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 at List of world's fairs.
Dates
| Name of Exposition
| Location
| Theme or symbol
| Notables
| Visitors in millions
| Cost (USD) in millions
| Area (ha)
|
04/1851 - 10/1851
| The Great Exhibition
| Template:Flagicon London
| Industry of all Nations
| The Crystal Palace
| 6.00
| 1.65
| 10
|
05/1855 - 11/1855
| Paris International
| Template:Flagicon Paris
| Agriculture, Industry and Art
| Palais d'Industrie Bordeaux Wine classification
| 5.00
| 2
| 15
|
05/1862 - 11/1862
| International
| Template:Flagicon London
| Industry and Arts
|
| 6.00
| 2
| 15
|
04/1867 - 11/1867
| Paris International
| Template:Flagicon Paris
| Agriculture, Industry and Arts
| Champ de Mars
| 15.00
| 4.5
| 69
|
05/1873 - 10/1873
| Austrian International
| Template:Flagicon Vienna
| Culture and Education
| Rotunde
| 7.25
| 9.5
| 233
|
05/1876 - 11/1876
| Centennial Exposition
| Template:Flagicon Philadelphia
| American Independence
| Centennial Arboretum Telephone Heinz Ketchup
| 10.00
| 8
| 115
|
05/1878 -11/1878
| Paris International
| Template:Flagicon Paris
| Agriculture, Arts and Industry
| Statue of Liberty Telephone Braille
| 16.00
| 11
| 75
|
09/1879 - 04/1880
| Sydney International
| Template:Flagicon Sydney
| Agriculture, Arts and Industry
| The Garden Palace, steam trams
| 1.1
|
|
|
10/1880 - 04/1881
| Melbourne International
| Template:Flagicon Melbourne
| Arts, Manufacturing, Agriculture and Industry
| Royal Exhibition Buildings & Carlton Gardens
| 1.30
| 1.6
| 25
|
1888 - 1888
| Melbourne Centennial
| Template:Flagicon Melbourne
| Arts, Manufacturing, Agriculture and Industry
| Royal Exhibition Buildings & Carlton Gardens
|
|
|
|
04/1888 - 12/1888
| Barcelona International
| Template:Flagicon Barcelona
| Arts and Industry
| Arc de Triomf Columbus Monument
| 2.30
| 1.7
| 47
|
05/1889 - 10/1889
| Paris International
| Template:Flagicon Paris
| French Revolution
| Eiffel Tower Annie Oakley
| 32.00
| 0.3
| 96
|
05/1893 - 10/1893
| World's Columbian
| Template:Flagicon Chicago
| Discovery of America
| Midway Plaisance Fine Arts Building Fluorescent lamp Ferris wheel
| 27.50
| 27
| 290
|
05/1897 - 11/1897
| Brussels International Exposition
| Template:Flagicon Brussels
| Automobiles
|
| 7.80
|
| 132
|
04/1900 - 11/1900
| Paris International
| Template:Flagicon Paris
| Evaluation of a Century
| Motion Pictures Escalator Summer Olympics
| 50.80
| 18.75
| 120
|
05/1901 - 11/1901
| Pan-American Exposition
| Template:Flagicon Buffalo
|
| Outdoor lighting Assassination of William McKinley X-ray machine
| 8.00
|
| 141
|
04/1904 - 12/1904
| Louisiana Purchase
| Template:Flagicon St. Louis
| Louisiana Purchase
| Forest Park Palace of Fine Art Vulcan statue Summer Olympics
| 19.50
| 31.5
| 500
|
04/1905 - 11/1905
| Liège International
| Template:Flagicon Liège
| Belgium Independence
|
| 7.00
| 2.9
| 70
|
04/1906 - 11/1906
| Milan International
| Template:Flagicon Milan
| Transport
| Electric Tramways
| 10.00
| 2.6
| 100
|
1907 - 1907
| Dublin International
| Template:Flagicon Dublin
|
|
|
|
|
|
04/1907 - 12/1907
| Jamestown Exposition
| Template:Flagicon Norfolk
| 300th Anniversary of Jamestown's settlement
| Railroad exhibits
|
|
|
|
06/1909 - 10/1909
| Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition
| Template:Flagicon Seattle
| Development of the Pacific Northwest
|
| 10.00
| 3.7
| 100
|
04/1910 - 11/1910
| Brussels International
| Template:Flagicon Brussels
| Industries
|
| 13.00
| 3.5
| 90
|
1911 - 1911
| Turin International
| Template:Flagicon Turin
|
|
|
|
|
|
04/1913 - 11/1913
| Ghent International
| Template:Flagicon Ghent
|
| Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station
| 9.50
| 3.3
| 130
|
02/1915 - 12/1915
| Panama–Pacific
| Template:Flagicon San Francisco
| Inauguration of the Panama Canal
| Palace of Fine Arts Exploratorium
| 19.00
| 25.8
| 254
|
03/1915 - 01/1917
| Panama–California International
| Template:Flagicon San Diego
| Celebrating the Opening of the Panama Canal
