Is Digitalization The 6th Kondratieff Wave? Today

While we have historically seen five completed waves, economists are now debating the identity of the , which many believe officially began or will enter a recovery phase around 2025–2026. Is Digitalization the 6th Wave?

The 6th Kondratieff Wave: Is Digitalization the Driver? Since the Industrial Revolution, the global economy has moved in long, rhythmic "super-cycles" known as Kondratieff Waves (K-waves). Lasting roughly 40 to 60 years, each wave is powered by a "basic innovation" that transforms productivity and reshapes society. Is digitalization the 6th Kondratieff wave?

In the 6th wave, digitalization is no longer the novelty ; it is the foundation . Instead of being the driver, digitalization acts as the "infrastructure" for new, even more transformative fields: While we have historically seen five completed waves,

The answer is a nuanced "no" and "yes." Most theorists argue that digitalization itself was the core of the (Information and Communication Technology), which began in the 1970s and peaked with the internet boom. Since the Industrial Revolution, the global economy has