Headquarters questions come in almost every exam. SSC, Railway, Banking and State exams all ask them. The good news is that this list never changes. Learn it once and it keeps giving you marks for years. This post gives you the full list in tables, plus 15 real questions from past papers.
Key Points (Quick Revision)
- Geneva has the most organisations — WHO, WTO, ILO, WIPO, WMO and more
- UN Headquarters is in New York, but most UN agencies are elsewhere
- Washington DC — IMF and World Bank, both together
- Vienna — OPEC and IAEA
- Questions are direct. No reasoning needed, only recall.
1. United Nations and its main bodies
The United Nations was founded in 1945. Its main headquarters is in New York. But its different organs sit in different cities, and that is exactly what exams ask.
| Organisation | Headquarters | Founded |
|---|---|---|
| United Nations (UN) | New York, USA | 1945 |
| International Court of Justice | The Hague, Netherlands | 1945 |
| UNESCO | Paris, France | 1945 |
| UNICEF | New York, USA | 1946 |
| UNHCR | Geneva, Switzerland | 1950 |
| UNEP | Nairobi, Kenya | 1972 |
| UNIDO | Vienna, Austria | 1966 |
Note two of these carefully. The International Court of Justice is the only main UN organ not in New York — it sits at The Hague. And UNEP is the only major one in Africa, at Nairobi. Both are favourites in exams.
2. Health, labour and trade bodies
| Organisation | Headquarters | Founded |
|---|---|---|
| World Health Organization (WHO) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1948 |
| International Labour Organization (ILO) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1919 |
| World Trade Organization (WTO) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1995 |
| World Intellectual Property Organization | Geneva, Switzerland | 1967 |
| World Meteorological Organization | Geneva, Switzerland | 1950 |
| Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) | Rome, Italy | 1945 |
Look at the pattern. Five of these six are in Geneva. If you remember that Geneva is the main hub, you can answer most headquarters questions by elimination. FAO in Rome is the odd one out here, and that is why it gets asked.
📌 Exam Focus
- Most asked: WHO (Geneva), IMF and World Bank (Washington DC), OPEC (Vienna)
- Common trap: ILO was founded in 1919, before the UN itself — it is the oldest in this list
- Easy marks: if Geneva is an option and the body is health, labour or trade, it is usually correct
3. Financial and economic organisations
| Organisation | Headquarters | Founded |
|---|---|---|
| International Monetary Fund (IMF) | Washington DC, USA | 1945 |
| World Bank | Washington DC, USA | 1944 |
| Asian Development Bank (ADB) | Manila, Philippines | 1966 |
| Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank | Beijing, China | 2016 |
| New Development Bank (BRICS Bank) | Shanghai, China | 2014 |
| OPEC | Vienna, Austria | 1960 |
IMF and World Bank are both in Washington DC, and both came out of the Bretton Woods conference. Remember them as a pair. The two newer banks, AIIB and NDB, are both in China but in different cities — Beijing and Shanghai. Exams like to swap these two.
4. Regional and other important bodies
| Organisation | Headquarters | Founded |
|---|---|---|
| SAARC | Kathmandu, Nepal | 1985 |
| ASEAN | Jakarta, Indonesia | 1967 |
| NATO | Brussels, Belgium | 1949 |
| European Union | Brussels, Belgium | 1993 |
| Amnesty International | London, UK | 1961 |
| Red Cross (ICRC) | Geneva, Switzerland | 1863 |
| International Olympic Committee | Lausanne, Switzerland | 1894 |
| International Atomic Energy Agency | Vienna, Austria | 1957 |
| Interpol | Lyon, France | 1923 |
| Transparency International | Berlin, Germany | 1993 |
SAARC in Kathmandu is asked very often because India is a member. NATO and the European Union are both in Brussels, so that city is worth remembering as a pair too. Interpol in Lyon is a common trap, because students expect it in a bigger city.
5. How it is asked in exams — 15 PYQs
- Where is the headquarters of the World Health Organization? — Geneva (SSC CGL 2023)
- The International Court of Justice is located in which city? — The Hague (SSC CHSL 2023)
- Where is the headquarters of UNESCO? — Paris (SSC MTS 2023)
- OPEC has its headquarters in which city? — Vienna (RRB NTPC 2025)
- The World Bank and IMF are both headquartered in? — Washington DC (SSC CGL 2022)
- SAARC has its secretariat in which city? — Kathmandu (SSC CHSL 2024)
- Where is the headquarters of the Asian Development Bank? — Manila (SSC CGL 2024)
- The International Labour Organization was founded in which year? — 1919 (SSC CPO 2023)
- UNEP has its headquarters in which African city? — Nairobi (RRB Group D 2024)
- Interpol is headquartered in which city? — Lyon (SSC MTS 2024)
- Where is the headquarters of the World Trade Organization? — Geneva (SSC GD 2024)
- NATO has its headquarters in which city? — Brussels (SSC CHSL 2022)
- The International Olympic Committee is based in? — Lausanne (SSC CGL 2023)
- Where is the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization? — Rome (RRB NTPC 2024)
- The New Development Bank of BRICS is headquartered in? — Shanghai (SSC CGL 2024)
6. Quick Revision — city wise
⚡ At a Glance
- Geneva: WHO, WTO, ILO, WIPO, WMO, UNHCR, Red Cross
- New York: UN, UNICEF
- Washington DC: IMF, World Bank
- Vienna: OPEC, IAEA, UNIDO
- Brussels: NATO, European Union
- Paris: UNESCO · Rome: FAO · Nairobi: UNEP · The Hague: ICJ
Frequently Asked Questions
Which city has the most international organisation headquarters?
Geneva in Switzerland hosts the largest number. WHO, WTO, ILO, WIPO, WMO, UNHCR and the Red Cross are all based there. If a question is about a health, labour or trade body and Geneva is one of the options, it is usually the answer.
Where is the headquarters of the United Nations?
The main UN headquarters is in New York, USA. However, most UN agencies are based in other cities. UNESCO is in Paris, UNEP in Nairobi, UNHCR in Geneva, and the International Court of Justice sits at The Hague in the Netherlands.
Are IMF and World Bank in the same city?
Yes. Both the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are headquartered in Washington DC, USA. Both were created out of the Bretton Woods conference, the World Bank in 1944 and the IMF in 1945, which is why they are usually asked together.
Which is the oldest organisation in this list?
The International Committee of the Red Cross, founded in 1863, is the oldest. Among UN-related bodies, the International Labour Organization is the oldest at 1919, which is before the United Nations itself was formed in 1945. This is a common exam trap.
How many questions come from headquarters in exams?
Usually 1 to 2 questions per paper in SSC and Railway exams. The questions are direct recall, with no reasoning involved. Since the list rarely changes, this is one of the safest scoring areas in the entire Static GK section.
For more Static GK lists in simple language, see our Static GK notes and Geography section. To cover the full syllabus in order, read the SSC CGL exam guide or join the 100 Hour GS Course.