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UIA congress ranking 2024: Vienna secures 2nd place globally once again

June 26, 2025 - The Union of International Associations (UIA) has released its congress ranking for 2024, confirming Vienna's status as a global meetings leader. The Austrian capital has secured second place worldwide for the third consecutive year, ranking just behind Brussels and ahead of Seoul. This comes on the heels of Vienna being named the world's number one congress city by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) in May.

In the current UIA report, Vienna maintains its second-place position from the previous year with a total of 239 meetings. Brussels tops the global list with 388 congresses, followed by Seoul (180), Barcelona (159), and Tokyo (148). Rounding out the top ten are Rome (142), Lisbon (140), Madrid (113), Paris (110), and Dubai (109). Vienna thus hosted 4.3 percent of all congresses among the top 100 ranked cities.

Norbert Kettner, CEO, Vienna Tourist Board:
"We are delighted by Vienna's continued top-tier position in an intensely competitive global environment. Our second-place ranking in the latest UIA results highlights the strength and quality of Vienna as a meeting destination. Hosting over four percent of all congresses listed in the ranking is a remarkable achievement that we aim to sustain in the years ahead. This success is the result of outstanding collaboration across Vienna's meetings industry - from congress centers and event venues to the hospitality sector and agencies, and of course our clients. My sincere thanks go to all involved for their long-standing partnership and commitment."

Anita Paic, Head of the Vienna Convention Bureau:
"Vienna once again ranks among the world's leading international congress destinations in the 2024 UIA ranking - a strong signal of the city's global appeal. For the Vienna Convention Bureau, this result clearly highlights that such achievements are only possible thanks to the close and long-standing cooperation with Vienna's meetings industry. Combined with our consistent focus on developing impact-driven event formats, this collaborative foundation makes all the difference. At the heart of it all is the trust of our clients worldwide, who continue to choose Vienna as their destination."

Austria Ranked 7th Globally

In addition to city rankings, the UIA congress report also provides insights at the country level. Austria holds 7th place globally with 312 international meetings. Leading the country ranking are the United States (657), followed by Belgium (523), Italy (452), Spain (451), and Japan (369). South Korea (343), the United Kingdom (311), Germany (309), and France (295) complete the top ten after Austria.