2021

**2021** (MMXXI) was

a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2021st year of the Common Era (CE) and *Anno Domini* (AD) designations, the 21st year of the , the 21st year of the , and the 2nd year of the decade.

Calendar yearTemplate:SHORTDESC:Calendar year
2021 is scheduled to host most major events that were originally scheduled for 2020, including the Eurovision Song Contest, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, and Expo 2020, and many sporting events, including the UEFA Euro 2020, 2020 Summer Olympics, 2021 Copa América, events that were postponed or cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The United Nations declared 2021 as the International Year of Peace and Trust, the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development, the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, and the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour. The Catholic Church has proclaimed 2021 as the Year of Saint Joseph.

## Events

### January

* January 1 – The African Continental Free Trade Area comes into effect.
* January 4
	+ A British judge blocks the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States, while Mexico offers him political asylum.
	+ The border between Qatar and Saudi Arabia reopens.
* January 6 – Supporters of President Donald Trump attack the United States Capitol, disrupting certification of the 2020 presidential election and forcing Congress to evacuate. Five people die during the riot, including a police officer and a woman who is shot and killed inside the Capitol building. The event is classified as a domestic terrorist attack and draws international condemnation.
* January 10 – Kim Jong-un is elected as the General Secretary of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, inheriting the title from his late father Kim Jong-il, who died in 2011.
* January 13 – In Lyon, France, the first transplant of both arms and shoulders is performed on an Icelandic patient at the Édouard Herriot Hospital.
* January 14 – The 2021 Ugandan general election was held.
* January 15
	+ The Lao People's Revolutionary Party elects Thongloun Sisoulith as its new General Secretary, replacing retiring chief Bounnhang Vorachith. Sisoulith is elected for a five-year term as top leader in Laos.
	+ COVID-19 pandemic: The global death toll from COVID-19 passes 2 million.
* January 20 – Joe Biden is inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States, becoming the oldest individual to hold the office.
* January 22 – The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the first legally binding international agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons, comes into effect.
* January 24 – 2021 Portuguese presidential election: Incumbent president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is reelected.
* January 26 – COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases exceeds 100 million worldwide.
* January 29 – COVID-19 pandemic: The European Union invokes Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol following a row over COVID-19 vaccine supplies before reversing the decision.
* January 31 – Nguyễn Phú Trọng is re-elected for a third five-year term as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

### February

* February 1
	+ A coup d'état in Myanmar removes Aung San Suu Kyi from power and restores military rule leading to widespread demonstrations across the country.
	+ Kosovo officially establishes diplomatic ties with Israel and announces plans to open an embassy in Jerusalem.
	+ COVID-19 pandemic: The number of vaccinations administered worldwide exceeds 100 million.
* February 3 – Canada becomes the first country to designate the Proud Boys as a terrorist organisation.
* February 4 – President Joe Biden announces that the United States will cease providing weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for use in the Yemeni Civil War.
* February 9
	+ COVID-19 pandemic: A joint WHO–China investigation into the source of the outbreak concludes. Investigators deem a Wuhan laboratory leak to be "extremely unlikely", with a "natural reservoir" in bats being a more likely origin.
	+ The UAE's uncrewed *Hope* spacecraft becomes the first Arabian mission to successfully enter orbit around Mars.
* February 13–17 – A major winter storm kills at least 136 people and causes over 9.9 million power outages in the U.S.
* February 18 – NASA's Mars 2020 mission (containing the *Perseverance* rover and *Ingenuity* helicopter drone) lands on Mars at Jezero Crater, after seven months of travel.
* February 19 – The United States officially rejoins the Paris Agreement, 107 days after leaving.
* February 20 – 2020–21 H5N8 outbreak: 7 people test positive for H5N8 bird flu at a poultry farm in southern Russia, becoming the first known human cases.
* February 22 – COVID-19 pandemic: The United States becomes the first country to surpass 500,000 deaths from the virus.
* February 24 – COVID-19 pandemic: Ghana becomes the first country to receive vaccines through the COVAX vaccine-sharing initiative.
* February 25
	+ COVID-19 pandemic: The global death toll from COVID-19 surpasses 2.5 million.
	+ The Armenian military calls for prime minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign. Pashinyan accuses the military of attempting a coup d'état.

