World Studies Extended Essays are interdisciplinary and require global issues to be explored through two or more IB subjects (often combining Global Politics, Economics, Environmental Systems, Biology, Psychology, Geography, etc.).

Below is your complete set of 110 IB World Studies EE research questions, structured by IBExtendedEssayWriters in five categories:

✅ Format:

Each question involves a global issue, clearly interdisciplinary, and includes a real-world context. Topics are framed to meet IB criteria: specific, focused, globally relevant, researchable, and drawing on multiple subject lenses.

🟩 25 Simple but Interesting World Studies Extended Essay Topics

(straightforward, grounded in common pairings like Global Politics + Geography, Economics + Environmental Systems)

1. To what extent has urbanization in Lagos contributed to air pollution, from the perspectives of economics and environmental science?
2. How have government subsidies affected the adoption of solar panels in Germany, using economic and environmental lenses?
3. To what extent do social media campaigns influence youth political engagement in the U.S. and South Korea?
4. How does water scarcity impact agricultural practices in India through the lenses of environmental science and economics?
5. To what extent does fast fashion affect textile waste management in Bangladesh, from environmental and business perspectives?
6. How does gender equality in education relate to national development in Sub-Saharan Africa?
7. To what extent has tourism contributed to economic growth but environmental degradation in Bali?
8. How do plastic bag bans impact urban waste systems in Morocco from legal and environmental viewpoints?
9. How does economic inequality affect health outcomes in Brazil, using social and biological perspectives?
10. To what extent do cultural perceptions of climate change shape mitigation policies in the Netherlands and Indonesia?
11. How has the shift to electric vehicles influenced air quality in major cities like Oslo and Delhi?
12. To what extent do environmental regulations affect food production costs in California?
13. How has microfinance impacted women’s empowerment in rural India from economic and sociological perspectives?
14. To what extent has ecotourism promoted conservation in Costa Rica?
15. How do rising sea levels affect housing development policy in the Maldives?
16. How has e-waste disposal affected soil and health in Ghana, from chemical and health science perspectives?
17. How do informal settlements impact access to healthcare in Nairobi?
18. How has education about menstruation affected school attendance for girls in rural Uganda?
19. To what extent does green building policy in Singapore reduce energy consumption?
20. How have refugee influxes affected healthcare infrastructure in Lebanon?
21. How does illegal mining contribute to deforestation and human rights violations in the Amazon?
22. How has the shift to plant-based diets impacted the dairy industry in the UK?
23. To what extent do media portrayals of mental health affect adolescent self-image in the U.S.?
24. How has renewable energy adoption affected employment trends in the German automotive industry?
25. To what extent does water privatization affect rural communities in Bolivia?

🟦 25 Unique and Not Overused World Studies EE Questions

(fresh case studies, less-discussed regions, creative pairings like Psychology + Economics, Literature + Global Politics)

26. How does climate anxiety affect youth participation in climate activism in Sweden and Kenya?
27. To what extent has the rise of cryptocurrency reshaped economic policy in Venezuela and El Salvador?
28. How does deforestation affect Indigenous identity in the Philippines, through anthropological and ecological lenses?
29. How do AI hiring tools affect gender equity in Silicon Valley and Seoul?
30. To what extent has TikTok altered political participation in Thailand, using media studies and politics?
31. How does access to menstrual products affect workplace productivity in urban Kenya and India?
32. How do cultural narratives of masculinity affect male suicide rates in Japan and Australia?
33. How has green gentrification impacted low-income residents in Barcelona?
34. To what extent does intersectional feminism influence reproductive health education in Argentina and Poland?
35. How have COVID-19 lockdowns altered patterns of domestic violence in urban vs. rural Peru?
36. How does noise pollution affect student cognitive function in Bangkok public schools?
37. To what extent do fashion supply chains exploit child labor in Ethiopia and Pakistan?
38. How do LGBTQ+ rights movements in Poland and Taiwan shape national identity discourses?
39. How does cultural preservation of endangered languages impact education outcomes in New Zealand and Canada?
40. How does literature in post-conflict societies (e.g., Rwanda and Bosnia) contribute to national healing?
41. How do traditional medicine and modern healthcare intersect in South Africa?
42. How does economic stress contribute to teenage dropout rates in Vietnam and Cambodia?
43. To what extent do digital nomads alter cultural identity and housing policy in Bali?
44. How does rising ocean acidity affect food security in Indigenous Pacific Island communities?
45. To what extent does greenwashing affect consumer trust in the organic market in Germany?
46. How does privatized prison labor affect income inequality in the U.S.?
47. How has the cannabis legalization movement reshaped national identity in Uruguay and Canada?
48. How do generational attitudes towards climate policy differ in the U.S. and Japan?
49. How has the commercialization of yoga impacted wellness perceptions in India vs. the West?
50. To what extent does air conditioning use in Gulf countries challenge sustainability targets?

