List of world expositions
Appearance
List of world expositions is an annotated list of every world exposition sanctioned by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), including those recognised retrospectively as they took place (long) before BIE came into existence.
The designation "World Exposition" or "Expo" refers to a class of the largest, general scope exhibitions of 3 to 6 months' duration.
This list does not include BIE recognized International Horticultural Exhibitions. For other major international exhibitions, in addition to those endorsed by the BIE, see the comprehensive list of world's fairs.
Category
World Expo | BIE-International Registered exhibitions that take place every 5 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 2 World Expos and last up to 3 months. |
List by date
Dates | Name of Exposition | Country[1] | City[1] | Category | Theme[2] | Notables | Visitors in millions[3] |
Cost in millions (USD unless specified) |
Area (ha) |
Attending countries |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
04/1851 – 10/1851 | The Great Exhibition | ![]() |
London | World Expo | Industry of all Nations | The Crystal Palace | 6.00 | 1.65 | 10 | 25 |
05/1855 – 11/1855 | Exposition Universelle / Paris International | ![]() |
Paris | World Expo | Agriculture, Industry and Arts | Palais d'Industrie Bordeaux Wine classification |
5.00 | 2 | 15 | 25 |
05/1862 – 11/1862 | International Exhibition | ![]() |
London | World Expo | Industry and Arts | 6.00 | 2 | 15 | 39 | |
04/1867 – 11/1867 | Exposition Universelle / Paris International | ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
Vienna | World Expo | Culture and Education | Rotunde | 7.25 | 9.5 | 233 | 35 |
05/1876 – 11/1876 | Centennial Exposition | ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
Paris | World Expo | New Technologies | Statue of Liberty Telephone Braille |
16.00 | 11 | 75 | 36 |
10/1880 – 04/1881 | Melbourne International Exhibition | ![]() |
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) | ![]() |
Barcelona | World Expo | Fine and Industrial Arts | Arc de Triomf Columbus Monument |
2.30 | 1.7 | 47 | 30 |
05/1889 – 10/1889 | Exposition Universelle / Paris International Exposition | ![]() |
Paris | World Expo | French Revolution | Eiffel Tower Annie Oakley |
32.00 | 0.3 | 96 | 35 |
05/1893 – 10/1893 | World's Columbian Exposition | ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
Brussels | World Expo | Modern Life | 7.80 | 132 | 27 | ||
04/1900 – 11/1900 | Paris International | ![]() |
Paris | World Expo | 19th Century: an overview | Motion Pictures Escalator Summer Olympics |
50.80 | 18.75 | 120 | 58 |
04/1904 – 12/1904 | Louisiana Purchase | ![]() |
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) | ![]() |
Liège | World Expo | Commemoration of the 75th anniversary of independence | 7.00 | 2.9 | 70 | 31 | |
04/1906 – 11/1906 | Milan International | ![]() |
Milan | World Expo | Transport | Electric Tramways | 10.00 | 2.6 | 100 | 25 |
04/1910 – 11/1910 | Brussels International Exhibition | ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
Chicago | World Expo | The interdependence among Industry and scientific research | Sky Ride Graf Zeppelin Homes of Tomorrow |
38.80[4] | 42.9 | 170 | 19 |
04/1935 – 11/1935 | Brussels International Exposition | ![]() |
Brussels | World Expo | Transports | 20.00 | 197 BEF | 152 | 30 | |
05/1936 – 06/1936 | ILIS 1936 | ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
Helsinki | Specialised Expo | Aerospace | Malmi Airterminal | 0.08 | 25 | ||
02/1939 – 09/1940 | Golden Gate International Exposition | ![]() |
San Francisco | World Expo | Pageant of the Pacific | 160 | ||||
04/1939 – 10/1940 | New York World's Fair | ![]() |
New York City | World Expo | Building The World of Tomorrow | Flushing Park Bell Labs' Voder Magna Carta |
45.00 [5] | 500 | 54 | |
05/1939 – 09/1939 | Exposition internationale de l'eau (1939) | ![]() |
Liège | Specialised Expo | Art of Water | Albert Canal | 50 | 8 | ||
07/1947 – 08/1947 | International Exhibition on Urbanism and Housing | ![]() |
Paris | Specialised Expo | Urbanism and Housing | Immeubles d’Etat | 6.35 | 14 | ||
07/1949 – 08/1949 | Universal Sport Exhibition (1949) | ![]() |
Stockholm | Specialised Expo | Sport and physical culture | Pehr Henrik Ling | 37 | |||
09/1949 – 10/1949 | The International Exhibition of Rural Habitat in Lyon | ![]() |
Lyon | Specialised Expo | Rural Habitat | Foire de Lyon | 110 | |||
