Expo 2025 pavilions
Expo 2025 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 Countries like Iran have withdrawn from the expo after the structures of the building was complete.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.| Name | Image | Zone | Description/Notes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 AngolaNot yet|color=orange|Saving LivesType C pavilionsThese pavilions were located inside one of the Commons buildings, with each commons building assigned the letters A to F. However, due to changes in participating countries and regions, the commons E building was formerly unused with no clear plans to use them. From May onward, the commons E building was used for a manga event.Commons AThe commons A building housed pavilions for the following 29 nations.Commons BThe commons B building housed pavilions for the following 26 nations.Commons CThe commons C building housed pavilions for the following 11 nations.Commons DThe commons D building housed pavilions for the following 25 nations.Commons FThe commons F building housed pavilions for the following 3 nations:* International organizations' pavilionsWith the exception of the EU pavilion, all pavilions hosted by international groups were located inside a single large building in the "Empowering Lives" zone.
Themed "signature" pavilions"Signature" pavilions were located at the center of the Grand Ring surrounding the expo. The construction and planning of the pavilions was led by eight producers.
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