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{{Short description|Convention of the Esperanto movement}}
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[[File:100-a UK-a solena fermo.JPG|thumb|right|[[Mark Fettes]], president of the [[World Esperanto Association]], during the 100th World Esperanto Congress in [[Lille]] (France), 2015]]
The '''World Esperanto Congress''' ({{langx|eo|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]].

[[File:Attendance At Each Universala Kongreso 1905-2015.png|thumb|The attendance at each World Esperanto Congress from the 1st in 1905 until the 100th in 2015]]
[[File:UK 1908 Dresdeno Weisser Hirsch.jpg|thumb|World Esperanto Congress 1908]]

== History ==
[[File:World Esperanto Conference host countries.png|thumb|Countries that have hosted the World Esperanto Congress, 1905–2018]]
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! valign=top | Number !! valign=top | Year !! valign=top | City !! valign=top | Country !! valign=top align=right data-sort-type="number" | Number of<br />participants 
|-
| 111 || 2026 || [[Graz]] || {{AUT}} || align=right |
|-
| 110 || 2025 || [[Brno]] || {{CZE}} || align=right | 1132<ref name=Sezonoj-25>[https://sezonoj.ru/2025/08/brno-34/ Definitiva statistiko de UK-110: 1132 aliĝintoj el 63 landoj], ''La Ondo de Esperanto'', la sesa aŭgusto 2025, alirita la 21-a de septembro 2025.</ref>
|-
| 109 || 2024 || [[Arusha]] || {{TAN}} || align=right | 854<ref name="auto1"/>
|-
| 108 || 2023 || [[Turin]] || {{ITA}} || align=right | 1318<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://uea.org/kongresoj/listo|title=Universala Esperanto-Asocio: Listo de UK-oj|website=uea.org}}</ref>
|-
| 107 || 2022 || [[Montreal]] || {{CAN}} || align=right | 859<ref name="auto1"/>
|-
| 106 || 2021 || [[Internet]]<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://vk.mondafest.net/|title=Virtuala Kongreso de Esperanto 2020|website=vk.mondafest.net}}</ref> || align=right | [[Belfast]] (planned); online ([[COVID-19 pandemic|pandemic]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://uea.org/gk/947|title=Universala Esperanto-Asocio|website=uea.org}}</ref> || align=right |1853<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vk.esperanto.net/2021/aligxintoj/|title = Listo de aliĝintoj - Virtuala Kongreso de Esperanto 2021}}</ref>
|-
| 105 || 2020 || [[Internet]]<ref name="auto"/> || align=right | [[Montreal]] (planned); online ([[COVID-19 pandemic|pandemic]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uea.org/gk/861a1|title = Universala Esperanto-Asocio}}</ref> || align=right |2006<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vk.esperanto.net/2020/aligxintoj/|title = Listo de aliĝintoj - Virtuala Kongreso de Esperanto 2020}}</ref>
|-
| 104 || 2019 || [[Lahti]] || {{FIN}} || align=right | 917<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://uea.org/aktuale/komunikoj/2019/Rezolucio-de-la-104-a-Universala-Kongreso-de-Esperanto|title=Universala Esperanto-Asocio: Gazetaraj Komunikoj|website=uea.org}}</ref>
|-
| 103 || 2018 || [[Lisbon]] || {{PRT}} || align=right | 1567<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://uea.org/kongresoj/UK/2018/|title=Universala Esperanto-Asocio: Universala Kongreso|website=uea.org}}</ref>
|-
