Arts and Culture

These are the countries with the most UNESCO World Heritage sites

People walk at the Fori Imperiali street with Rome's famous colosseum in the background.

Italy is tied with China for the top spot. Image: REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

Katharina Buchholz
Data Journalist, Statista
  • Italy and China are tied for having the most UNESCO world heritage sites.
  • In total, there are 1,121 monuments listed in UNESCO sites, across 167 countries.
This graph shows the top ten countries with the most UNESCO world heritage sites.
Italy and China are tied as having the most UNESCO world heritage sites each. Image: Statista
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Italy and China are home to largest number of UNESCO world heritage sites in the world. Both countries boast 55 world heritage sites each, including the historic city centers of Rome and Florence or the Amalfi Coast for Italy and the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City for China - all magnets for tourism. In total, the UNESCO list includes 1,121 monuments in 167 countries as world heritage sites. With 49 world heritage sites, Spain ranks third ahead of Germany. The U.S. has 24 listed sites, including the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, the Taos Pueblo and Philadelphia’s Independence Hall.

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