12/1949 – 06/1950 | Exposition internationale du bicentenaire de Port-au-Prince | ![]() |
Port-au-Prince | World Expo | The festival of Peace | Gulf of Gonâve | 24 | 15 | ||
04/1951 – 05/1951 | The International Textile Exhibition | ![]() |
Lille | Specialised Expo | Textile | Textile | 1.5 | 15 | 22 | |
07/1953 – 10/1953 | EA 53 | ![]() |
Rome | Specialised Expo | Agriculture | Esposizione Universale Roma Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana |
1.7 | 12 | ||
09/1953 – 10/1953 | Conquest of the Desert (exhibition) | ![]() |
Jerusalem | Specialised Expo | Conquest of the Desert | 4.6 | 13 | |||
05/1954 – 10/1954 | The International Exhibition of Navigation (1954) | ![]() |
Naples | Specialised Expo | Navigation | 100 | 25 | |||
05/1955 – 06/1955 | The International Expo of Sport (1955) | ![]() |
Turin | Specialised Expo | Sport | 11 | ||||
06/1955 – 08/1955 | Helsingborg exhibition 1955 | ![]() |
Helsingborg | Specialised Expo | Modern Man in the Environment | 10 | ||||
05/1956 – 06/1956 | Exhibition of citriculture | ![]() |
Beit Dagan | Specialised Expo | Citrus | 55 | ||||
07/1957 – 09/1957 | Interbau | ![]() |
Berlin | Specialised Expo | Reconstruction of Hansa District | Hansaviertel | 1.00 | 53 | 13 | |
07/1958 – 09/1958 | Brussels World's Fair | ![]() |
Brussels | World Expo | A World View: A New Humanism | Heysel Atomium |
41.00 | 2,500 BEF | 200 | 42 |
05/1961 – 10/1961 | Expo 61 | ![]() |
Turin | Specialised Expo | Celebration of centennial of Italian unity | Palazzo del Lavoro | 5.00 | 50 | 19 | |
04/1962 – 10/1962 | Century 21 Exposition | ![]() |
Seattle | World Expo | Man in the Space Age | Seattle Center Space Needle Seattle Monorail |
9.60[6] | 47[6] | 30 | 24 |
06/1965 – 10/1965 | IVA 65 | ![]() |
Munich | Specialised Expo | Transport | E03 | 3.20 | 50.20 | 36 | |
04/1967 – 10/1967 | Expo '67 | ![]() |
Montreal | World Expo | Man and His World | Canadian Centennial Montreal Metro Habitat '67 Montreal Biosphère |
50.30[7] | 431 CAD | 365 | 62 |
04/1968 – 10/1968 | HemisFair '68 | ![]() |
San Antonio | Specialised Expo | Confluence of Civilizations in the Americas | Tower of the Americas Institute of Texan Cultures HemisFair Arena |
6.40[8] | 156[8] | 37.64[8] | 23 |
03/1970 – 09/1970 | Expo '70 | ![]() |
Osaka | World Expo | Progress and Harmony for Mankind | Tower of the Sun Moon rock Electric Cars[9] |
64.2[10] | 30 Profit[9] |
329.82[9] | 75 |
08/1971 – 09/1971 | Expo 71 | ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
Spokane | Specialised Expo | Celebrating Tomorrow's Fresh New Environment | IMAX[11] | 5.60 | 78.4 | 41[11] | 10 |
07/1975 – 01/1976 | Expo '75 | ![]() |
Okinawa | Specialised Expo | The Sea We would like to See | Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium | 3.48 | 100.0 | 35 | |
06/1981 – 07/1981 | Expo 81 | ![]() |
Plovdiv | Specialised Expo | Hunting | International Fair Plovdiv | ||||
05/1982 – 10/1982 | 1982 World's Fair | ![]() |
Knoxville | Specialised Expo | Energy Turns the World | Sunsphere | 11.00 | 42[12] | 30[12] | 16 |
05/1984 – 11/1984 | 1984 World's Fair | ![]() |
New Orleans | Specialised Expo | The World of Rivers– Fresh Water as a source of life | Convention Center | 7.35 | 350 | 33.99[13] | 15 |
03/1985 – 09/1985 | Expo '85 | ![]() |
Tsukuba | Specialised Expo | Dwellings and Surroundings – Science and Technology for Man at Home | HSST Jumbotron |
20.3 | 100[14] | 48 | |
11/1985 – 11/1985 | Expo 85 | ![]() |
Plovdiv | Specialised Expo | Inventions | International Fair Plovdiv | 1.00 | 5.80 | 73 | |
05/1986 – 10/1986 | Expo '86 | ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
Brisbane | Specialised Expo | Leisure in the Age of Technology | Sunsails, Skyneedle | 18.50 | 625 AUD | 40 | 36 |
06/1991 – 07/1991 | Expo 91 | ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
Seville | World Expo | The Era of Discovery | Puente del Alamillo | 41.80[15] | 215 | 108 | |
05/1992 – 08/1992 | Expo Colombo '92 | ![]() |
Genoa | Specialised Expo | Christopher Columbus, The Ship and the Sea | Aquarium of Genoa | 1.7 | 6 | 54 | |
08/1993 – 11/1993 | Expo '93 | ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
Hanover | World Expo | Man, Nature, Technology | Hannover Principles | 18.10 | 3,400 DEM[16][17] | 160 | 155 |
03/2005 – 09/2005 | Expo 2005 | ![]() |
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 | ![]() |
Zaragoza | Specialised Expo | Water and Sustainable development | Bridge Pavilion Water Tower |
5.650 | 25 | 108 | |
05/2010 – 10/2010 | Expo 2010 | ![]() |
