How many World Heritage criteria are there?

There are ten criteria, numbered i to x in Roman numerals. Criteria i through vi are cultural and vii through x are natural. A site must satisfy at least one criterion to be inscribed.

What is a mixed World Heritage site?

A mixed site is one that meets at least one cultural criterion (i–vi) and at least one natural criterion (vii–x). Examples include Machu Picchu in Peru and Mount Athos in Greece.

What does "Outstanding Universal Value" mean?

Outstanding Universal Value is the threshold a site must clear for inscription. It means the site's cultural or natural significance is so exceptional that it transcends national boundaries and is important for all of humanity, present and future.

Were the criteria always a single list of ten?

No. Until 2005 there were two separate lists, six cultural criteria and four natural criteria, each numbered from one. In 2005 they were merged into a single sequence of ten to simplify reference.

Can a site lose its World Heritage status?

Yes. If a site loses the characteristics that earned its Outstanding Universal Value, the World Heritage Committee can place it on the List of World Heritage in Danger or, in rare cases, delete it entirely, as happened with the Dresden Elbe Valley and the Liverpool waterfront.

UNESCO World Heritage Category Reference

Email me this result

Get this tool's output sent to your inbox, plus one useful tool a week. No spam, unsubscribe any time.

What the criteria are for

To join the World Heritage List, a place must demonstrate Outstanding Universal Value by satisfying one or more of ten selection criteria. The criteria are the lens through which the World Heritage Committee judges nominations — they turn a vague sense that somewhere is “special” into a defensible, comparable standard.

How it works

The ten criteria split cleanly into two groups. Criteria (i) to (vi) are cultural and cover human creativity, exchange of ideas, testimony to civilizations, architectural significance, traditional settlements, and association with events or beliefs. Criteria (vii) to (x) are natural and cover natural beauty, Earth’s geological history, ongoing ecological processes, and biodiversity.

Cultural   (i)   (ii)  (iii) (iv)  (v)   (vi)
Natural    (vii) (viii)(ix)  (x)

Cultural site  →  meets only i–vi
Natural site   →  meets only vii–x
Mixed site     →  meets at least one of each group

A nomination dossier states exactly which criteria are claimed, and the advisory bodies (ICOMOS for cultural, IUCN for natural) assess whether the evidence supports each one.

Tips and notes

A single criterion is enough for inscription, but many famous sites meet several — the Great Barrier Reef satisfies all four natural criteria. When you read an inscription record, the criteria are listed in parentheses, so “(i)(ii)(iii)” tells you instantly that the value is purely cultural. Remember the 2005 renumbering when consulting older documents: a pre-2005 “natural criterion (i)” corresponds to today’s criterion (vii).