List by country
The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) sanctions world expositions. Some have been recognised retrospectively because they took place before the BIE came into existence.
The designation "World Exposition" refers to a class of the largest, general scope exhibitions of up to 6 months' duration. [1]
This list does not include BIE-recognised International Horticultural Exhibitions.
| World Expo | BIE-International Registered exhibitions that take place every five years and last up to 6 months. All exhibitions in this category which took place before 1928 were subsequently recognized by the BIE. |
|---|---|
| Specialised Expo | BIE-International Recognised exhibitions that take place between two World Expos and last up to 3 months. (This definition was adopted after 1988; prior to that, some longer running ones, including 1988 Brisbane, were classified as Specialised Expos.) |
| Dates | Name of Exposition | Country [2] | City [2] | Category | Theme [3] | Notables | Visitors in millions [4] | Cost in millions (USD unless specified) | Area (ha) | Attending countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04/1851 – 10/1851 | The Great Exhibition | United Kingdom | London | World Expo | Industry of all Nations | The Crystal Palace | 6.00 | 1.65 | 10 | 25 |
| 05/1855 – 11/1855 | Exposition Universelle / Paris International | France | Paris | World Expo | Agriculture, Industry and Arts | Palais d'Industrie Bordeaux Wine classification | 5.00 | 2 | 15 | 25 |
| 05/1862 – 11/1862 | International Exhibition | United Kingdom | London | World Expo | Industry and Arts | 6.00 | 2 | 15 | 39 | |
| 04/1867 – 11/1867 | Exposition Universelle / Paris International | France | Paris | World Expo | Agriculture, Industry and Arts | Champ de Mars | 15.00 | 4.5 | 69 | 42 |
| 05/1873 – 10/1873 | Weltausstellung 1873 Wien / Austrian International Exposition | Austria-Hungary | Vienna | World Expo | Culture and Education | Rotunde | 7.25 | 9.5 | 233 | 35 |
| 05/1876 – 11/1876 | Centennial Exposition | United States | Philadelphia | World Expo | Arts, Manufactures and Products of the Soil and Mine | Centennial Arboretum Telephone Heinz Ketchup | 10.00 | 8 | 115 | 35 |
| 05/1878 – 11/1878 | Exposition Universelle / Paris International Exposition | France | Paris | World Expo | New Technologies | Statue of Liberty Telephone Braille | 16.00 | 11 | 75 | 36 |
| 10/1880 – 04/1881 | Melbourne International Exhibition | Colony of Victoria | Melbourne | World Expo | Arts, Manufacturing, Agriculture and Industrial Products of all Nations | Royal Exhibition Buildings & Carlton Gardens | 1.30 | 1.6 | 25 | 33 |
| 04/1888 – 12/1888 | Exposición Universal de Barcelona (1888) | Spain | Barcelona | World Expo | Fine and Industrial Art | Arc de Triomf Columbus Monument | 2.30 | 1.7 | 47 | 30 |
| 05/1889 – 10/1889 | Exposition Universelle / Paris International Exposition | France | Paris | World Expo | French Revolution | Eiffel Tower Annie Oakley | 32.00 | 0.3 | 96 | 35 |
| 05/1893 – 10/1893 | World's Columbian Exposition | United States | Chicago | World Expo | Discovery of America | Midway Plaisance Fine Arts Building Fluorescent lamp Ferris wheel | 27.50 | 27 | 279 | 19 |
| 05/1897 – 11/1897 | Brussels International Exposition | Belgium | Brussels | World Expo | Modern Life | 7.80 | 132 | 27 | ||
| 04/1900 – 11/1900 | Paris International | France | Paris | World Expo | 19th Century: an overview | Motion Pictures Escalator Summer Olympics | 50.80 | 18.75 | 120 | 58 |
| 04/1904 – 12/1904 | Louisiana Purchase | United States | St. Louis | World Expo | Louisiana Purchase | Forest Park Palace of Fine Art Vulcan statue In conjunction with Summer Olympics | 19.69 | 31.5 | 515 | 63 |
| 04/1905 – 11/1905 | Liège International (1905) | Belgium | Liège | World Expo | Commemoration of the 75th anniversary of independence | 7.00 | 2.9 | 70 | 31 | |
