Wikipedia celebrates 25 years of free knowledge and global impact

Wikipedia turned 25 on January 15, 2026, celebrating its 25 years of free knowledge for everyone in the world.

The global website, which was first started by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger in 2001, has grown from a small project to one of the most visited reference sites.

The site started as a complement to the expert-reviewed Nupedia but became a platform where volunteers everywhere could write amd edit articles.

Over 25 years, Wikipedia expanded to more than 65 million articles in over 300 languages, getting around like 15 billion views in each month.

However, to celebrate the biggest milestone, Wikimedia Foundation launched its 25th campaign.

The celebration included online events and a documentary-style feature that highlighted volunteers who keeps the site running.

At the same time, Wikipedia made new partnerships with big tech and AI companies such as Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Perplexity.

These deals will help to manage how Wikipedia content is used in AI and other platforms.

Furthermore, the 25th anniversary of Wikipedia is a moment to celebrate and look forward for the future.