### March

* March 5 – COVID-19 pandemic: Moldova becomes the first country in Europe to receive vaccines through COVAX.
* March 6 – Pope Francis meets with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Najaf, Iraq. It is the first ever meeting between a pope and a grand ayatollah.
* March 7 – Switzerland becomes the seventh European nation to ban the wearing of the burqa in public, joining Austria, Denmark, France, Belgium, Latvia, and Bulgaria.
* March 17 – The Dutch general elections for the House of Representatives of the Netherlands take place.
* March 19 – North Korea severs diplomatic ties with Malaysia due to its citizens being extradited to the United States to face money-laundering charges. Malaysian authorities order North Korean officials to leave the country in 48 hours.
* March 20 – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announces his country's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, the first country to do so.
* March 21 – Clashes in Apure between Colombian FARC dissidents and the Venezuelan Armed Forces cause at least eight casualties and 4,000 displaced Venezuelans.
* March 23
	+ The Israeli general elections take place, the fourth Knesset election in two years.
	+ *Ever Given*, one of the largest container ships in the world, runs aground and obstructs the Suez Canal, disrupting global trade. The ship is freed on March 29.
* March 25 – COVID-19 pandemic: The number of vaccinations administered worldwide exceeds 500 million.

### April

* April 2 – Russia warns NATO against sending any troops to aid Ukraine, amid reports of a large Russian military build-up on its borders.
* April 4
	+ The 2021 Bulgarian parliamentary election takes place.
	+ At least 167 people in Indonesia and 42 people in East Timor are killed after Cyclone Seroja strikes the island of Timor.
* April 9 – Roscosmos launches the Soyuz MS-18 mission, carrying three Expedition 65 crewmembers to the International Space Station.
* April 11
	+ Peru holds a general election.
	+ Iran accuses Israel of "nuclear terrorism" and vows revenge after a large explosion destroys the internal power system of the Natanz uranium enrichment plant.
	+ Hideki Matsuyama wins the 2021 Masters Tournament, becoming the first man from an Asian country to win a major golf championship.
* April 13
	+ Japan's government approves the dumping of radioactive water of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean over the course of 30 years, with full support of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The decision is opposed by China, South Korea, and Taiwan.
	+ The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is paused over causing rare blood clots.
* April 15 – Scientists announce they successfully injected human stem cells into the embryos of monkeys, creating chimera-embryos.
* April 17
	+ COVID-19 pandemic: The global death toll from COVID-19 surpasses 3 million.
	+ The Czech government announced that the Russian GRU was responsible for the blast of two ammo warehouses in Vrbětice in 2014. Subsequently, 18 Russian diplomats and alleged spies were expelled.
	+ The Soyuz MS-17 mission concludes, returning three crewmembers of Expedition 64 to Earth from the International Space Station.
* April 18
	+ Twelve football clubs, including three from the La Liga and leading clubs from the Premier League and Serie A, agree to join a new breakaway European Super League, prompting international condemnation. Two days later, following major protests from supporters, other clubs and politicians, Manchester City withdraw from the league; this prompts all the remaining Premier League clubs and three others to do the same.
	+ The 2021 Cape Verdean parliamentary election takes place.
* April 19
	+ NASA's *Ingenuity* helicopter, part of the Mars 2020 mission, performs the first powered flight on another planet in history.
	+ Raúl Castro resigns as First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party, ending more than 62 years of rule by the Castro brothers in Cuba.
* April 20 – Idriss Déby, President of Chad, is killed in clashes with rebel forces after 30 years in office. The constitution is suspended and a Transitional Military Council is established to govern the country for 18 months.
* April 21 – COVID-19 pandemic: With global case numbers approaching a second peak, India reports 315,000 infections within 24 hours, the highest one-day tally recorded anywhere in the world to date.
* April 22 – World leaders mark Earth Day by hosting a virtual summit on climate change, during which more ambitious targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions are proposed, including a 40% cut by 2030 for the United States.
* April 23 – SpaceX launches the Crew-2 mission, carrying four crew members of Expedition 65 and 66 to the International Space Station aboard Crew Dragon *Endeavour*.
* April 24
	+ Following an international search and rescue effort, the Indonesian navy reports the sinking of KRI *Nanggala* with 53 crew members, the largest loss of life aboard a submarine since 2003.
	+ COVID-19 pandemic: The number of vaccinations administered worldwide exceeds 1 billion. Half of these doses have been administered in just three countries (the United States, China and India).
* April 25 – Albania holds parliamentary elections.
* April 27 – India receives its first foreign aid shipments following the country's destructive COVID-19 second wave.
* April 28
	+ At least 55 people are killed and nearly 50,000 more are displaced in one of the most serious clashes in Central Asia following border disputes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
	+ The European Union approves the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, governing the relationship between the EU and UK after Brexit.
	+ Protestors rally in major Colombian cities against increased taxes and healthcare reforms proposed by President Iván Duque Márquez, resulting in police violence and the deaths of dozens of protestors, which is condemned by the United Nations and Human Rights Watch.
* April 29
	+ COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases exceeds 150 million worldwide.
	+ The China National Space Administration launches the first module of its *Tiangong* space station, named *Tianhe*, beginning a two-year effort to build the station in orbit.
* April 30 – In Israel, 45 people are killed and another 150 injured in a crowd crush at a religious festival on Mount Meron.