| Cabrillo Bridge House of Charm Spreckels Organ Pavilion San Diego Museum of Man San Diego Zoo
|
|
|
|
|
05/1929 - 06/1930
| Ibero-American Exposition
| Template:Flagicon Seville
|
|
|
|
|
|
05/1929 - 01/1930
| Barcelona International
| Template:Flagicon Barcelona
| Arts and Industry
| Barcelona Pavilion Palau Nacional Montjuïc Stadium
|
| 25
| 118
|
05/1933 - 11/1933
| Century of Progress
| Template:Flagicon Chicago
| A Century of Progress
| Sky Ride Graf Zeppelin Homes of Tomorrow
| 48.60
| 42.9
| 170
|
04/1935 - 11/1935
| Brussels International
| Template:Flagicon Brussels
| Transports, Colonisation
|
| 20.00
| 197 BEF
| 152
|
05/1937 - 11/1937
| Paris International
| Template:Flagicon Paris
| Arts and Technology in modern life
| Arc de Triomphe
| 31.00
| 1,400 FRF
| 105
|
04/1939 - 10/1940
| New York World's Fair
| Template:Flagicon New York
| Building The World of Tomorrow
| Flushing Park Bell Labs' Voder Magna Carta Sci-fi Convention
| 45.00
| 155
| 500
|
07/1958 - 09/1958
| Brussels World's Fair
| Template:Flagicon Brussels
| A more human world
| Heysel Atomium
| 41.00
| 2,500 BEF
| 200
|
04/1962 - 10/1962
| Century 21 Exposition
| Template:Flagicon Seattle
| Man in the Space Age
| Seattle Center Space Needle Seattle Monorail
| 9.60
| 30
|
04/1964 - 10/1965
| New York World's Fair
| Template:Flagicon New York
| Man's Achievement on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe
| Unisphere Audio-Animatronics
|
|
| 500
|
04/1967 - 10/1967
| Expo '67
| Template:Flagicon Montreal
| Man and His World Land
| Montreal Metro Habitat '67 Montreal Biosphère
| 50.00
| 431 CAD
|
|
04/1968 - 10/1968
| HemisFair '68
| Template:Flagicon San Antonio
| Confluence of Civilizations in the Americas
| Tower of the Americas Institute of Texan Cultures HemisFair Arena
| 6.40
| 156
| 37.64
|
03/1970 - 09/1970
| Expo '70
| Template:Flagicon Osaka
| Progress and Harmony for Mankind
| Tower of the Sun Moon rock Electric Cars
| 64.00
| 30 Profit
| 329.82
|
05/1974 - 11/1974
| Expo '74
| Template:Flagicon Spokane
| Tomorrow's Fresh New Environment
| IMAX
| 4.80
| 78.4
| 41
|
05/1982 - 10/1982
| 1982 World's Fair
| Template:Flagicon Knoxville
| Energy Turns the World
| Sunsphere
| 11.00
| 42
| 30
|
05/1984 - 11/1984
| 1984 World's Fair
| Template:Flagicon New Orleans
| The worlds of Rivers
| Convention Center
| 7.30
| 350
| 33.99
|
03/1985 - 09/1985
| 1985 World's Fair
| Template:Flagicon Tsukuba
| Dwellings and Surroundings - Science and Technology for Man at Home
|
| 20.3
| 100
|
05/1986 - 10/1986
| Expo '86
| Template:Flagicon Vancouver
| Transportation and Communication
| Science World Skytrain BC Place Canada Place
| 22.11
| 311 CAD
| 70
|
04/1988 - 10/1988
| Expo '88
| Template:Flagicon Brisbane
| Leisure in the Age of Technology
| Sunsails, Skyneedle
| 18.00
| 625 AUD
| 40
|
04/1992 - 10/1992
| Expo '92
| Template:Flagicon Seville
| The Era of Discovery
| Puente del Alamillo
| 41.80
|
| 215
|
05/1992 - 08/1992
| Expo Colombo '92
| Template:Flagicon Genoa
| Christopher Columbus, The Ship and the Sea
| Aquarium of Genoa
| 1.7
|
|
|
08/1993 - 11/1993
| Expo '93
| Template:Flagicon Daejeon
| The Challenge of a New Road of Development
| Daejeon Expo Park, Daejeon Museum of Art
| 14.50
|
| 25
|
05/1998 - 09/1998
| Expo '98
| Template:Flagicon Lisbon
| The Oceans: A Heritage for the Future
| Pavilhão Atlântico Lisbon Oceanarium Pavilion of Portugal
| 11.00
|
| 70
|
06/2000 - 10/2000
| Expo 2000
| Template:Flagicon Hanover
| Humankind, Nature, Technology
| Hannover Principles
| 18.00
| 3,400,000 DEM
| 160
|
03/2005 - 09/2005
| Expo 2005
| Template:Flagicon Aichi
| Nature's Wisdom
| My Neighbor Totoro ASIMO
| 22.04
|
| 173
|
06/2008 - 09/2008
| Expo 2008
| Template:Flagicon Zaragoza
| Water and Sustainable development
| Bridge Pavilion Water Tower
|
|
|
|
05/2010 - 10/2010
| Expo 2010
| Template:Flagicon Shanghai
| Better City, Better Life
| Expo Axis
| 70-100 million (expected)
| $4.2 billion ($58 billion including infrastructure)
| 528
|