#WhatTheCOP
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How many people actually attend a COP?

The short answer

COP30 in Belém registered 42,618 people on site and another 2,550 attending virtually, 45,168 in total.

Those are the official UNFCCC figures, published in December 2025. The number covers everyone with a Blue Zone badge: country delegations, UN bodies, intergovernmental organisations, admitted observer organisations, media, and the large support staff that runs the venue. It does not include the Green Zone, which is not badged and which drew several hundred thousand visitors in Belém.

The size is worth holding in mind when you plan. A COP is not a conference you can see. With more than forty thousand people and dozens of pavilions each running six or seven sessions a day, everyone attends a different event. Choosing a narrow track before you arrive is the difference between a useful fortnight and a blur.

Where this comes from
Next question
What is the Blue Zone at a COP, and how is it different from the Green Zone?The Blue Zone is the UN-managed venue where negotiations happen and you need accreditation to enter. The Green Zone is run by the host government and is open to the public.Can I go to COP31 if I do not work for a government or an NGO?Yes, but only to the Green Zone. It is run by the Turkish government, it is open to the public and it needs no badge. The Blue Zone, where the negotiations and the pavilions are, is closed to anyone without UN accreditation.What is a pavilion at a COP?A pavilion is a space inside the Blue Zone that an organisation leases and programmes itself, running its own sessions for the full two weeks, separate from the official negotiations.