### May

* May 2 – The SpaceX Crew-1 mission ends, returning four crew members of Expedition 64 and 65 to Earth from the International Space Station aboard Crew Dragon *Resilience*.
* May 5 – SpaceX successfully flies, lands, and recovers a Starship prototype for the first time, after four unsuccessful previous attempts.
* May 11 – 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis: Israel hits the Gaza Strip with airstrikes as Hamas increases rocket fire. This occurred after Israel began displacing Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem.
* May 14 – The China National Space Administration lands its *Zhurong* rover at Utopia Planitia on Mars, making China the fourth country to land a spacecraft on the planet and only the second to land a rover.
* May 15 – Fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants continues to escalate, as the death toll exceeds 150. A high-rise office in Gaza occupied by Associated Press, Al Jazeera and other media outlets is destroyed by an Israeli airstrike.
* May 18–22 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2021 is held in Rotterdam, Netherlands, after the cancellation of the 2020 contest due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 contest is won by Italian entrants Måneskin with the song "Zitti e buoni".
* May 20 – Following international pressure, and nearly 250 deaths, Israel agrees to a ceasefire deal to end the conflict with Gaza militants, effective the next day at 2:00 AM local time.
* May 23 – Ryanair Flight 4978 is forced to land by Belarusian authorities to detain Roman Protasevich.
* May 26
	+ Shell becomes the first company to be legally mandated to align its carbon emissions with the Paris climate accord, following a landmark court ruling in the Netherlands.
	+ The 2021 Syrian presidential election is held.
* May 29 – Chelsea beat fellow English club Manchester City in the final 1–0 to become the champions of the UEFA Champions League for the second time.

### June

* June 2 – Israel holds a presidential election, with Isaac Herzog easily winning over Miriam Peretz.
* June 5 – The G7 agrees on a global minimum corporate tax rate of 15% intended to prevent tax avoidance by some of the world's biggest multinationals.

