was a World Expo that was hosted in Osaka, Japan, from 13 April 2025 to 13 October 2025. There were a total of 188 Expo pavilions, out of which 152 represented participating countries, 13 were hosted by private sector participants, 8 were "Signature" pavilions, and 15 were hosted by various organizations and the Japanese government. In addition to Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, additional structures including the pavilions were designed by well known Japanese and international architects and designers such as Shigeru Ban, , Foster + Partners, Lina Ghotmeh, Manuel Herz, Kengo Kuma, Michele de Lucchi, Yuko Nagayama, Nendo, Yoichi Ochiai, Carlo Ratti, , and SANAA.
Overview Participation Therewere four types of pavilion in the expo: A, X, B, C. In the type A, the participating countries planned and built the pavilion entirely on their own. For the type X, the expo association built the pavilion instead. For the type B and C, the expo association makes a building which countries use to set up booths or use a room.
Some countries withdrew their participation, such as Greece, Mexico, Estonia, Argentina, Niue, Russia, Afghanistan, and Niger. These withdrawals were caused by factors such as financial issues, political instability, and negative relations with Japan, especially with Russia after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Countries like Iran have withdrawn from the expo after the structures of the building was complete. By the start of the expo, around 158 nations and regions participated in the expo. Out of 158 participating nations and regions, 47 used type A, 5 used type X. The number of pavilions entirely built by participating countries decreased by 11 from the previous Expo 2020.
Entrance systems As the expo introduced digital tickets and reservations under the motto "The expo without waiting lines", some pavilions required reservations to visit. Some pavilions, such as type C pavilions, several type A pavilions such as the Nordic pavilion, and some of the domestic pavilions did not introduce this reservation system. Due to people not making it to the pavilions they reserved on time, the gates began to open five to ten minutes early from 25 May. Delays in construction and opening, and unpaid construction
Concerns of difficulty in the construction were already raised around June 2023. Yumeshima, the site of the expo lacked electricity and water for most duration of the construction works. Although the constructions of international pavilions were scheduled to finish by the middle of October 2024, construction of many pavilions were delayed. Malta's pavilion did not began construction until December 2024. Only three pavilions finished construction by 27 December. By March 2025, five additional pavilions finished construction. By 11 April, two days before the start of expo, 39 out of 42 pavilions using type A were completed, while the pavilions of Spain, Nepal and Romania were not ready to open at the time. By the opening date of Expo 2025, the pavilions of Nepal, India, Vietnam, Brunei and Chile were not ready to open, while the pavilions of Poland, Kuwait and Turkmenistan were closed for public viewing on 13 April. The pavilions of Brazil, which opening was delayed due to fire, and Chile opened on 16 April. Some pavilions have opened before it was ready. Angola's pavilion was temporarily opened for the first day of the expo, but the pavilion has been closed since that day. Vietnam's pavilion opened on 30 April, and India and Brunei's pavilion opened on 1 May.
On 22 April, it was found that the construction of Nepal's pavilion was halted due to lack of payments for the pavilion cost. Although Nepal authorities paid the costs for the start of the construction, they did not make any payments after that, forcing the construction to halt around January 2025. The Expo Association disclosed on 20 May, that there had been three reports of unpaid construction by April. It was also noticed that, the construction companies who constructed the Angola pavilion did not have construction permits, and had no prior experience in construction. Construction resumed on 16 June, and the pavilion opened to the public on 19 July, as the last pavilion to open in the expo.
Eleven incidents of unpaid construction were reported by August, and some affected companies claimed that they were on the verge of bankruptcy. This has caused lawsuits against agencies, and the problem has persisted after the end of the expo.
Criticisms of exhibitions Some exhibitions and other features of a few pavilions received criticism for the lack of content, or inaccuracies. The exhibitions inside the pavilion for Thailand received criticisms among their citizens on social media, as they shared their disappointment with the quality of the exhibition itself, and the lack of Ya mong in its souvenir stores, despite them being popular among foreign tourists. The British pavilion was met with negative feedback due to it serving afternoon tea with paper cups and stands sold at IKEA, with rumors of the cake being the generic cut cakes sold for business uses. The British embassy in Japan quickly apologized for the incident and improved service at the pavilion, ending the criticisms against the afternoon tea product, with the quick response praised online.
