In 2024, democracy spoke - and it roared with anger. With more than 1.5 billion votes cast across 73 nations, the political landscape was reshaped as incumbents and centrists faced unprecedented losses. From London to Tokyo, from Washington to Delhi, voters delivered a stinging rebuke to the status quo, catalyzing a seismic shift toward what were once considered political fringes.
For the first time in the history of modern democracy, every incumbent government in 12 developed Western nations suffered vote share losses, according to the Financial Times. The phenomenon extended to Asia, where the entrenched political machines of India and Japan faltered under the weight of economic and societal discontent. Across the board, centrists hemorrhaged support, with populists on the right - propelled by a surge of young male voters - emerging as the year’s biggest winners.