| 102 || 2017 || [[Seoul]] || {{KOR}} || align=right | 1173<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://uea.org/pdf/uk2017/Kandellumo_Verda_6.pdf|title=Wayback Machine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814000516/https://uea.org/pdf/uk2017/Kandellumo_Verda_6.pdf |archive-date=2018-08-14 }}</ref>
|-
| 101 || 2016 || [[Nitra]] || {{SVK}} || align=right | 1252<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uea.org/pdf/uk2016/Pribina6.pdf |title=Pribina - KONGRESA KURIERO DE LA 101 A UNIVERSALA KONGRESO DE ESPERANTO|access-date=2023-09-24}}</ref>
|-
| 100 || 2015 || [[Lille]] || {{FRA}} || align=right | 2698<ref>Universala Esperanto-Asocio: "[http://uea.org/gk/586 Fina statistiko de Lillo: 2698 aliĝintoj el 80 landoj]".</ref>
|-
| 99 || 2014 || [[Buenos Aires]] || {{ARG}} || align=right | 706<ref>Universala Esperanto-Asocio: "[http://uea.org/gk/550 Rezolucio de la 99-a Universala Kongreso de Esperanto]".</ref>
|-
| 98 || 2013 || [[Reykjavík]] || {{ISL}} || align=right | 1034<ref>Universala Esperanto-Asocio: "[http://uea.org/kongresoj/uk_2013.html La 98-a Universala Kongreso de Esperanto] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130503134903/http://uea.org/kongresoj/uk_2013.html |date=2013-05-03 }}".</ref>
|-
| 97 || 2012 || [[Hanoi]] || {{VNM}} || align=right | 866<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uea.org/pdf/uk2012/Loa!-5.pdf |title=Loa! - Kongres a Kuriero de la 97a Universala Kongreso en Hanojo, Vjetnamio|access-date=2023-09-24}}</ref>
|-
| 96 || 2011 || [[Copenhagen]] || {{DNK}} || align=right | 1458<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110825223436/http://uea.org/pdf/vikinga_vocho_6_sab2.pdf Vikinga Voĉo, n-ro 6 (La kongresa Kuriero de la 96-a Universala Kongreso de Esperanto].</ref>
|-
| 95 || 2010 || [[Havana]] || {{CUB}} || align=right | 1002<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://uea.org/gk/391|title=Universala Esperanto-Asocio|website=uea.org}}</ref>
|-
| 94 || 2009 || [[Białystok]] || {{POL}} || align=right | 1860
|-
| 93 || 2008 || [[Rotterdam]] || {{NLD}} || align=right | 1845
|-
| 92 || 2007 || [[Yokohama]] || {{JPN}} || align=right | 1901
|-
| 91 || 2006 || [[Florence]] || {{ITA}} || align=right | 2209
|-
| 90 || 2005 || [[Vilnius]] || {{LTU}} || align=right | 2235
|-
| 89 || 2004 || [[Beijing]] || {{CHN}} || align=right | 2031
|-
| 88 || 2003 || [[Gothenburg]] || {{SWE}} || align=right | 1791
|-
| 87 || 2002 || [[Fortaleza]] || {{BRA}} || align=right | 1484
|-
| 86 || 2001 || [[Zagreb]] || {{HRV}} || align=right | 1691
|-
| 85 || 2000 || [[Tel Aviv]] || {{ISR}} || align=right | 1212
|-
| 84 || 1999 || [[Berlin]] || {{DEU}} || align=right | 2712
|-
| 83 || 1998 || [[Montpellier]] || {{FRA}} || align=right | 3133
|-
| 82 || 1997 || [[Adelaide]] || {{AUS}} || align=right | 1224
|-
| 81 || 1996 || [[Prague]] || {{CZE}} || align=right | 2972
|-
| 80 || 1995 || [[Tampere]] || {{FIN}} || align=right | 2443
|-
| 79 || 1994 || [[Seoul]] || {{flag|South Korea|1984}} || align=right | 1776
|-
| 78 || 1993 || [[Valencia (city in Spain)|Valencia]] || {{ESP}} || align=right | 1863
|-
| 77 || 1992 || [[Vienna]] || {{AUT}} || align=right | 3033
|-
| 76 || 1991 || [[Bergen, Norway|Bergen]] || {{NOR}} || align=right | 2400
|-
| 75 || 1990 || [[Havana]] || {{CUB}} || align=right | 1617
|-
| 74 || 1989 || [[Brighton]] || {{GBR}} || align=right | 2280
