More than 30% of UNESCO-recognised sites are located in EU member states.

Omissions

• The claim does not specify whether it refers to the 2025 list (1,248 sites) or the 2026 list (1,273 sites, inscribed in July 2026 — possibly after the session date of 2026-06-18). The percentage varies slightly depending on the reference list.
• No official UNESCO breakdown exists specifically for 'EU member states' as a group; UNESCO uses the broader 'Europe and North America' region, which includes non-EU countries such as the UK, Russia, Switzerland, Norway, Turkey, Canada, and the US. The exact EU-27 count must be computed by aggregating individual country data.
• A precise, citable primary source giving the exact count of UNESCO sites in EU-27 member states was not located in the available search results. The confirmation relies on aggregation from country-level data.

Sources

• PrimaryUNESCO World Heritage ListThe World Heritage List includes 1,273 properties (991 cultural, 240 natural, and 42 mixed) in 173 States Parties.
• PrimaryUNESCOThese inscriptions bring the total number of sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List to 1,248, in 170 countries (as of the 47th session, July 2025).
• SecondaryStatistaNumber of properties on the UNESCO World Heritage List in Europe as of July 2025, by country: France 54, Spain 50, United Kingdom 35, among others. Italy and Germany are also top-ranking with approximately 60 and 54 sites respectively.
• SecondaryStatistaAs of July 2025, Europe and North America accounted for the highest number of properties included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.