Shanghai | World Expo | Better City, Better Life | Expo Axis Oriental Crown (Currently China Art Museum, Shanghai) |
73.08 | 4,200 (5,800 including infrastructure)[18] | 523 | 246 |
05/2012 – 08/2012 | Expo 2012 | ![]() |
Yeosu | Specialised Expo | The Living Ocean and Coast | The Big-O[19] The Sky Tower[20] |
8.20 | 176.9 | 25 | 103 |
05/2015 – 10/2015 | Expo 2015 | ![]() |
Milan | World Expo | Feeding the planet, Energy for life | The Tree of Life | 21.5 | 110 | 145 | |
06/2017 – 09/2017 | Expo 2017 | ![]() |
Astana | Specialised Expo | Future Energy | The Nur Alem Sphere | 4.1 | 25 | 115 |
Planned expositions
Date[1] | Name of Exposition | Country [1] | City [1] | Category [1] | Theme[2] or symbol |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Expo 2020 | ![]() |
Dubai[21] | World Expo | Connecting Minds, Creating the Future |
2023 | Expo 2023 | ![]() |
Buenos Aires[22] | Specialized Expo | Creative Industries in Digital Convergence |
2025 | Expo 2025 | ![]() |
Osaka[23] | World Expo | Designing Future Society for Our Lives |
Proposed expositions
- 2027/2028:
Málaga[24]
- 2030: TBD
Busan, South Korea have held five conferences to attract attention for a 2030 bid.[25]
List by country
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/Crystal_Palace_-_Queen_Victoria_opens_the_Great_Exhibition.jpg/220px-Crystal_Palace_-_Queen_Victoria_opens_the_Great_Exhibition.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Looking_West_From_Peristyle%2C_Court_of_Honor_and_Grand_Basin%2C_1893.jpg/220px-Looking_West_From_Peristyle%2C_Court_of_Honor_and_Grand_Basin%2C_1893.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/CoP-poster.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/46/Expo88catologo.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/HONDA_ASIMO.jpg/220px-HONDA_ASIMO.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/66/Shanghai_World_Expo.svg/220px-Shanghai_World_Expo.svg.png)
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f "All Expos". Archived from the original on 2019-01-14. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
- ^ a b "ExpoMuseum". Archived from the original on 2006-07-14. Retrieved 2006-07-16.
- ^ "BIE homepage". Archived from the original on 2017-05-23. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
- ^ "1933 Chicago". www.bie-paris.org.
- ^ Non official data https://www.bie-paris.org/site/en/1939-new-york
- ^ a b "Seattlea facts". Archived from the original on 2006-05-28. Retrieved 2006-07-17.
- ^ "1967 Montreal". www.bie-paris.org.
- ^ a b c "San Antonio facts". Archived from the original on 2006-05-24. Retrieved 2006-07-21.
- ^ a b c "Osaka facts". Archived from the original on 2006-05-28. Retrieved 2006-07-17.
- ^ "1970 Osaka". www.bie-paris.org.
- ^ a b "Spokane facts". Archived from the original on 2006-05-24. Retrieved 2006-07-21.
- ^ a b "Knoxville facts". Archived from the original on 2006-05-24. Retrieved 2006-07-21.
- ^ "New Orleans facts". Archived from the original on 2006-05-28. Retrieved 2006-07-21.
- ^ "Tsukuba facts". Archived from the original on 2006-11-17. Retrieved 2006-12-28.
- ^ "1992 Seville". www.bie-paris.org.
- ^ "Nachrichten". BerlinOnline.de. 2013-09-19. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
- ^ Wir Sind Helden. Das EXPO- Buch. Offizieller Katalog zur EXPO 2000 mit CD- ROM: Amazon.de: Birgit Breuel: Bücher. Amazon.de. ASIN 3570003434.
- ^ "Shanghai sets stage for World Expo spectacular". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2010-04-29.
- ^ "The Big-O". Archived from the original on 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
- ^ "The Sky Tower". Archived from the original on 2012-07-12. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
- ^ a b "The UAE has been elected As the Host Country of the World Expo 2020". Archived from the original on 2019-01-15. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
- ^ "Expo 2023 Official Site". Archived from the original on 16 November 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
- ^ "Japan elected host country of World Expo 2025". Archived from the original on 2018-11-24. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- ^ "BIE visits Malaga as city considers bid for Specialised Expo 2027". Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- ^ "Busan World Expo 2030 Project at the heart of a 5th International Conference". Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ^ "Spokane facts". Archived from the original on 2006-05-28. Retrieved 2006-07-21.