|-
| 73 || 1988 || [[Rotterdam]] || {{NLD}} || align=right | 2321
|-
| 72 || 1987 || [[Warsaw]] || {{POL}} || align=right | 5946
|-
| 71 || 1986 || [[Beijing]] || {{CHN}} || align=right | 2482
|-
| 70 || 1985 || [[Augsburg]] || {{FRG}} || align=right | 2311
|-
| 69 || 1984 || [[Vancouver]] || {{CAN}} || align=right | 802
|-
| 68 || 1983 || [[Budapest]] || {{HUN}} || align=right | 4834
|-
| 67 || 1982 || [[Antwerp]] || {{BEL}} || align=right | 1899
|-
| 66 || 1981 || [[Brasília]] || {{flag|Brazil|1968}} || align=right | 1749
|-
| 65 || 1980 || [[Stockholm]] || {{SWE}} || align=right | 1807
|-
| 64 || 1979 || [[Lucerne]] || {{CHE}} || align=right | 1630
|-
| 63 || 1978 || [[Varna, Bulgaria|Varna]] || {{flag|Bulgaria|1971}} || align=right | 4414
|-
| 62 || 1977 || [[Reykjavík]] || {{ISL}} || align=right | 1199
|-
| 61 || 1976 || [[Athens]] || {{flag|Greece|old}} || align=right | 1266
|-
| 60 || 1975 || [[Copenhagen]] || {{DNK}} || align=right | 1227
|-
| 59 || 1974 || [[Hamburg]] || {{FRG}} || align=right | 1651
|-
| 58 || 1973 || [[Belgrade]] || {{YUG}} || align=right | 1638
|-
| 57 || 1972 || [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]] || {{USA}} || align=right | 923
|-
| 56 || 1971 || [[London]] || {{GBR}} || align=right | 2071
|-
| 55 || 1970 || [[Vienna]] || {{AUT}} || align=right | 1987
|-
| 54 || 1969 || [[Helsinki]] || {{FIN}} || align=right | 1857
|-
| 53 || 1968 || [[Madrid]] || {{flag|Spain|1945}} || align=right | 1769
|-
| 52 || 1967 || [[Rotterdam]] || {{NLD}} || align=right | 1265
|-
| 51 || 1966 || [[Budapest]] || {{HUN}} || align=right | 3975
|-
| 50 || 1965 || [[Tokyo]] || {{flag|Japan|1947}} || align=right | 1710
|-
| 49 || 1964 || [[The Hague]] || {{NLD}} || align=right | 2512
|-
| 48 || 1963 || [[Sofia]] || {{flag|Bulgaria|1948}} || align=right | 3472
|-
| 47 || 1962 || [[Copenhagen]] || {{DNK}} || align=right | 1550
|-
| 46 || 1961 || [[Harrogate]] || {{GBR}} || align=right | 1646
|-
| 45 || 1960 || [[Brussels]] || {{BEL}} || align=right | 1930
|-
| 44 || 1959 || [[Warsaw]] || {{flag|Poland|1928}} || align=right | 3256
|-
| 43 || 1958 || [[Mainz]] || {{FRG}} || align=right | 2021
|-
| 42 || 1957 || [[Marseille]] || {{flag|France|1794}} || align=right | 1468
|-
| 41 || 1956 || [[Copenhagen]] || {{DNK}} || align=right | 2200
|-
| 40 || 1955 || [[Bologna]] || {{ITA}} || align=right | 1687
|-
| 39 || 1954 || [[Haarlem]] || {{NLD}} || align=right | 2353
|-
| 38 || 1953 || [[Zagreb]] || {{YUG}} || align=right | 1760
|-
| 37 || 1952 || [[Oslo]] || {{NOR}} || align=right | 1614
|-
| 36 || 1951 || [[Munich]] || {{FRG}} || align=right | 2040
|-
| 35 || 1950 || [[Paris]] || {{flag|France|1794}} || align=right | 2325
|-
| 34 || 1949 || [[Bournemouth]] || {{GBR}} || align=right | 1534
|-
| 33 || 1948 || [[Malmö]] || {{SWE}} || align=right | 1761
|-
| 32 || 1947 || [[Bern]] || {{CHE}} || align=right | 1370
|-
| colspan=5 | {{Center|'''[[World War II]]'''}}
|-
| 31 || 1939 || [[Bern]] || {{CHE}} || align=right | 765
|-
| 30 || 1938 || [[London]] || {{GBR}} || align=right | 1602
|-
| 29 || 1937 || [[Warsaw]] || {{flag|Poland|1928}} || align=right | 1120
|-
| 28 || 1936 || [[Vienna]] || {{AUT}} || align=right | 854
|-
| 27 || 1935 || [[Rome]] || {{flag|Italy|1861}} || align=right | 1442
|-
| 26 || 1934 || [[Stockholm]] || {{SWE}} || align=right | 2042