| 04/1906 – 11/1906 | Milan International | Italy | Milan | World Expo | Transport | Electric Tramways | 10.00 | 2.6 | 100 | 25 |
| 04/1910 – 11/1910 | Brussels International Exhibition | Belgium | Brussels | World Expo | Works of Art and Science, Agricultural and Industrial Products of All Nations | 13.00 | 3.5 | 90 | 26 | |
| 04/1913 – 11/1913 | Exposition universelle et international / Ghent International Exposition | Belgium | Ghent | World Expo | Peace, Industry and Arts | Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station | 9.50 | 3.3 | 130 | 24 |
| 02/1915 – 12/1915 | Panama–Pacific International Exposition | United States | San Francisco | World Expo | Inauguration of the Panama Canal | Tower of Jewels Palace of Fine Arts | 19.00 | 25.8 | 254 | 32 |
| 05/1929 – 01/1930 | Barcelona International Exposition | Spain | Barcelona | World Expo | Arts, Industry and Sport | Barcelona Pavilion Palau Nacional Montjuïc Stadium | 5.8 | 25 | 118 | 29 |
| 05/1933 – 10/1934 | Century of Progress | United States | Chicago | World Expo | The interdependence among Industry and scientific research | Sky Ride Graf Zeppelin Homes of Tomorrow First MLB All Star Game | 38.80 [5] | 42.9 | 170 | 19 |
| 04/1935 – 11/1935 | Brussels International Exposition | Belgium | Brussels | World Expo | Transports | 20.00 | 197 BEF | 152 | 30 | |
| 05/1936 – 06/1936 | ILIS 1936 | Sweden | Stockholm | Specialised Expo | Aviation | Stockholm Bromma Airport | 0.5 | 8 | ||
| 05/1937 – 11/1937 | Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne / Paris International Exposition | France | Paris | World Expo | Arts and Technology in modern life | Arc de Triomphe | 31.00 | 1,400 FRF | 105 | 44 |
| 05/1938 – 05/1938 | Second International Aeronautic Exhibition | Finland | Helsinki | Specialised Expo | Aerospace | Malmi Airterminal | 0.08 | 25 | ||
| 04/1939 – 10/1940 | New York World's Fair | United States | New York City | World Expo | Building The World of Tomorrow | Flushing Park Bell Labs' Voder Magna Carta | 45.00 [6] | 500 | 54 | |
| 05/1939 – 09/1939 | Exposition internationale de l'eau (1939) | Belgium | Liège | Specialised Expo | Art of Water | Albert Canal | 50 | 8 | ||
| 07/1947 – 08/1947 | International Exhibition on Urbanism and Housing | France | Paris | Specialised Expo | Urbanism and Housing | Immeubles d’Etat | 6.35 | 14 | ||
| 07/1949 – 08/1949 | Universal Sport Exhibition (1949) | Sweden | Stockholm | Specialised Expo | Sport and physical culture | Pehr Henrik Ling | 37 | |||
| 09/1949 – 10/1949 | The International Exhibition of Rural Habitat in Lyon | France | Lyon | Specialised Expo | Rural Habitat | Foire de Lyon | 110 | |||
| 12/1949 – 06/1950 | Exposition internationale du bicentenaire de Port-au-Prince | Haiti | Port-au-Prince | World Expo | The festival of Peace | Gulf of Gonâve | 24 | 15 | ||
| 04/1951 – 05/1951 | The International Textile Exhibition | France | Lille | Specialised Expo | Textile | Textile | 1.5 | 15 | 22 | |
| 07/1953 – 10/1953 | EA 53 | Italy | Rome | Specialised Expo | Agriculture | Esposizione Universale Roma Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana | 1.7 | 12 | ||
| 09/1953 – 10/1953 | Conquest of the Desert (exhibition) | Israel | Jerusalem | Specialised Expo | Conquest of the Desert | 4.6 | 13 | |||
| 05/1954 – 10/1954 | The International Exhibition of Navigation (1954) | Italy | Naples | Specialised Expo | Navigation | 100 | 25 | |||
| 05/1955 – 06/1955 | The International Expo of Sport (1955) | Italy | Turin | Specialised Expo | Sport | 11 | ||||
| 06/1955 – 08/1955 | Helsingborg exhibition 1955 | Sweden | Helsingborg | Specialised Expo | Modern Man in the Environment | 10 | ||||
| 05/1956 – 06/1956 | Exhibition of citriculture | Israel | Beit Dagan | Specialised Expo | Citrus | 55 | ||||
| 07/1957 – 09/1957 | Interbau | West Germany | West Berlin | Specialised Expo | Reconstruction of Hansa District | Hansaviertel | 1.00 | 53 | 13 | |
