This was announced by WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a speech delivered on April 7, 2025, where he urged governments to invest in healthcare infrastructure and prioritize international agreements aimed at preventing pandemics.

“The next pandemic could happen 20 years from now—or tomorrow. But it will come, and no matter when it does, we must be ready,” Ghebreyesus stated.

He emphasized that a future pandemic could cause greater damage to societies and economies than war, highlighting how current investments in health are minimal compared to what governments spend on military efforts.

The WHO reminded the world that the most recent global pandemic, COVID-19, claimed 20 million lives worldwide and cost an estimated $10 trillion globally.

In February, during an appearance on ABC News’ The View to promote his new book Source Code: My Beginnings, Bill Gates also warned of another potential pandemic following COVID-19.

He reflected on his previous warnings about pandemics, noting how they sadly came true when COVID-19 struck in 2020. When asked how he felt about having predicted the crisis, he responded:

“The sad thing is, the pandemic we warned about did happen. And that won’t be the last one. The next could be even worse,” he said.

Bill Gates estimated the timeline of a potential new pandemic. “It could happen once in the next 25 years. And based on the viruses currently circulating, there’s about a 10% chance we’ll see a pandemic in the next four years,” he said.

The most recent global pandemic, COVID-19, claimed 20 million lives worldwide and cost an estimated $10 trillion globally.