Repurposing of pavilions post-expo Several pavilions have been confirmed to be planned for repurposing, or have their material re-used for other structures. The woman's pavilion will have their material re-used in the green expo that will be held in Yokohama in 2027. The Gas pavilion used parts generally used for large-scale constructions, that will be given back to the owning company after the expo. The Netherlands pavilion will be moved to the Awaji Island post-expo.
Type A or X pavilions As of July 2024, forty-seven countries had decided to build their own pavilions. Italy was the first nation to begin constructing its respective pavilion and was the only participant that began constructing its building in 2023.
NameImageZoneDescription/NotesA structure inspired by a eucalyptus gum nut, designed by Buchan.A spiral musical staff-inspired structure designed by BWM Architects. This pavilion contains three exhibition areas and is made mostly of wood.A structure designed by ELEVEN and Bellprat Partner. Seven arches are connected to the main building of the pavilion, each of the arches representing a cultural aspect; this is a reference to the pavilion's theme, "Seven Bridges to Sustainability". The main building's exterior is designed to resemble interwoven threads.Designed by Lina Ghotmeh, the pavilion is inspired by freshwater springs and the sea around Bahrain.Baltic Pavilion
A three-story pavilion designed by Carré 7 and themed to the three stages of water. The roof includes a restaurant. This design won a Bronze Award for thematic interpretation for Type A pavilions.Designed by Rayside Labossière and Guillaume Pelletier, the pavilion is inspired by a frozen river melting during the beginning of spring. This design won a Bronze Award for exhibition design for Type A pavilions.A structure designed by China Architecture Design Group. The exterior is based on bamboo slips, displaying Confucius's Analects and Chinese poetry; the interior has circular monitors that display Chinese landscapes. This is one of Expo 2025's largest Type A pavilions, spanning . This design won a Gold Award for exhibition design for Type A pavilions.An ice cube-shaped structure designed by MORF Inc. in reference to Gabriel García Márquez's novel One Hundred Years of Solitude (which features an "ice house"). The building has a facade of backlit, translucent polycarbonate panels and an internal steel frame, with interior decorations resembling the Colombian landscape.A spiraling structure designed by Apropos Architects, made of timber with a glass facade; the interior has a mural measuring wide.A cubic structure designed by Coldefy & Associés and Carlo Ratti Associati, with a winding ramp leading to a roof garden.A set of seven round wooden structures designed by Laboratory for Visionary Architecture. Officially named "WA! Doitsu", in reference to the Japanese words for "circle", "harmony", and "wow". This design won a Silver Award for thematic interpretation for Type A pavilions.A structure designed by Gábor Zoboki, with a timber-and-paper exterior and wooden dome, modeled after a rural Hungarian landscape. The three-story structure is made of steel and semi-reinforced concrete.A structure with an exterior resembling a lotus flower and 70,000 LEDs on the roof. The entrance contains a Buddhist icon, a chakra monument, and a motif depicting hands in prayer.A ship-shaped building that uses environmentally friendly materials such as wood. Inside is a recreation of a waterfall. This design won a Silver Award for exhibition design for Type A pavilions.A two-story structure designed by CT Brand and TSP Taiyo, made of three cylindrical structures. The exterior is made of Irish wood, while the interior is laid out like a triskele with three distinct zones. Designed by with a facade resembling a portico, in addition to an interior with Renaissance-inspired color scheme. Consists of three sections: the Theatre, the Ideal City, and the Italian Garden. This design won a Gold Award for thematic interpretation for Type A pavilions. A ring-shaped structure designed by Oki Sato and Nikken Sekkei and made of cross-laminated timber. The pavilion is separated into three different areas, factory, plant, and farm. The timbers making up the pavilion is planned to be reused in buildings all over Japan after the end of the expo.Designed by Laboratory for Visionary Architecture with a roof inspired by outstretched wings.Designed by STEINMETZDEMEYER and Jangled Nerves, the pavilion is a set of 13 steel-framed boxy structures (each representing a different Luxembourgish town) covered by a shared membrane roof.A structure designed by Current Media Group and Kengo Kuma to resemble a bamboo forest. The three-story building has a steel frame and uses 5,000 bamboo stalks on the facade and 500 more bamboo stalks inside.Designed by RAU Architects to resemble a "rising sun", with a facade resembling rippling water. Nordic Circle