|-
| 25 || 1933 || [[Cologne]] || {{flag|Nazi Germany|1933}} || align=right | 950
|-
| 24 || 1932 || [[Paris]] || {{flag|France|1794}} || align=right | 1650
|-
| 23 || 1931 || [[Kraków]] || {{flag|Poland|1928}} || align=right | 900
|-
| 22 || 1930 || [[Oxford]] || {{GBR}} || align=right | 1211
|-
| 21 || 1929 || [[Budapest]] || {{flag|Hungary|1920}} || align=right | 1200
|-
| 20 || 1928 || [[Antwerp]] || {{BEL}} || align=right | 1494
|-
| 19 || 1927 || [[Gdańsk|Danzig]] || {{flag|Free City of Danzig}} || align=right | 905
|-
| 18 || 1926 || [[Edinburgh]] || {{GBR}} || align=right | 960
|-
| 17 || 1925 || [[Geneva]] || {{CHE}} || align=right | 953
|-
| 16 || 1924 || [[Vienna]] || {{AUT}} || align=right | 3400
|-
| 15 || 1923 || [[Nuremberg]] || {{flag|Weimar Republic|1918}} || align=right | 4963
|-
| 14 || 1922 || [[Helsinki]] || {{FIN}} || align=right | 850
|-
| 13 || 1921 || [[Prague]] || {{CSK}} || align=right | 2561
|-
| 12 || 1920 || [[The Hague]] || {{NLD}} || align=right | 408
|-
| colspan=5 | {{Center|'''[[World War I]]'''}}
|-
| 11 || 1915 || [[San Francisco]] || {{flag|United States|1912}} || align=right | 163
|-
| 10 || 1914 || [[Paris]] || {{flag|France|1794}} || align=right | cancelled due<br />to [[World War I]]
|-
| 9 || 1913 || [[Bern]] || {{CHE}} || align=right | 1203
|-
| 8 || 1912 || [[Kraków]] || {{flag|Austria-Hungary}} || align=right | 1000
|-
| 7 || 1911 || [[Antwerp]] || {{BEL}} || align=right | 1800
|-
| 6 || 1910 || [[Washington, D.C.]] || {{flag|United States|1908}} || align=right | 357
|-
| 5 || 1909 || [[Barcelona]] || {{flag|Spain|1785}} || align=right | 1287
|-
| 4 || 1908 || [[Dresden]] || {{flag|Germany|1866}} || align=right | 1500
|-
| 3 || 1907 || [[Cambridge]] || {{GBR}} || align=right | 1317
|-
| 2 || 1906 || [[Geneva]] || {{CHE}} || align=right | 1200
|-
| 1 || 1905 || [[Boulogne-sur-Mer]] || {{flag|France|1794}} || align=right | 688
|}

==Statistics==
===Countries===
Countries by number of times as host:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Times hosted
! Country
! Years hosted
|-
| rowspan="2" align="center" | 8 || {{flag|Germany}}{{efn|As West Germany in 1951, 1958, 1974 and 1985.}} || 1908, 1923, 1933, 1951, 1958, 1974, 1985, 1999
|-
| {{flag|United Kingdom}}{{efn|Does not include the 2021 Congress, which was originally scheduled to be in Belfast, but was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.}} || 1907, 1926, 1930, 1938, 1949, 1961, 1971, 1989
|-
| rowspan="3" align="center" | 6 || {{flag|France}} || 1905, 1932, 1950, 1957, 1998, 2015
|-
| {{flag|Switzerland}} || 1906, 1913, 1925, 1939, 1947, 1979
|-
| {{flag|Netherlands}} || 1920, 1954, 1964, 1967, 1988, 2008
|-
| align="center" | 5 || {{flag|Poland}}{{efn|name=AH|Does not include the 1912 Congress in Kraków, which happened in the territory of Austria-Hungary.}} || 1931, 1937, 1959, 1987, 2009
|-
| rowspan="6" align="center" | 4 || {{flag|Belgium}} || 1911, 1928, 1960, 1982
|-
| {{flag|Finland}} || 1922, 1969, 1995, 2019
|-
| {{flag|Austria}}{{efn|name=AH}} || 1924, 1936, 1970, 1992
|-
| {{flag|Sweden}} || 1934, 1948, 1980, 2003
|-
| {{flag|Denmark}} || 1956, 1962, 1975, 2011
|-
| {{flag|Italy}} || 1935, 1955, 2006, 2023
|-
| rowspan="4" align="center" | 3 || {{flag|Spain}} || 1909, 1968, 1993
|-
| {{flag|United States}} || 1910, 1915, 1972
|-
| {{flag|Hungary}}{{efn|name=AH}} ||  1929, 1966, 1983
|-
| {{flag|Czech Republic}}{{efn|As Czechoslovakia in 1921.}} || 1921, 1996, 2025
|-
| rowspan="10" align="center" | 2 || {{flag|Norway}} || 1952, 1991
|-
| {{flag|Yugoslavia}} || 1953, 1973
|-
| {{flag|Bulgaria}} || 1963, 1978
|-
| {{flag|Japan}} || 1965, 2007
|-
| {{flag|Iceland}} || 1977, 2013
|-
| {{flag|China}}  || 1986, 2004
|-
| {{flag|Canada}} || 1984, 2022
|-
| {{flag|Brazil}} || 1981, 2002
|-
| {{flag|Cuba}} || 1990, 2010
|-
| {{flag|South Korea}} || 1994, 2017
|-
| rowspan="12" align="center" | 1 || {{flag|Austria-Hungary}} || 1912
|-
| {{flag|Danzig}} || 1927
|-
| {{flag|Greece}} || 1976
|-
| {{flag|Australia}} || 1997
|-
| {{flag|Israel}} || 2000
|-
| {{flag|Croatia}}{{efn|name=YU|Does not include the 1953 Congress in Zagreb, which happened in the territory of Yugoslavia.}} || 2001
|-
| {{flag|Lithuania}} || 2005
|-
| {{flag|Vietnam}} || 2012
|-
| {{flag|Argentina}} || 2014
|-
| {{flag|Slovakia}} || 2016
|-
| {{flag|Portugal}} || 2018
|-
|{{flag|Tanzania}}
|2024
|}

===Continents===
Of the 102 congresses that have happened so far,{{efn|This excludes the cancelled 1914 congress and future congresses.}} 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:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Times hosted
! City
! Years hosted
|-
| rowspan="2" align="center" | 4
| {{flagicon|Austria}} [[Vienna]]
| 1924, 1936, 1970, 1992
|-
| {{flagicon|Denmark}} [[Copenhagen]]
| 1956, 1962, 1975, 2011
|-
| rowspan="6" align="center" | 3
| {{flagicon|Belgium}} [[Antwerp]]
| 1911, 1928, 1985
|-
| {{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[Bern]]
| 1913, 1939, 1947
|-
| {{flagicon|France}} [[Paris]]
| 1914, 1932, 1950
|-
| {{flagicon|Hungary}} [[Budapest]]
| 1929, 1966, 1983
|- 
| {{flagicon|Poland}} [[Warsaw]] 
| 1937, 1959, 1987
|-
| {{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Rotterdam]]
| 1967, 1988, 2008
|-
| rowspan="12" align="center" | 2
| {{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[Geneva]]
| 1906, 1925
|-
| {{flagicon|Poland}} [[Kraków]] 
| [[1912 World Esperanto Congress|1912]], 1931
|-
| {{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[The Hague]] 
| 1920, 1964
|-
| {{flagicon|Czech Republic}} [[Prague]] 
| 1921, 1996
|-
| {{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Stockholm]] 
| 1934, 1980
|-
| {{flagicon|UK}} [[London]] 
| 1938, 1971
|-
| {{flagicon|Croatia}} [[Zagreb]]
| 1953, 2001
|-
| {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Helsinki]] 
| 1969, 1922
|-
| {{flagicon|Iceland}} [[Reykjavík]] 
| 1977, 2013
|-
| {{flagicon|China}} [[Beijing]]
| 1986, 2004
|-
| {{flagicon|Cuba}} [[Havana]] 
| 1990, 2010
|-
| {{flagicon|South Korea}} [[Seoul]]
| 1994, 2017
|-
|}
The remaining cities hosted the event only once.

== See also ==
* [[Language festival (Esperanto)]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|World Esperanto Congress}}
* {{Official website}}
* [http://www.bildarchivaustria.at/Searcharchiv.aspx?txtQuickSearch=esperanto+universala+kongreso Photos of the World Congresses] in the [http://www.bildarchivaustria.at/ Bildarchiv Austria]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Esperanto meetings]]
[[Category:Recurring events established in 1905]]
[[Category:1905 establishments in France]]
[[Category:Esperanto in France]]