In
contemporary history, the third millennium is the current
millennium in the ''
Anno Domini'' or
Common Era, under the
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...
. It began on 1 January 2001 (
MMI) and will end on 31 December 3000 (
MMM), spanning the
21st to
30th centuries.
Ongoing
futures studies seek to understand what will likely continue and what could plausibly change in this period and beyond.
Predictions and forecasts not included on this timeline
*
Climate change
*
Extinction
*
List of dates predicted for apocalyptic events
*
List of future astronomical events
**
List of lunar eclipses in the 21st century
**
List of solar eclipses in the 21st century
*
List of time capsules
* Near future
centennial (bi, tri, etc.) events.
*
Near future in fiction
*
Predictions and claims for the Second Coming
*
Projections of population growth
**
Representative Concentration Pathway
**
Shared Socioeconomic Pathways
21st century
2000s
* See:
2000
*
2001
*
2002
*
2003
*
2004
*
2005
*
2006
*
2007
*
2008
*
2009
2010s
* See:
2010
*
2011
*
2012
*
2013
*
2014
*
2015
*
2016
*
2017
*
2018
*
2019
2020s
* See:
2020
*
2021
*
2022
*
2023
*
2024
*
2025
*
2026
*
2027
*
2028
*
2029
2030s
2040s
* Rare alignment of the five naked-eye planets cluster within 7° of longitude, 12 September 2040.
* 2040: End year of the
Baku City Master Plan implementation.
* 2041:
** The
Antarctic treaty is scheduled to come under review.
* 2042:
** 17 September: a common
computing representation of date and time on
IBM mainframe systems will overflow with potential results similar to the
year 2000 problem.
* 2045:
** 31 December:
Bill Gates announced that
Gates Foundation is scheduled to cease operations.
* 2047: On 1 July, the "
one country, two systems" principle's guarantee in
Hong Kong is scheduled to end, as it was guaranteed for 50 years starting from 1 July 1997, provided under the
Hong Kong Basic Law. The agreement was raised by
Deng Xiaoping to deal with
Hong Kong's reunification with the
People's Republic of China in 1997, and stipulated in the
Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984.
However, in February 2024,
Xia Baolong, the head of the
Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, said that the system would be kept permanently.
* 2048: On 14 January, the
Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty is scheduled to come up for review.
* 2049:
** October 1: Scheduled completion of the
Belt and Road Initiative, coinciding with the
100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
** On 20 December, the "
one country, two systems" arrangement with
Macau
Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...
, guaranteed for 50 years starting from 20 December 1999, provided under the
Basic Law and the
Joint Declaration on the Question of Macau, will expire.
** The
embargoed 37-million-word diary of
Robert Shields will become available to read and count words.
2050s
* 2050:
** The
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
aims to reach
net-zero carbon emissions in accordance with the
Climate Change Act 2008.
**
Three-North Shelter Forest Program is expected to be completed.
** Under
a plan announced in July 2016, New Zealand aims to eradicate all non-
native rats,
possums, and
mustelids by this year.
** The case files surrounding the 1943 death of the former
lieutenant general of the
Polish Army and first
Prime Minister of the
Polish government in exile,
Władysław Sikorski, are expected to be declassified this year by the
British government. Due to tensions between the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, and
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
, the circumstances of his death
has led to disputes over whether the crash was deliberate or not. The official conclusion by the British government is that the crash was accidental. However, the Polish government refused to endorse this report on the basis of a lack of conclusive findings and contradictions within the British evidence.
In 2008, an investigation was opened by the Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation of the
Institute of National Remembrance, and concluded in 2013 that there is not enough evidence to prove or disprove the sabotage theory.
* 2051:
** April: One of the
METI messages
Cosmic Call 1 sent from the 70-meter
Eupatoria Planetary Radar in 1999 arrives at its destination, the
Gliese 777 system.
* 2054:
**
Hawksbill Creek Agreement granting tax exemptions and special economic status for
Freeport, Bahamas, is set to expire.