## Predicted and scheduled events

* June 3–6 – The 2021 CONCACAF Nations League Finals is scheduled to be held in Denver, United States. It was originally scheduled for June 4–7, 2020, but the competion was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
* June 6 – 2021 Mexican legislative election
* June 7 – The *Juno* spacecraft will perform its only flyby of Jupiter's moon Ganymede. It will be the first flyby of the moon by any spacecraft in over twenty years.
* June 9 – 2021 Mongolian presidential election will be held.
* June 10 – An annular solar eclipse will be visible from parts of the Northeast United States, Canada, Greenland, the North Pole, and the Russian Far East.
* June 11 – July 11 – The UEFA Euro 2020 is scheduled to be held across Europe. The competition was originally scheduled for 12 June–12 July 2020, but the competion was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
* June 13 – July 10 – The 2021 Copa América is scheduled to be held in Brazil. The competition was originally scheduled for 12 June–12 July 2020, but the competion was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 20 May 2021, Colombia was removed as co-host amid ongoing protests against Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez. On May 30, 2021, CONMEBOL announced that Copa América will not be held in Argentina either. This is due to the public health situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. On 31 May 2021, CONMEBOL confirmed Brazil as host of the tournament.
* June 20 – Armenia will hold a parliamentary election.
* July 10–August 1 – The 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup is scheduled to be held in the United States.
* July 11 – Moldova will hold a parliamentary election.
* July 23–August 8 – The 2020 Summer Olympics are scheduled to be held in Tokyo, Japan. They were originally scheduled for 24 July–9 August 2020, but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
* September 5 – The Hong Kong Special Administration Region in China is scheduled to hold an election for the Legislative Council. It was originally scheduled for 6 September 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
* September 11 – The United States shall withdraw its remaining 2,500 troops from Afghanistan on the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks ending its involvement in the War in Afghanistan.
* September 13 – Norway is scheduled to hold a parliamentary election, with all seats in the Storting up for election.
* September 25 – 2021 Icelandic parliamentary election
* September 26 – Germany is scheduled to hold the federal election for the Bundestag on this date.
* September 19 – 2021 Haitian parliamentary election will be held.
* October 1 – The 2020 World Expo in Dubai is scheduled to begin. Its opening was originally scheduled for 20 October 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
* October 5 – Roscosmos will launch the Soyuz MS-19 mission, which will carry an Expedition 66 crewmember and two Channel One Russia personnel to the International Space Station. The two Channel One crew will perform principal photography on the film *Vyzov* aboard the station.
* October 6–10 – The 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals is scheduled to be held in Italy. They were originally scheduled for 2–6 June 2021, but were moved to 6–10 October 2021 following the rescheduling of UEFA Euro 2020 to June and July 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
* October 16 – The Southwest Research Institute's Lucy mission will launch, beginning a twelve-year journey to visit six different asteroids, including five from the previously unexplored Jupiter trojans.
* October 22 – Japan is scheduled to hold a general election for the House of Representatives.
* October 23 – SpaceX will launch their Crew-3 mission, which will carry four Expedition 66 crewmembers to the International Space Station.
* October 23–November 27 – The 2021 Rugby League World Cup is scheduled to take place in England.
* October 24 – 2021 Uzbek presidential election
* November – NASA, ESA, the Canadian Space Agency, and the Space Telescope Science Institute plan to launch the James Webb Space Telescope, a successor to the Hubble Space Telescope.
* November – Planned launch of NASA's Artemis 1 mission to the Moon, the first integrated flight of the agency's Orion MPCV and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
* November 1–12 – The 2021 UN Climate Change Conference is scheduled to take place in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. It was originally scheduled for 9–20 November 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
* November 24 – The Applied Physics Laboratory's Double Asteroid Redirection Test will launch. The mission will perform a deliberate high-velocity impact with the minor-planet moon Dimorphos to study asteroid impact avoidance techniques. The spacecraft will spend a year in transit to the moon prior to impact.
* November 30 – Barbados is due to become a republic by this date, on its 55th anniversary of independence.
* November 30 – December 18 – The 2021 FIFA Arab Cup is scheduled to be held in Qatar.
* December 4 – A total solar eclipse will be visible from parts of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.
* December 8 – Roscosmos and Space Adventures will launch the Soyuz MS-20 mission, which will carry three EP-20 crewmembers to the International Space Station for a twelve-day stay before returning to Earth.

### Date unknown

* The Large Hadron Collider will recommence operations after a period of renovations.
* The Grand Egyptian Museum, described as the largest archaeological museum in the world, is expected to be completed.
* Plan S, an initiative for open access science publishing launched in 2018, requires that from 2021 papers from over 10 European countries that resulted from research funded by public grants must be published under an open license in compliant journals or platforms, available to all.
* 2021 Iranian presidential election

## Births

* March 26 – Prince Julian, Duke of Halland
* June 4 – Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor