# World Esperanto Congress

The World Esperanto Congress (Esperanto: Universala Kongreso de Esperanto, UK) is an annual Esperanto 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 during World War I, World War II, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the 1920s, the Universal 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 (since World 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 years ILERA 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 in Africa for the first time, in Arusha, Tanzania.

## History

| Number | Year | City | Country | Number of participants |
| 110 | 2025 | Brno | Czech Republic | |
| 109 | 2024 | Arusha | Tanzania | |
| 108 | 2023 | Turin | Italy | 1318 |
| 107 | 2022 | Montreal | Canada | 859 |
| 106 | 2021 | Internet | The Congress was originally planned to happen in Belfast but it was transferred online due to the COVID-19 pandemic | 1853 |
| 105 | 2020 | Internet | The Congress was originally planned to happen in Montreal but it was transferred online due to the COVID-19 pandemic | 2006 |
| 104 | 2019 | Lahti | Finland | 917 |
| 103 | 2018 | Lisbon | Portugal | 1567 |
| 102 | 2017 | Seoul | South Korea | 1173 |
| 101 | 2016 | Nitra | Slovakia | 1252 |
| 100 | 2015 | Lille | France | 2698 |
| 99 | 2014 | Buenos Aires | Argentina | 706 |
| 98 | 2013 | Reykjavík | Iceland | 1034 |
| 97 | 2012 | Hanoi | Vietnam | 866 |
| 96 | 2011 | Copenhagen | Denmark | 1458 |
| 95 | 2010 | Havana | Cuba | 1002 |
| 94 | 2009 | Białystok | Poland | 1860 |
| 93 | 2008 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | 1845 |
| 92 | 2007 | Yokohama | Japan | 1901 |
| 91 | 2006 | Florence | Italy | 2209 |
| 90 | 2005 | Vilnius | Lithuania | 2235 |
| 89 | 2004 | Beijing | China | 2031 |
| 88 | 2003 | Gothenburg | Sweden | 1791 |
| 87 | 2002 | Fortaleza | Brazil | 1484 |
| 86 | 2001 | Zagreb | Croatia | 1691 |
| 85 | 2000 | Tel Aviv | Israel | 1212 |
| 84 | 1999 | Berlin | Germany | 2712 |
| 83 | 1998 | Montpellier | France | 3133 |
| 82 | 1997 | Adelaide | Australia | 1224 |
| 81 | 1996 | Prague | Czech Republic | 2972 |
| 80 | 1995 | Tampere | Finland | 2443 |
| 79 | 1994 | Seoul | South Korea | 1776 |
| 78 | 1993 | Valencia | Spain | 1863 |
| 77 | 1992 | Vienna | Austria | 3033 |
| 76 | 1991 | Bergen | Norway | 2400 |
| 75 | 1990 | Havana | Cuba | 1617 |
| 74 | 1989 | Brighton | United Kingdom | 2280 |
| 73 | 1988 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | 2321 |
| 72 | 1987 | Warsaw | Poland | 5946 |
| 71 | 1986 | Beijing | China | 2482 |
| 70 | 1985 | Augsburg | West Germany | 2311 |
| 69 | 1984 | Vancouver | Canada | 802 |
| 68 | 1983 | Budapest | Hungary | 4834 |
| 67 | 1982 | Antwerp | Belgium | 1899 |
| 66 | 1981 | Brasília | Brazil | 1749 |
| 65 | 1980 | Stockholm | Sweden | 1807 |
| 64 | 1979 | Lucerne | Switzerland | 1630 |
| 63 | 1978 | Varna | Bulgaria | 4414 |
| 62 | 1977 | Reykjavík | Iceland | 1199 |
| 61 | 1976 | Athens | Greece | 1266 |
| 60 | 1975 | Copenhagen | Denmark | 1227 |
| 59 | 1974 | Hamburg | West Germany | 1651 |
| 58 | 1973 | Belgrade | Yugoslavia | 1638 |
| 57 | 1972 | Portland | United States | 923 |
| 56 | 1971 | London | United Kingdom | 2071 |
| 55 | 1970 | Vienna | Austria | 1987 |
| 54 | 1969 | Helsinki | Finland | 1857 |
| 53 | 1968 | Madrid | Spain | 1769 |
| 52 | 1967 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | 1265 |
| 51 | 1966 | Budapest | Hungary | 3975 |
| 50 | 1965 | Tokyo | Japan | 1710 |
| 49 | 1964 | The Hague | Netherlands | 2512 |
| 48 | 1963 | Sofia | Bulgaria | 3472 |
| 47 | 1962 | Copenhagen | Denmark | 1550 |
| 46 | 1961 | Harrogate | United Kingdom | 1646 |
| 45 | 1960 | Brussels | Belgium | 1930 |
| 44 | 1959 | Warsaw | Poland | 3256 |
| 43 | 1958 | Mainz | West Germany | 2021 |
| 42 | 1957 | Marseille | France | 1468 |
| 41 | 1956 | Copenhagen | Denmark | 2200 |
| 40 | 1955 | Bologna | Italy | 1687 |
| 39 | 1954 | Haarlem | Netherlands | 2353 |
| 38 | 1953 | Zagreb | Yugoslavia | 1760 |
| 37 | 1952 | Oslo | Norway | 1614 |
| 36 | 1951 | Munich | West Germany | 2040 |
| 35 | 1950 | Paris | France | 2325 |
| 34 | 1949 | Bournemouth | United Kingdom | 1534 |
| 33 | 1948 | Malmö | Sweden | 1761 |
| 32 | 1947 | Bern | Switzerland | 1370 |
| World War II |||||
| 31 | 1939 | Bern | Switzerland | 765 |
| 30 | 1938 | London | United Kingdom | 1602 |
| 29 | 1937 | Warsaw | Poland | 1120 |
| 28 | 1936 | Vienna | Austria | 854 |
| 27 | 1935 | Rome | Italy | 1442 |
| 26 | 1934 | Stockholm | Sweden | 2042 |
| 25 | 1933 | Cologne | Nazi Germany | 950 |
| 24 | 1932 | Paris | France | 1650 |
| 23 | 1931 | Kraków | Poland | 900 |
| 22 | 1930 | Oxford | United Kingdom | 1211 |
| 21 | 1929 | Budapest | Hungary | 1200 |
| 20 | 1928 | Antwerp | Belgium | 1494 |
| 19 | 1927 | Danzig | Free City of Danzig | 905 |
| 18 | 1926 | Edinburgh | United Kingdom | 960 |
| 17 | 1925 | Geneva | Switzerland | 953 |
| 16 | 1924 | Vienna | Austria | 3400 |
| 15 | 1923 | Nuremberg | Weimar Republic | 4963 |
| 14 | 1922 | Helsinki | Finland | 850 |
| 13 | 1921 | Prague | Czechoslovakia | 2561 |
| 12 | 1920 | The Hague | Netherlands | 408 |
| World War I |||||
| 11 | 1915 | San Francisco | United States | 163 |
| 10 | 1914 | Paris | France | cancelled due to World War I |
| 9 | 1913 | Bern | Switzerland | 1203 |
| 8 | 1912 | Kraków | Austria-Hungary | 1000 |
| 7 | 1911 | Antwerp | Belgium | 1800 |
| 6 | 1910 | Washington, D.C. | United States | 357 |
| 5 | 1909 | Barcelona | Spain | 1287 |
| 4 | 1908 | Dresden | Germany | 1500 |
| 3 | 1907 | Cambridge | United Kingdom | 1317 |
| 2 | 1906 | Geneva | Switzerland | 1200 |
| 1 | 1905 | Boulogne-sur-Mer | France | 688 |

