360The 2020s so far: the pandemic, AI and Riyadh's global stage
The decade opened with the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines developed in record time. Saudi Arabia hosted the G20 summit in 2020, celebrated its first Founding Day in 2022, won Expo 2030 and was confirmed as host of the 2034 World Cup. The James Webb telescope and AI chatbots marked new eras in science and technology.
In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Lockdowns changed how people worked, learned and travelled. By December 2020, the first vaccines were approved, developed in less than a year.
In November 2020, Saudi Arabia hosted the G20 Leaders' Summit, held online, the first G20 summit hosted by an Arab country.
In 2022, the Kingdom celebrated its first Founding Day on 22 February, marking the founding of the First Saudi State in 1727. In November 2023, Riyadh won the vote to host the World Expo in 2030, and in December 2024 FIFA confirmed Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 World Cup. Projects such as NEOM, the Red Sea destinations and Riyadh's new metro reshaped the country.
In December 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope launched, and in July 2022 it released detailed images of distant galaxies.
In November 2022, the release of ChatGPT brought artificial intelligence chatbots to millions of people, and AI tools quickly spread into education, business and daily life.
This entry will be updated as the decade continues.
- 2020
- COVID-19 pandemic; Riyadh G20 summit
- 2021
- James Webb Space Telescope launched
- 2022
- First Founding Day; ChatGPT released
- 2023
- Riyadh wins Expo 2030
- 2024
- Saudi Arabia confirmed as 2034 World Cup host
Sources: World Health Organization · Saudipedia · Bureau International des Expositions · FIFA · NASA.