTok edits seen during recent presidential election campaigns in the US, France, Chile and Indonesia? They were fan-made video montages, first popularised by the K-pop community in the 2010s to celebrate their favourite idols. Those teens did it first.

When The Future Laboratory launched its intelligence platform in 2007 our team of foresight analysts and editors have travelled the world and partnered with international contributors and experts to ensure our reports spotlight innovators and trends from every corner of the planet.

Curiosity remains the driving force behind The Future Laboratory and its community. With this report, we’re getting even more curious about others – those we know little about simply because they live far away, in countries some of us couldn’t find on a map. We saw that coming, there’s one for you on page 4.

As our fragile democracies and big tech continue to reward fear of ‘the other’, this report reminds us that to build better futures, we must recognise what connects us all. The chapters that follow examine these shifts in detail. They connect lived experiences with actionable strategic implications and show how youth culture is reshaping the global landscape of consumption, engagement and creativity. To study these movements is to study the foundations of the future. Fasten your seatbelt and bon voyage.