## Statistics
### Countries

Countries by number of times as host:
| Times hosted | Country | Years hosted |
| 8 | Germany | 1908, 1923, 1933, 1951, 1958, 1974, 1985, 1999 |
| 8 | United Kingdom | 1907, 1926, 1930, 1938, 1949, 1961, 1971, 1989 |
| 6 | France | 1905, 1932, 1950, 1957, 1998, 2015 |
| 6 | Switzerland | 1906, 1913, 1925, 1939, 1947, 1979 |
| 6 | Netherlands | 1920, 1954, 1964, 1967, 1988, 2008 |
| 5 | Poland | 1931, 1937, 1959, 1987, 2009 |
| 4 | Belgium | 1911, 1928, 1960, 1982 |
| 4 | Finland | 1922, 1969, 1995, 2019 |
| 4 | Austria | 1924, 1936, 1970, 1992 |
| 4 | Sweden | 1934, 1948, 1980, 2003 |
| 4 | Denmark | 1956, 1962, 1975, 2011 |
| 4 | Italy | 1935, 1955, 2006, 2023 |
| 3 | Spain | 1909, 1968, 1993 |
| 3 | United States | 1910, 1915, 1972 |
| 3 | Hungary | 1929, 1966, 1983 |
| 2 | Czech Republic | 1921, 1996 |
| 2 | Norway | 1952, 1991 |
| 2 | Yugoslavia | 1953, 1973 |
| 2 | Bulgaria | 1963, 1978 |
| 2 | Japan | 1965, 2007 |
| 2 | Iceland | 1977, 2013 |
| 2 | China | 1986, 2004 |
| 2 | Canada | 1984, 2022 |
| 2 | Brazil | 1981, 2002 |
| 2 | Cuba | 1990, 2010 |
| 2 | South Korea | 1994, 2017 |
| 1 | Austria-Hungary | 1912 |
| 1 | Danzig | 1927 |
| 1 | Greece | 1976 |
| 1 | Australia | 1997 |
| 1 | Israel | 2000 |
| 1 | Croatia | 2001 |
| 1 | Lithuania | 2005 |
| 1 | Vietnam | 2012 |
| 1 | Argentina | 2014 |
| 1 | Slovakia | 2016 |
| 1 | Portugal | 2018 |
| 1 | Tanzania | 2024 |

### Continents

Of the 102 congresses that have happened so far, 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

Cities by number of times as host:
| Times hosted | City | Years hosted |
| 4 | Vienna | 1924, 1936, 1970, 1992 |
| 4 | Copenhagen | 1956, 1962, 1975, 2011 |
| 3 | Antwerp | 1911, 1928, 1985 |
| 3 | Bern | 1913, 1939, 1947 |
| 3 | Paris | 1914, 1932, 1950 |
| 3 | Budapest | 1929, 1966, 1983 |
| 3 | Warsaw | 1937, 1959, 1987 |
| 3 | Rotterdam | 1967, 1988, 2008 |
| 2 | Geneva | 1906, 1925 |
| 2 | Kraków | 1912, 1931 |
| 2 | The Hague | 1920, 1964 |
| 2 | Prague | 1921, 1996 |
| 2 | Stockholm | 1934, 1980 |
| 2 | London | 1938, 1971 |
| 2 | Zagreb | 1953, 2001 |
| 2 | Helsinki | 1969, 1922 |
| 2 | Reykjavík | 1977, 2013 |
| 2 | Beijing | 1986, 2004 |
| 2 | Havana | 1990, 2010 |
| 2 | Seoul | 1994, 2017 |
The remaining cities hosted the event only once.