2060s
* 2060:
** The
Chinese government aims for China to be
carbon neutral.
**
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
aims to be carbon neutral.
* 2061:
** 28 July:
Halley's Comet will enter the inner solar system and is expected to be visible from Earth again after its last perihelion in 1986.
** 31 December: Expiration of the
Singapore-Malaysia Water Agreement.
** All 6 reactors from the
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant are planned to be decommissioned by this time. (30 to 40 years from 2021) However, according to a 2023 report by
Voice of America, some experts have said "it would be impossible to remove all the melted fuel debris by 2051 and would take 50-100 years, if achieved at all."
* 2065:
** The process of cleanup and decommissioning the
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, following the 1986
Chernobyl disaster, is projected to be finished.
2070s
* 2070: According to an announcement made by Indian prime minister
Narendra Modi in 2021, India will be carbon neutral.
*2076: 300th anniversary of the signing of the
United States Declaration of Independence
*
2079: For computer software using unsigned 16-bit binary day counts and an epoch of 1 January 1900, the counts will overflow after 65,536 (2
16) days, which will occur on 6 June 2079.
2080s
* 2084:
** The next
transit of Earth from Mars will happen.
**According to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
, human population is projected to peak in the year 2084, after which population will gradually decline forever.
* 2085: The "secret" letter of
Queen Elizabeth II will be opened in
Sydney, Australia.
* 2089: During the months of May and June, insect
''Magicicada'' broods
X (17-year) and
XIX (13-year) will emerge simultaneously. This will be the first time this will occur since 1868; next time will be in 2310. This event occurs only once in every 221 years.
2090s
* 2090: The
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund is set to expire.
* 2092: Work on cleaning up the site of the
Oldbury Nuclear Power Station is scheduled to be complete in 2092 (early estimate).
* 2094: 7 April:
Mercury transits
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...
, this is the
only known such event of the decade.
* 2096:
**
Ash Wednesday will occur on
February 29 (leap day) for the first time since the start of the
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...
in 1582.
* 2099:
** The
99-year lease for
Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, New York City is set to expire.
**
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
regains control of the
Ontario Highway 407 when its 99-year lease expires.
** 2099 is the maximum year that can be set on computers with
BIOS firmware, as well as Microsoft's
Windows XP,
Windows Vista,
Windows 7,
Windows 8, and
Windows 8.1 operating systems, and Sony's
PlayStation 2 and the
Nintendo DS gaming platforms.
22nd century
2100s
* 2100:
**
Silverstein Properties'
99-year lease on the
World Trade Center expires.
* 2103: Per an agreement between the
National Archives and
Caroline Kennedy, the
jacket Jackie Kennedy wore on the day
John F. Kennedy was assassinated cannot be displayed in public until this year.
*
FAT file systems theoretically support dates up to 31 December 2107 (though officially only up to 31 December 2099). See
Year 2108 problem.
2110s
* The
Chernobyl New Safe Confinement reaches end of designed lifetime in the 2110s.
* 2111: The will of
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is scheduled to become public knowledge.
* 2112:
** The will of
Queen Elizabeth II is scheduled to become public knowledge.
* 2115:
** The first book from the
Future Library project will be published, 100 years after being submitted by author
Margaret Atwood.
** The One Hundred Year Study on Artificial Intelligence (AI100) initiated by
Stanford University will be concluded.
** ''
100 Years'', a film by
Robert Rodriguez and
John Malkovich, will be released 100 years after its development.
* 2116:
China Merchants Port's
99-year lease on
Hambantota International Port in Sri Lanka is set to expire.
* 2117: In relation to the 2115 release of the ''100 Years'' short film, A song titled "100 Years", composed by
Pharrell Williams, will be released to the public. The song was performed by Williams at a private party in
Shanghai, China, in 2017. The song is said to have addressed global warming.
2140s
* 2140: All of the roughly 21 million
Bitcoins are expected to be mined.