| 07/1958 – 09/1958 | Brussels World's Fair | Belgium | Brussels | World Expo | A World View: A New Humanism | Heysel Atomium | 41.00 | 2,500 BEF | 200 | 42 |
| 05/1961 – 10/1961 | Expo 61 | Italy | Turin | Specialised Expo | Celebration of centennial of Italian unity | Palazzo del Lavoro | 5.00 | 50 | 19 | |
| 04/1962 – 10/1962 | Century 21 Exposition | United States | Seattle | World Expo | Man in the Space Age | Seattle Center Space Needle Seattle Monorail | 9.60 [7] | 47 [7] | 30 | 24 |
| 06/1965 – 10/1965 | IVA 65 | West Germany | Munich | Specialised Expo | Transport | E03 | 3.20 | 50.20 | 36 | |
| 04/1967 – 10/1967 | Expo '67 | Canada | Montreal | World Expo | Man and His World | Canadian Centennial IMAX Montreal Metro Habitat '67 Montreal Biosphère | 50.30 [8] | 431 CAD | 365 | 62 |
| 04/1968 – 10/1968 | HemisFair '68 | United States | San Antonio | Specialised Expo | Confluence of Civilizations in the Americas | Tower of the Americas Institute of Texan Cultures HemisFair Arena | 6.40 [9] | 156 [9] | 37.64 [9] | 23 |
| 03/1970 – 09/1970 | Expo '70 | Japan | Osaka | World Expo | Progress and Harmony for Mankind | Tower of the Sun Moon rock Electric Cars [10] | 64.2 [11] | 30 Profit [10] | 329.82 [10] | 75 |
| 08/1971 – 09/1971 | Expo 71 | Hungary | Budapest | Specialised Expo | The Hunt through the World | International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) | 1.90 | 35.0 | 52 | |
| 05/1974 – 11/1974 | Expo '74 | United States | Spokane | Specialised Expo | Celebrating Tomorrow's Fresh New Environment | IMAX [12] | 5.60 | 78.4 | 41 [12] | 10 |
| 07/1975 – 01/1976 | Expo '75 | Japan | Okinawa | Specialised Expo | The Sea We would like to See | Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium | 3.48 | 100.0 | 35 | |
| 06/1981 – 07/1981 | Expo 81 | Bulgaria | Plovdiv | Specialised Expo | Hunting | International Fair Plovdiv | ||||
| 05/1982 – 10/1982 | 1982 World's Fair | United States | Knoxville | Specialised Expo | Energy Turns the World | Sunsphere | 11.00 | 42 [13] | 30 [13] | 16 |
| 05/1984 – 11/1984 | 1984 World's Fair | United States | New Orleans | Specialised Expo | The World of Rivers– Fresh Water as a source of life | Convention Center | 7.35 | 350 | 33.99 [14] | 15 |
| 03/1985 – 09/1985 | Expo 85 (Tsukuba, Japan) | Japan | Tsukuba | Specialised Expo | Dwellings and Surroundings – Science and Technology for Man at Home | HSST Jumbotron | 20.3 | 100 [15] | 48 | |
| 11/1985 – 11/1985 | Expo 85 (Plovdiv, Bulgaria) | Bulgaria | Plovdiv | Specialised Expo | Inventions | International Fair Plovdiv | 1.00 | 5.80 | 73 | |
| 05/1986 – 10/1986 | Expo '86 | Canada | Vancouver | Specialised Expo | Transportation and Communication: World in Motion - World in Touch | Science World Skytrain BC Place Canada Place | 22.11 | 311 CAD deficit | 70 | 55 |
| 04/1988 – 10/1988 | Expo '88 | Australia | Brisbane | Specialised Expo | Leisure in the Age of Technology | Sunsails, Nepal Peace Pagoda, Skyneedle | 18.50 | 625 AUD | 40 | 36 |
| 06/1991 – 07/1991 | Expo 91 | Bulgaria | Plovdiv | Specialised Expo | The activity of young people in the service of a World of Peace | World Intellectual Property Organization | 8 | |||
| 04/1992 – 10/1992 | Expo '92 | Spain | Seville | World Expo | The Era of Discovery | Puente del Alamillo | 41.80 [16] | 215 | 108 | |
| 05/1992 – 08/1992 | Expo Colombo '92 | Italy | Genoa | Specialised Expo | Christopher Columbus, The Ship and the Sea | Aquarium of Genoa | 0.8 | 6 | 54 | |
| 08/1993 – 11/1993 | Expo '93 | South Korea | Daejeon | Specialised Expo | The Challenge of a New Road of Development | Expo Science Park, Daejeon Museum of Art | 14.50 | 90.10 | 141 | |
| 05/1998 – 09/1998 | Expo '98 | Portugal | Lisbon | Specialised Expo | The Oceans: A Heritage for the Future | Pavilhão Atlântico Lisbon Oceanarium Pavilion of Portugal | 10.10 | 50 | 143 | |
