Expo 2010 Shanghai set world records for attendance (73 million visitors) and cost, making it the largest and most visited World's Fair in history.
Key Facts
- Duration
- 1 May – 31 October 2010
- Total visitors
- 73 million (record)
- Participating countries/orgs
- 246
- Site area
- 5.28 km²
- Single-day visitor record
- Over 1.03 million on 16 October 2010
- Theme
- Better City – Better Life
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Shanghai sought to assert its emergence as a leading global metropolis in the 21st century. China bid to host the World Expo as a platform to showcase its rapid urban development and economic growth, winning the right to stage a BIE-registered major exposition for the first time.
Expo 2010 was held on both banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai from 1 May to 31 October 2010, under the theme 'Better City – Better Life.' A record 246 countries and international organizations participated, and the 5.28 km² site became the largest World's Fair grounds in history, drawing unprecedented international attention.
The exposition drew over 73 million visitors, surpassing all previous World's Fair attendance records, and set a single-day record of more than 1.03 million visitors on 16 October 2010. It established Shanghai's global profile, accelerated infrastructure development along the Huangpu River, and was widely regarded as the most expensive World Expo ever staged.