| Part of a series on |
 |
|---|
TheWorld Esperanto Congress (Esperanto:Universala Kongreso de Esperanto,UK) is an annualEsperanto convention. It has the longest tradition among international Esperanto conventions, with an almost unbroken run for 119 years. The congresses have been held since August 5, 1905, every year, except duringWorld War I,World War II, and theCOVID-19 pandemic. Since the 1920s, theUniversal Esperanto Association has been organizing these congresses.
These congresses take place every year and, over the 30 years from 1985 through 2014, have gathered an average of about 2,000 participants (sinceWorld War II it has varied from 800 to 6,000, depending on the venue). The average number of countries represented is about 60. Some specialized organizations also gather a few hundred participants in their annual meetings. The World Congress usually takes place in the last week of July or first week of August, beginning and ending on a Saturday (8 days in total). For many yearsILERA has operated an amateur radio station during the conventions.
Until 1980, meetings were held in Europe and the United States, with the exception of Japan in 1965. Since then, other countries have been Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, South Korea, Australia, Israel, Vietnam and Argentina. In 2024, the congress was held inAfrica for the first time, inArusha,Tanzania.
Countries by number of times as host:
| Times hosted | Country | Years hosted |
|---|---|---|
| 8 |  Germany[a] | 1908, 1923, 1933, 1951, 1958, 1974, 1985, 1999 |
 United Kingdom[b] | 1907, 1926, 1930, 1938, 1949, 1961, 1971, 1989 | |
| 6 |  France | 1905, 1932, 1950, 1957, 1998, 2015 |
 Switzerland | 1906, 1913, 1925, 1939, 1947, 1979 | |
 Netherlands | 1920, 1954, 1964, 1967, 1988, 2008 | |
| 5 |  Poland[c] | 1931, 1937, 1959, 1987, 2009 |
| 4 |  Belgium | 1911, 1928, 1960, 1982 |
 Finland | 1922, 1969, 1995, 2019 | |
 Austria[c] | 1924, 1936, 1970, 1992 | |
 Sweden | 1934, 1948, 1980, 2003 | |
 Denmark | 1956, 1962, 1975, 2011 | |
 Italy | 1935, 1955, 2006, 2023 | |
| 3 |  Spain | 1909, 1968, 1993 |
 United States | 1910, 1915, 1972 | |
 Hungary[c] | 1929, 1966, 1983 | |
 Czech Republic[d] | 1921, 1996, 2025 | |
| 2 |  Norway | 1952, 1991 |
 Yugoslavia | 1953, 1973 | |
 Bulgaria | 1963, 1978 | |
 Japan | 1965, 2007 | |
 Iceland | 1977, 2013 | |
 China | 1986, 2004 | |
 Canada | 1984, 2022 | |
 Brazil | 1981, 2002 | |
 Cuba | 1990, 2010 | |
 South Korea | 1994, 2017 | |
| 1 |  Austria-Hungary | 1912 |
 Danzig | 1927 | |
 Greece | 1976 | |
 Australia | 1997 | |
 Israel | 2000 | |
 Croatia[e] | 2001 | |
 Lithuania | 2005 | |
 Vietnam | 2012 | |
 Argentina | 2014 | |
 Slovakia | 2016 | |
 Portugal | 2018 | |
 Tanzania | 2024 |
Of the 102 congresses that have happened so far,[f] 84 were hosted in Europe, 8 in Asia, 6 in North America, 3 in South America, 1 in Australia/Oceania and 1 in Africa.
Cities by number of times as host:
| Times hosted | City | Years hosted |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Vienna | 1924, 1936, 1970, 1992 |
| Copenhagen | 1956, 1962, 1975, 2011 | |
| 3 | Antwerp | 1911, 1928, 1985 |
| Bern | 1913, 1939, 1947 | |
| Paris | 1914, 1932, 1950 | |
| Budapest | 1929, 1966, 1983 | |
| Warsaw | 1937, 1959, 1987 | |
| Rotterdam | 1967, 1988, 2008 | |
| 2 | Geneva | 1906, 1925 |
| Kraków | 1912, 1931 | |
| The Hague | 1920, 1964 | |
| Prague | 1921, 1996 | |
| Stockholm | 1934, 1980 | |
| London | 1938, 1971 | |
| Zagreb | 1953, 2001 | |
| Helsinki | 1969, 1922 | |
| Reykjavík | 1977, 2013 | |
| Beijing | 1986, 2004 | |
| Havana | 1990, 2010 | |
| Seoul | 1994, 2017 |
The remaining cities hosted the event only once.
Media related toWorld Esperanto Congress at Wikimedia Commons
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
