The year 2024 marked a significant turning point in global elections, with many in power facing setbacks and challenges.

 The trend is clear: In nearly all industrialized nations, as well as in many developing countries, the share of votes for governments has declined.

LONDON — The elections of 2024 marked a historic year in global politics, as many incumbents faced significant defeats, signaling a broader pattern of discontent worldwide.

For the United States, the most notable outcome was the defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris to President-elect Donald Trump. However, this was just one example in a global trend that saw electoral shifts across countries from India to Austria, South Korea to Uruguay, and the United Kingdom to Botswana.

NBC News highlighted at the beginning of 2024 that the year would see a record number of elections, with over 70 countries—representing 4 billion people—going to the polls.

Now, with the results tallied, a clear pattern emerges: incumbents in both industrialized and developing nations saw their vote shares decrease. "It has been a remarkably bad year for incumbents," noted Rachel Kleinfeld, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. According to data from ParlGov, a database from the University of Bremen, 2024 was the first year on record since 1905 where every incumbent party in developed countries lost vote share.

Even where incumbents did win, there were caveats. Mexico’s governing party triumphed in June, but this came after a series of defeats for incumbents in Latin America. Similarly, Ireland’s government managed re-election in November, but with a slight decline in support. Many countries had unique issues contributing to their electoral shifts, such as Sri Lanka’s organic farming crisis and Japan’s corruption scandal involving the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. In South Africa, the African National Congress, which led the nation post-apartheid, lost its majority amidst rising power cuts, violence, and poverty affecting Black communities.

However, one issue surfaced repeatedly across the globe: the post-Covid economy. The pandemic disrupted global supply chains, driving prices up, while governments injected money into struggling economies—actions some economists argue fueled inflation. A general decline in trust toward public institutions, coupled with widespread dissatisfaction, compounded the problem.

The Pew Research Center found that 64% of adults across 34 countries believed their national finances were in bad shape. In the U.S., despite strong macroeconomic numbers, many still felt the pinch of rising costs, with groceries becoming pricier and interest rates making mortgages and credit cards more burdensome.

This was mirrored in the United Kingdom, where inflation briefly surged to 11%, contributing to the Conservative Party’s worst electoral performance in nearly 200 years. Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader of the party, attributed these global electoral shifts to a common concern: “It’s the cost of living,” he told NBC News.

In Japan, rising prices, coupled with stagnant wages, led voters to express dissatisfaction with the Liberal Democratic Party, which had dominated politics for decades. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba barely managed to maintain power with a minority government.

In India, even Prime Minister Narendra Modi struggled to secure a parliamentary majority in June. Critics cited his government's failure to create sufficient jobs for the country’s large population.

In addition to economic frustrations, concerns over immigration played a role in the election outcomes. For example, Trump supporters cited border security as their second-highest priority after the economy. His promise to implement mass deportations reflected wider anxieties over immigration, shared by voters across the world.

In Europe, right-wing nationalist parties gained ground by tapping into fears about immigration, particularly from Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and Africa. French President Emmanuel Macron lost support to Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, while in Belgium, the far-right Vlaams Belang and New Flemish Alliance parties trounced the ruling coalition. Austria saw the far-right Freedom Party emerge victorious.

This trend of right-wing populism is not new but has become more pronounced amid economic downturns and high immigration levels, according to political experts.

The dissatisfaction with political elites and the desire for change are also rooted in broader issues. Kelley E. Currie, a former senior State Department official, argued that mainstream politicians have embraced globalization policies that have harmed local economies and social contracts, while benefiting elites.

What sets this moment apart, however, is the widespread sense of personal unhappiness. Global well-being has declined for four consecutive years, according to the nonprofit organization Six Seconds. The post-pandemic era has seen a rise in "emotional recession," characterized by burnout and low well-being.

Some argue that social media plays a role in exacerbating these feelings, amplifying outrage and negativity while encouraging comparisons to idealized versions of others' lives. As Kleinfeld notes, social media thrives on outrage and highlights negativity, making it more difficult for political leaders to satisfy the public.

Ultimately, the pandemic has amplified the role of government in people's daily lives, making political leaders more visible and vulnerable to criticism. Mistakes made during the pandemic were magnified, and the intensity of public sentiment made it challenging for leaders to please everyone.