This expression means "What is going to happen to the world?" It expresses your disapproval of something. Use it when you notice a negative trend in society.

For example, you can ask "What's this world coming to?" if you hear about:

• horrible news stories
• children behaving much worse than they did when you were younger
• rising prices
• movies that are very sexual, violent, or dumb

"What's this world coming to?" is a rhetorical question, which means that you don't expect anyone to answer it.