Bill Gates warns the world is moving ‘backwards’ and issues a 5-year deadline before we enter a new Dark Age
Last year didn’t unfold as Bill Gates had hoped. As a philanthropist who has committed billions to enhancing everything from healthcare and education in low-income nations to climate change initiatives, Gates could only observe as the Trump administration cut large portions of foreign aid agreements.
The co-founder has criticized the cost-cutting framework, much of which was put in place under Elon Musk’s Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He cautioned that the measure could directly lead to child deaths, a claim which CEO Musk .
In his annual letter this year, the Gates Foundation founder was hopeful yet straightforward, stating: “I believe the world will continue to improve—but it’s harder to see that today than it has been in a very long time.”
He added: “What upsets me most is that last year, the world regressed on a critical measure of progress: the number of deaths among children under five. Over the past 25 years, those deaths declined faster than at any other time in history. But in 2025, they rose for the first time this century, from 4.6 million in 2024 to 4.8 million in 2025—an increase fueled by reduced support from wealthy nations to poorer ones.”
Last month, the Gates Foundation’s revealed that an extra 12.5 million child deaths could happen by 2045 if health development assistance (including government spending) is cut by 20% from 2024 levels, per customized modeling using data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
“Friends and colleagues frequently ask me how I remain optimistic in a time of so many challenges and such deep polarization,” Gates wrote. “My response is this: I’m still an optimist because I see the potential of innovation accelerated by artificial intelligence.”
But that optimism has a deadline— or as Gates puts it, “there are footnotes to my optimism.”
“The next five years will be tough as we strive to get back on course and expand access to new life-saving tools,” Gates went on. “Even though last year was hard, I don’t think we’ll slip back into the Dark Ages.”
“I believe that in the next 10 years, we will not only steer the world back on course but also enter a new age of unmatched progress.”
Funding the gaps
In 2025, Gates announced his He would donate “virtually all [his] wealth”—approximately $100 billion—to his foundation. It was the biggest philanthropic pledge in modern history, with conditions: the funds (comprising its existing endowment and expected growth) must be used within the next 20 years.
Though Gates made the announcement this year, his intentions have been evident for years. In 2010, Gates, his then-wife Melinda French Gates, and co-founder Warren Buffett , making a public promise to philanthropy, which has since been signed by figures like philanthropist Mackenzie Scott and CEO Brian Chesky.
To address a shortfall in government funding, Gates is appealing to other wealthy philanthropists. He wrote: “The concept of treating others as you’d like to be treated doesn’t only apply to rich countries providing aid. It must also include philanthropy from the affluent to support those in need—both locally and globally—which should grow quickly in a world with a record number of billionaires and even centibillionaires.”
A , most recently released in January 2025, found that in 2024, the number of billionaires increased to 2,769, up from 2,565 the previous year. It also noted that it anticipates at least five people will become trillionaires within a decade.
Gates added: “I know the cuts won’t be undone instantly, even though aid made up less than 1% of GDP even in the most generous nations. But it’s essential that we reinstate some of the funding.”