🟥 25 Complex and Challenging Questions for IB WS EE

(theory-heavy, data-intensive, or involving advanced interdisciplinary synthesis)

51. How does biopolitical theory explain refugee border control policies in Greece and Turkey?
52. To what extent can ecological footprint analysis predict sustainable growth in fast-growing economies like Vietnam?
53. How does neoliberal economic policy exacerbate climate injustice in the Global South?
54. How do geopolitical rivalries influence Arctic territorial claims, using international law and environmental science?
55. To what extent does behavioral economics explain voter apathy in liberal democracies?
56. How does environmental degradation correlate with conflict risk in the Lake Chad region?
57. How do development aid models perpetuate dependency in Sub-Saharan Africa?
58. How does climate-induced migration challenge the legal definitions of refugee status?
59. How does post-colonial theory explain wealth distribution in urban infrastructure projects in Nairobi and Mumbai?
60. How do carbon market mechanisms affect forest conservation in Indonesia and the DRC?
61. How do deep learning algorithms contribute to biometric surveillance in China and their impact on civil liberties?
62. How does economic nationalism affect food sovereignty in post-Brexit UK?
63. How does climate change adaptation vary across socioeconomic classes in the U.S. and Bangladesh?
64. To what extent does cyber warfare shift power in international relations?
65. How does global debt influence access to clean water in post-IMF aid recipient nations?
66. How do ocean treaties fail to address biodiversity loss in international waters?
67. How does global pharmaceutical pricing affect access to cancer treatment in India and Nigeria?
68. How does post-pandemic urban planning redefine space in overpopulated cities like Dhaka?
69. How do oil-rich economies like Nigeria navigate the transition to green energy without socioeconomic collapse?
70. How do international tech monopolies influence national data sovereignty?
71. How do school curriculums reflect national identity construction in Israel and Palestine?
72. How has digital censorship influenced youth resistance movements in Russia and Iran?
73. How does social contract theory apply to vaccine mandates in France and the U.S.?
74. How does the commodification of Indigenous knowledge in biotechnology violate sovereignty?
75. How do global hedge funds influence food pricing in post-colonial economies?

🟨 25 IB WS EE Current and Up-to-Date Questions

(focused on global issues since 2020 — pandemics, tech, geopolitics, sustainability)

76. How has the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped health equity policy in urban Brazil and rural India?
77. How does the Russia-Ukraine war affect global food insecurity in East Africa?
78. How does AI-generated art challenge copyright laws and cultural identity?
79. To what extent has online education during the pandemic widened inequality in Kenya and the U.S.?
80. How do vaccine nationalism and global health governance intersect in COVAX implementation?
81. How does cryptocurrency mining affect energy use in Kazakhstan and Texas?
82. To what extent does telemedicine improve maternal health access in rural Nepal?
83. How has social media censorship during the 2023 Iranian protests affected public opinion globally?
84. How do wildfire mitigation policies differ between California and Australia in light of climate change?
85. How has the EU’s Green Deal impacted emissions policy in Poland and Spain?
86. How does drone warfare challenge international humanitarian law post-2020?
87. How does TikTok use by activists during protests affect civic participation in Nigeria and Thailand?
88. To what extent has remote work impacted urban housing demand in Tokyo and San Francisco?
89. How does the boycott of Russian goods impact consumer nationalism in Europe?
90. How does digital privacy legislation vary across democracies and authoritarian regimes post-Cambridge Analytica?
91. How has the war in Gaza influenced humanitarian aid distribution mechanisms in 2023–2024?
92. How does the rise of “climate justice” reshape indigenous advocacy in Canada and Brazil?
93. How do micro-influencers reshape perceptions of political identity among Gen Z globally?
94. How do labor rights evolve in the gig economy post-pandemic in India and the UK?
95. How does AI use in education affect equity in exam preparation globally?
96. How has Elon Musk’s rebranding of Twitter influenced global political discourse?
97. How has ChatGPT affected academic integrity discourse across international schools?
98. How does vertical farming address food security challenges in Singapore and Dubai?
99. To what extent do carbon offset programs displace Indigenous communities in Southeast Asia?
100. How has the climate litigation trend shifted environmental policy in the Global North?

🟪 10 Fun and Unusual Questions for Your World Studies Extended Essay

(playful, edgy, still researchable and globally relevant)

101. To what extent can Barbie (2023) be used as a lens to analyze global gender identity construction?
102. How does Taylor Swift’s global influence affect voter registration movements in the U.S. and Brazil?
103. To what extent do K-pop fandoms act as decentralized political actors in global causes?
104. How does Airbnb impact cultural gentrification in historical cities like Prague and Lisbon?
105. How has Squid Game sparked global conversation on wealth inequality and class consciousness?
106. To what extent do esports tournaments contribute to soft power for countries like South Korea and China?
107. How do Netflix subtitles affect global understanding of sociopolitical narratives in non-English films?
108. How does the rise of eco-influencers affect carbon-conscious consumerism among teenagers?
109. To what extent do public transportation memes reflect dissatisfaction with urban infrastructure?
110. How has cottagecore aesthetic reshaped online eco-activism in the post-pandemic era?