| 06/2000 – 10/2000 | Expo 2000 | Germany | Hanover | World Expo | Man, Nature, Technology | Hannover Principles | 18.10 | 3,400 DEM [17] [18] | 160 | 155 |
| 03/2005 – 09/2005 | Expo 2005 | Japan | Aichi | World Expo | Nature's Wisdom | Satsuki and Mei's House ASIMO The Frozen Mammoth | 22.04 | 173 | 121 | |
| 06/2008 – 09/2008 | Expo 2008 | Spain | Zaragoza | Specialised Expo | Water and Sustainable development | Bridge Pavilion Water Tower | 5.650 | 25 | 108 | |
| 05/2010 – 10/2010 | Expo 2010 | China | Shanghai | World Expo | Better City, Better Life | Expo Axis Oriental Crown (Currently China Art Museum, Shanghai) | 73.08 | 4,200 (5,800 including infrastructure) [19] | 523 | 192 |
| 05/2012 – 08/2012 | Expo 2012 | South Korea | Yeosu | Specialised Expo | The Living Ocean and Coast | The Big-O [20] The Sky Tower [21] | 8.20 | 176.9 | 25 | 103 |
| 05/2015 – 10/2015 | Expo 2015 | Italy | Milan | World Expo | Feeding the planet, Energy for life | The Tree of Life | 21.5 | 110 | 145 | |
| 06/2017 – 09/2017 | Expo 2017 | Kazakhstan | Astana | Specialised Expo | Future Energy | The Nur Alem Sphere | 4.1 | 25 | 115 | |
| 10/2021 – 03/2022 | Expo 2020 | United Arab Emirates | Dubai [22] | World Expo | Connecting Minds, Creating the Future | Al Wasl Plaza | 24.103 [23] | TBA | 438 | 192 |
| Date [2] | Name of Exposition | Country [2] | City [2] | Category [2] | Theme [3] or symbol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Expo 2025 | Japan | Osaka [24] | World Expo | Designing Future Society for Our Lives |
| 2027 | Expo 2027 | Serbia | Belgrade [25] | Specialized Expo | Play for Humanity: Sport and Music for All |
| 2030 | Expo 2030 | Saudi Arabia | Riyadh | World Expo | The Era of Change: Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow |
A world's fair, also known as a fun exhibition or an expo, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a period of time, typically between three and six months.
The Bureau international des expositions is an intergovernmental organization created to supervise international exhibitions falling under the jurisdiction of the Convention Relating to International Exhibitions.
Expo 2005 was a world expo held for 185 days between Friday, March 25 and Sunday, September 25, 2005, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, east of the city of Nagoya. Japan has also hosted Expo '70 Osaka, Expo '75 Okinawa, Expo '85 Tsukuba, and Expo '90 Osaka and will host Expo 2025 Osaka.
The Royal Flora Ratchaphruek was an international horticultural exposition held 1 November, 2006 to 31 January, 2007 at Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden in the Thai city Chiang Mai of Chiang Mai Province that drew 3,781,624 visitors. Recognised by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), it was one of the grand celebrations hosted by the Royal Thai Government in honor of King Bhumibol, the world's longest reigning monarch.
Japan Expo is a convention on Japanese popular culture – the largest of its kind in the world – taking place in Paris, France, although it has branched out into a partnership festival – Kultima – and expanded to include some European and US pop culture as well. It is held yearly at the beginning of July for four days in the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center. The attendance has increased steadily over the years, with 2,400 visitors welcomed in the first edition in 1999 and more than 252,510 for the 2019 edition.
A garden festival is a festival and exposition held to celebrate the arts of gardening, garden design, landscaping and landscape architecture. There are local garden festivals, regional garden festivals, national garden festivals and international garden festivals. The idea probably originated with Germany's Bundesgartenschau. The UK held five garden festivals in the period 1984–1992.
