The geospace stratification substantiate and its spatial differences reveal based on the analysis of the economic growth dynamics. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the slowdown in economic growth confirmed and its negative consequences for the investment sphere clarified, because the ability of countries to respond adequately to these processes is different. It has been determined that under the globalization influence, the world acts as a single whole, and the core of developed countries and the periphery is formed as well as local civilizations are transformed. Attention focuses on the research of the values problems that determine the state of society development. The research of the essential characteristics of civilizations carried out and the ideas of the main European civilizational schools characterized. Based on M. Rokeach’s concept, the features that characterize values are determined. It confirmed the values that dominate in society are the main element of culture. The model for measuring the cultural variability of the cross-cultural plane, which was developed by the Dutch psychologist G. Hofstede, is detailed, and the influence of cultural characteristics on the new economy formation is analyzed. The «World Values Survey» study has been assessed. It confirmed that, due to the impossibility of full-fledged self-realization of the individual, migration processes activated and their analysis shows a tendency towards growth. It substantiated that in the modern world the questions about the nature of the socio-cultural integrity of civilizations and civilizational ecumene, associated with religious differences and demographic processes, remain unresolved. An assessment of the demographic situation in the world carried out and its growing dynamics and regional asymmetries clarified. A spatial analysis of the distribution of countries in the global space with dominant religions carried out and the main trends in the world religions development revealed. The role of strengthening the intangible component in the structure of modern economic reproduction argues. It confirmed that the potential of the countries and the world development as a whole takes place in the process of deepening cross-civilization-integration processes. The main civilizational challenges of global economic development are formulated, they are formed under the multi-vector processes in the world, including: spatial asymmetry of countries’ development, universalization of values, socio-cultural differences, ethnic problems, religious differences, demographic and migration processes. 

civilizational challenges, global economic development, socio-cultural contradictions, intercivilizational interaction, cultural characteristics