2150s
* 2155: The year type in
MySQL supports dates up to 31 December 2155.
2160s
2170s
* 2178: On 23 March,
Pluto will have completed its first full orbit since its discovery in 1930.
2180s
* 2182: On 24 September, asteroid
101955 Bennu has a 1-in-2,700 chance of impacting Earth.
2190s
* 2198: The
Vanguard I satellite, launched in 1958, is expected to re-enter the atmosphere and burn up due to orbital decay assuming it is not retrieved or collides with another object.
23rd century
* 2206: For the first time since
1935, Earth will experience the maximum number of five
solar eclipses in one year.
* 2227–2247:
Pluto will be closer to the
Sun than
Neptune for the first time since
1999.
* 2240: On September 16, the
Hebrew calendar will reach the
year 6000, signaling the latest possible arrival of the
Messiah.
* 2265: Return of the
Great Comet of 1861.
* 2285: On March 22, Easter will
occur on its earliest possible date for the first time since
1818.
24th century
* 2333: It is projected that the
Dounreay nuclear site will be safe to use for other purposes.
* 2353: The
date of Easter as conventionally calculated will be five
weeks earlier than its hypothetical date according to astronomical principles, in a "
negative equinoctial paradox". Along with 2372, this will be one of only two such occurrences between 2020 and 4000.
* 2372: The date of Easter will see another "negative equinoctial paradox", this time four weeks earlier than its hypothetical date. This will be the last such occurrence before the year 4000.
* 2386: If not repealed or otherwise voided, the
Treaty of Windsor (1386) between England and Portugal, currently the oldest military alliance still in effect, will have stood for one thousand years.
* 2391:
Palm Sunday and
Saint Patrick's Day will coincide for the first time since 1940; the "wearing of the shamrock and the palm together" was seen as presaging a great event in
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
.
* 2400: The first
century leap year since 2000.
25th century
* 2425: The annual funding increase of $325 per student to
Wisconsin public schools, which began in 2023, is set to end.
* 2439 (estimated): The "
Across the Universe" message broadcast by NASA in 2008 will reach
Polaris.
26th century
* : Climate projections predict a barren landscape for the
Amazon rainforest amid low water levels due to vegetation decline.
* 2531: Professor Hiroshi Yoshida of
Tohoku University conducted a study in 2024 which suggests every Japanese person will have the
surname
In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...
"
Satō" unless a law regulating couples to a single surname is not changed before this time.
27th century
* 2640: On 5 September, the 639-year-long performance of
John Cage's organ work ''
As Slow as Possible'' (begun in 2001) is scheduled to finish at the St. Burchardi Church in
Halberstadt, Germany.
28th century
* Earth will experience 241 lunar eclipses.
* 2800: The second
century leap year in the 3rd millennium, in accordance with the
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...
. The
Revised Julian Calendar, however, observes a leap year in 2900 instead; those Orthodox Churches (e.g. Greek) using the Revised Julian Calendar to calculate fixed-date feasts will, if no changes are made to the calendar before then, celebrate fixed-date feasts a day earlier than Catholic and Protestant churches from March 2800 until February 2900. For example, through this century, such Orthodox Churches will be celebrating
Christmas Day while simultaneously Catholic and Protestant churches are marking
Christmas Eve.
29th century
* 2847: The
St. Michael's Catholic Cemetery (Happy Valley) in Hong Kong lease on Wan Chai's Saint Fulan gentleman street will end after a
999-year lease, assuming no legal status changes before that date.
30th century
* 2999:
** The ''
Longplayer'' composition will finish on 31 December 2999, marking the end of the thousand-year piece of music.
** Millennium celebrations will take place on the same date, 1,000 years after the
first celebrations on 31 December 1999.
See also
*
Timelines of the future
*
Anthropocene
*
Foresight (psychology)
*
Outline of futures studies
*
Technology forecasting
Notes
References
{{Authority control
Millennia