Expo 2012 was an International Exposition recognised by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) held in Yeosu, South Korea which opened on May 12, 2012 and ran until August 12, 2012. The theme of the Expo was "The Living Ocean and Coast" with subthemes of "Preservation and Sustainable Development of the Ocean and Coast", "New Resources Technology", and "Creative Marine Activities". There were 105 participating countries, international organizations, and 8,203,956 visitors.
Expo 17 was a Canadian non-profit organization founded in 2005 to promote an international exposition, or world's fair, to celebrate the sesquicentennial of Canada in 2017. In 2007, the organization publicly unveiled a 51-page proposal, in French and English for a "hybrid" expo, named Expo 17, to be staged on the southwest shore and the two islands originally created for Expo 67, in the city of Montreal, Quebec. In an unofficial capacity, the historic section of Old Montreal was also included in the expo plan—as an entirely car-free "buffer" zone.
The 1999 World Horticultural Exposition (昆明世博会) was an A1 category international horticultural exposition recognised by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). Organised under the auspices of the International Association of Horticultural Producers, the event was held in Kunming, China. The theme of the exposition was "Man and Nature, marching into the 21st century."
Expo '90 or The International Garden and Greenery Exposition, organized as a part of the International Expositions Convention, was the first large-scale international gardening exposition in Asia and focused on the theme of the "Harmonious Coexistence of Nature and Mankind." The exposition was held in Tsurumi Ryokuchi, Osaka for 183 days, from Sunday, April 1 to Sunday, September 30, 1990. The convention included participation from 83 countries and 55 international organizations and attracted over 23,126,934 visitors.
Expo 2017 Astana was an International Exposition which took place from June 10 to September 10, 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan. The expo's theme was "Future Energy", and aimed to create a global debate between countries, nongovernmental organizations, companies and the general public on the crucial question: "How do we ensure safe and sustainable access to energy for all while reducing CO2 emissions?"
Expo 2016 was an international horticultural exposition held in Antalya, Turkey. Under the aegis of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Expo 2016 Antalya was the first International Horticultural Exhibition to be held in Turkey.
The International Association of Horticultural Producers is a trade association dedicated to promoting horticultural producers and held the international garden / flora festivals or expositions.
Expo 1985 Plovdiv was an international exposition that took place from November 4–30, 1985 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The exhibition had the theme "The Achievements of Young Inventors". The specialized exhibition was the 24th held by the Bureau International des Expositions and the second held in Plovdiv. Another specialized exposition, Expo '85 in Tsukuba, Japan occurred the same year.
Expo 2025 is an upcoming World Expo organised and sanctioned by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), which will be held in Osaka, Japan. It will take place for six months during 2025, opening 13 April 2025 and closing 13 October 2025. This will be the third time Osaka hosts a World Expo, having previously hosted Expo 1970 and Expo 1990. The event will return to its traditional 5-year scheduling cycle after the Expo 2020 was delayed to 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The projected visitor count is approximately 28 million.
Expo 2023 was a cancelled specialized exhibition that was scheduled to be held in 2023 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) awarded Buenos Aires as the host on November 15, 2017. This was to have been the first time that a BIE Expo was held in Argentina, and the first in the country since BIE's creation. In October 2020, Argentina announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing financial crisis, the Expo would not be held as planned in 2023.
2023 International Horticultural Exposition or Expo 2023 is an International Horticultural Expo to be hosted by Doha, Qatar. The Horticultural Expo 2023 Doha is being held from October 2, 2023 until March 28, 2024. Spanning 1.7 million square meters, the event takes place in Al Bidda Park, one of the biggest parks in Doha which overlooks the Persian Gulf. Originally scheduled to be held from 14 October 2021 to 17 March 2022, but it was rescheduled to 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) general assembly in Paris formally recognised it on 22 November 2018 as an International Horticultural Exhibition. The Expo will be organized under the theme "Green Desert, Better Environment". An 80-hectare (200-acre) site has been identified.
Expo 2030 is an upcoming World Expo organised and sanctioned by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), which will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It will take place for six months during late 2030 and early 2031, opening 1 October 2030 to closing 31 March 2031. Riyadh will be the second Arab city to host the Expo after Dubai, United Arab Emirates in 2020.
Expo 2027 is the working title for a BIE recognised specialised exposition to be held in 2027 in Belgrade, Serbia. It is scheduled to begin on 15 May 2027 and close on 15 August 2027. This will be the first time that a BIE Expo is being held in Southeastern Europe. It will also be the first world exposition to be held in the former Yugoslavia.
