International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2026
Date/Time
Date(s) - 09/08/2026
12:00 am
Categories
9 August is International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
There are an estimated 476 million Indigenous Peoples in the world living across 90 countries. They make up less than 6 per cent of the world’s population, but account for at least 15 per cent of the poorest. They speak an overwhelming majority of the world’s estimated 7,000 languages and represent 5,000 different cultures.
UNESCO supports Indigenous Peoples and local communities study and articulate the importance of their knowledge systems, and foster transdisciplinary knowledge cooperation through science, culture and communication and information programmes.
Indigenous Peoples live in all regions of the world and own, occupy or use some 22% of global land area. Numbering at least 370-500 million, Indigenous Peoples represent the greater part of the world’s cultural diversity. They speak an overwhelming majority of the world’s estimated 7,000 languages and represent 5,000 different cultures. Despite their cultural differences, Indigenous Peoples from around the world share common problems related to the protection of their rights as distinct peoples. Many Indigenous Peoples continue to be confronted with marginalization, extreme poverty and other human rights violations.
What UNESCO does with Indigenous Peoples
By working together with Indigenous Peoples, UNESCO seeks to support them in addressing the multiple challenges they face, while acknowledging their significant role in sustaining the diversity of the world’s cultural and biological landscape. UNESCO places the needs of Indigenous Peoples amongst its priority areas for response.
More information
United Nations Observances: www.un.org/en/observances/indigenous-day
UNESCO: www.unesco.org/en/days/worlds-indigenous-peoples, www.unesco.org/en/indigenous-peoples