List of World Heritage Sites by year of inscription

This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites around the world by year of inscription, selected during the annual sessions of the World Heritage Committee. The first World Heritage Site in the list is the Galápagos Islands. The 24th session in 2000 inscribed the most with 61 entries, while the 13th session in 1989 only inscribed seven sites.

(F) denotes a country or territory's first inscription.

1978 (2nd session)
12 sites (8 cultural, 4 natural) Host: 🇺🇸 United States

1979 (3rd session)
45 sites (34 cultural, 8 natural, 3 mixed) Host: 🇪🇬 Egypt

1980 (4th session)
27 sites (22 cultural, 5 natural) Host: 🇫🇷 France

1981 (5th session)
26 sites (15 cultural, 9 natural, 2 mixed) Host: 🇦🇺 Australia

1982 (6th session)
24 sites (17 cultural, 5 natural, 2 mixed) Host: 🇫🇷 France

1983 (7th session)
29 sites (19 cultural, 9 natural, 1 mixed) Host: 🇮🇹 Italy

1984 (8th session)
22 sites (15 cultural, 7 natural) Host: 🇦🇷 Argentina

1985 (9th session)
30 sites (25 cultural, 4 natural, 1 mixed) Host: 🇫🇷 France

1986 (10th session)
29 sites (23 cultural, 5 natural, 1 mixed) Host: 🇫🇷 France

1987 (11th session)
41 sites (32 cultural, 7 natural, 2 mixed) Host: 🇫🇷 France

1988 (12th session)
27 sites (19 cultural, 5 natural, 3 mixed) Host: 🇧🇷 Brazil

1989 (13th session)
7 sites (4 cultural, 2 natural, 1 mixed) Host: 🇫🇷 France

1990 (14th session)
16 sites (11 cultural, 2 natural, 3 mixed) Host: 🇨🇦 Canada

1991 (15th session)
22 sites (16 cultural, 6 natural) Host: 🇹🇳 Tunisia

1992 (16th session)
20 sites (16 cultural, 4 natural) Host: 🇺🇸 United States

1993 (17th session)
33 sites (29 cultural, 4 natural) Host: 🇨🇴 Colombia

1994 (18th session)
29 sites (21 cultural, 8 natural) Host: 🇹🇭 Thailand

1995 (19th session)
29 sites (23 cultural, 6 natural) Host: 🇩🇪 Germany

1996 (20th session)
37 sites (30 cultural, 5 natural, 2 mixed) Host: 🇲🇽 Mexico

1997 (21st session)
46 sites (38 cultural, 7 natural, 1 mixed) Host: 🇮🇹 Italy

1998 (22nd session)
30 sites (27 cultural, 3 natural) Host: 🇯🇵 Japan

1999 (23rd session)
48 sites (35 cultural, 11 natural, 2 mixed) Host: 🇲🇦 Morocco

2000 (24th session)
61 sites (50 cultural, 10 natural, 1 mixed) Host: 🇦🇺 Australia

2001 (25th session)
31 sites (25 cultural, 6 natural) Host: 🇫🇮 Finland

2002 (26th session)
9 sites (8 cultural, 1 mixed) Host: 🇭🇺 Hungary

2003 (27th session)
24 sites (19 cultural, 5 natural) Host: 🇫🇷 France

2004 (28th session)
34 sites (29 cultural, 5 natural) Host: 🇨🇳 China

2005 (29th session)
24 sites (17 cultural, 7 natural) Host: 🇿🇦 South Africa

2006 (30th session)
18 sites (16 cultural, 2 natural) Host: 🇱🇹 Lithuania

2007 (31st session)
22 sites (16 cultural, 4 natural, 2 mixed) Host: 🇳🇿 New Zealand

2008 (32nd session)
27 sites (19 cultural, 8 natural) Host: 🇨🇦 Canada

2009 (33rd session)
13 sites (11 cultural, 2 natural) Host: 🇪🇸 Spain

2010 (34th session)
21 sites (15 cultural, 5 natural, 1 mixed) Host: 🇧🇷 Brazil

2011 (35th session)
25 sites (21 cultural, 3 natural, 1 mixed) Host: 🇫🇷 France

2012 (36th session)
26 sites (20 cultural, 5 natural, 1 mixed) Host: 🇷🇺 Russia

2013 (37th session)
19 sites (14 cultural, 5 natural) Host: 🇰🇭 Cambodia

2014 (38th session)
26 sites (22 cultural, 3 natural, 1 mixed) Host: 🇶🇦 Qatar

2015 (39th session)
24 sites (23 cultural, 1 mixed) Host: 🇩🇪 Germany

2016 (40th session)
21 sites (12 cultural, 6 natural, 3 mixed) Host: 🇹🇷 Turkey

2017 (41st session)
21 sites (18 cultural, 3 natural) Host: 🇵🇱 Poland

2018 (42nd session)
19 sites (13 cultural, 3 natural, 3 mixed) Host: 🇧🇭 Bahrain

2019 (43rd session)
29 sites (24 cultural, 4 natural, 1 mixed) Host: 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

2021 (44th session)
The 44th session was originally scheduled for 2020 but postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the World Heritage Committee voted on both 2020 and 2021 nominations.

34 sites (29 cultural, 5 natural) Host: 🇨🇳 China

2023 (18th extraordinary session)
At its 18th extraordinary session in January 2023, the World Heritage Committee added three sites under an emergency procedure to both the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger.

3 sites (3 cultural) Host: 🇫🇷 France

2023 (45th session)
The 45th session was originally scheduled to be held from 19 June to 30 June, 2022, in Kazan, Russia, but was postponed indefinitely due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The World Heritage Committee then rescheduled the 45th session to 10-25 September 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, voted on 2022 and 2023 nominations.

42 sites (33 cultural, 9 natural) Host: 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia