The year in history
2022
Someone born in 2022 turns 4 in 2026
2022 (MMXXII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2022nd year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 22nd year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century, and the 3rd year of the 2020s decade. The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw the removal of most COVID-19 restrictions and the reopening of international borders in the vast majority of countries, while the global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines continued. The global economic recovery from the pandemic continued, though many countries experienced a three-year inflation surge; in response, many central banks raised their interest rates to landmark levels. The world population reached eight billion people in 2022. The year also witnessed numerous natural disasters, including two devastating Atlantic hurricanes (Fiona and Ian), and the most powerful volcano eruption of the century so far. The later part of the year also saw the first public release of ChatGPT by OpenAI starting an arms race in artificial intelligence which increased in intensity into 2023, as well as the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX.
What happened in 2022
France takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Slovenian presidency.
The federal government under Scott Morrison announces that, after more than three years of confidential negotiations, copyright ownership of the Australian Aboriginal flag has been transferred to the Commonwealth.
Football governing bodies FIFA and UEFA suspend Russian clubs and national teams from all competitions.
2022 South Korean presidential election: People Power Party candidate Yoon Suk-yeol is narrowly elected President of South Korea.
President of Yemen Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi resigns from office, dismisses vice president Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, and transfers both offices' powers to the newly formed eight-member Presidential Leadership Council, chaired by Rashad al-Alimi.
2022 Philippine presidential election: Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte are elected the 17th President and 15th Vice President of the Philippines in a landslide victory.
Canada and Denmark end their competing claims for Hans Island by dividing the island roughly in half, ending what was referred to as the Whisky War.
Droupadi Murmu is elected as President of India, making her the first tribal and youngest person to be elected to the office.
Turkey and Israel agree to restore full diplomatic relations after a period of tensions.
October 1 – The 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup is held in Sydney, Australia. In the final, the United States wins 83–61 against China.
Elon Musk completes his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter.
The 2022 Malaysian general election results in a hung parliament, which is the first in the country's history. Long-time opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is appointed by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Abdullah as prime minister five days later to break the political deadlock and form a unity government.