Italy Is the Country With the Most World Heritage Sites

The UNESCO Committee has inscribed 26 new cultural and natural properties to the UNESCO World Heritage List this year, bringing the total figure to 1,248 sites. Italy remains home to the largest number of UNESCO world heritage sites, with 61 in total, including the new addition of the “domus de janas” or “fairy houses”, a group of rock-cut tombs in Sardinia, created between the 5th and 3rd millennia BCE.

China is the runner-up behind Italy, with a total of 60 properties. One of these sites, the Xixia Imperial Tombs, which is the imperial cemetery of the Xixia Dynasty, was added this year. Germany stands in third place, with one additional site added this year, the Palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Schachen and Herrenchiemsee, raising the tally to 55 sites. The top five is rounded out by France with 54 sites, including the newly-added Megaliths of Carnac and shores of Morbihan, as well as Spain with 50 sites.

In total, the UNESCO list includes properties across 170 countries as world heritage sites. The United States stood at 26 listed sites after the 2024/2025 council session - rank 11. The listed properties include the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, the Taos Pueblo and Philadelphia’s Independence Hall. The United Kingdom came in rank 8 with 35 sites.