Important Days in January 2026
January 2026 has 24 days that exams ask about: 11 international and 13 national. Each date comes with a one-line fact and the official source it was checked against. Days fixed by a weekday, such as World Leprosy Day, are shown on their 2026 date.
| Date | Day | Important day |
|---|---|---|
| 4 January | Sunday | World Braille Day |
| 9 January | Friday | Pravasi Bharatiya Divas |
| 10 January | Saturday | World Hindi Day |
| 12 January | Monday | National Youth Day |
| 14 January | Wednesday | World Logic Day · Defence Forces Veterans' Day |
| 15 January | Thursday | Army Day |
| 16 January | Friday | National Startup Day |
| 23 January | Friday | Parakram Diwas |
| 24 January | Saturday | International Day of Education · World Day for African and Afrodescendant Culture · National Girl Child Day |
| 25 January | Sunday | World Leprosy Day · International Day of Women in Multilateralism · National Tourism Day · National Voters' Day |
| 26 January | Monday | International Customs Day · International Day of Clean Energy · Republic Day |
| 27 January | Tuesday | International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust |
| 28 January | Wednesday | International Day of Peaceful Coexistence |
| 30 January | Friday | World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day · Anti-Leprosy Day · Martyrs' Day |
(Sunday)
World Braille Day
Proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2018 and celebrated since 2019; Braille is named after its French inventor, Louis Braille.
United Nations General Assembly · Source: un.org
(Friday)
Pravasi Bharatiya DivasNational
Marks Mahatma Gandhi's return to India from South Africa on 9 January 1915; first held in 2003 to honour the Indian diaspora.
Government of India (Ministry of External Affairs) · Source: pib.gov.in
(Saturday)
World Hindi DayNational
Marks the first World Hindi Conference, inaugurated in Nagpur on 10 January 1975; first celebrated in 2006 under PM Manmohan Singh.
Government of India · Source: dgde.gov.in
(Monday)
National Youth DayNational
Marks the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda (born 12 January 1863); observed by the Government of India since 1985.
Government of India (Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports) · Source: pib.gov.in
(Wednesday)
World Logic Day
Proclaimed by UNESCO together with the International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences (CIPSH) to raise public awareness of logic.
UNESCO · Source: unesco.org
Defence Forces Veterans' DayNational
Marks the retirement of Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa, first Indian Commander-in-Chief, in 1953; observed since 2017, earlier as Armed Forces Veterans' Day.
Government of India (Ministry of Defence) · Source: pib.gov.in
(Thursday)
Army DayNational
In 1949 General K. M. Cariappa took over from General Sir F. R. R. Bucher, the last British chief, as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Army.
Indian Army (Ministry of Defence) · Source: pib.gov.in
(Friday)
National Startup DayNational
Announced by PM Narendra Modi in January 2022; Startup India was launched on 16 January 2016.
Government of India · Source: pib.gov.in
(Friday)
Parakram DiwasNational
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's birthday, declared Parakram Diwas by the Government of India in 2021 to honour his indomitable spirit.
Government of India (Ministry of Culture) · Source: pib.gov.in
(Saturday)
International Day of Education
Proclaimed by the UN General Assembly on 3 December 2018 (resolution 73/25) to celebrate the role of education for peace and development.
United Nations General Assembly · Source: un.org
World Day for African and Afrodescendant Culture
Adopted by UNESCO in 2019; the date marks the African Union's adoption of the Charter for African Cultural Renaissance in 2006.
UNESCO · Source: unesco.org
National Girl Child DayNational
Started in 2008 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to highlight the rights, education and welfare of girls.
Government of India (Ministry of Women and Child Development) · Source: pib.gov.in
(Sunday)
World Leprosy Day
Observed worldwide on the last Sunday of January to fight the stigma around leprosy; India marks it on 30 January, Gandhi's death anniversary.
Date: every year on the last Sunday of the month
World Health Organization · Source: who.int
International Day of Women in Multilateralism
Declared by UNESCO's General Conference through resolution 41 C/57, adopted on 23 November 2021.
UNESCO · Source: unesco.org
National Tourism DayNational
Celebrated every year by the Ministry of Tourism to spread awareness of the importance of tourism for the Indian economy.
Government of India (Ministry of Tourism) · Source: static.pib.gov.in
National Voters' DayNational
Marks the founding of the Election Commission of India on 25 January 1950; celebrated since 2011 to boost voter enrolment.
Government of India (Election Commission of India) · Source: pib.gov.in
(Monday)
International Customs Day
Marks the inaugural session of the Customs Co-operation Council, now the World Customs Organization, in Brussels on 26 January 1953.
World Customs Organization · Source: wcoomd.org
International Day of Clean Energy
Declared by the UN General Assembly (resolution 77/327); 26 January is also the founding date of IRENA, set up in 2009.
United Nations General Assembly · Source: un.org
Republic DayNational
The Constitution of India came into force on 26 January 1950; the date recalls Purna Swaraj Day, observed on 26 January 1930.
Government of India · Source: pib.gov.in
(Tuesday)
International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust
Designated by UN General Assembly resolution 60/7 in 2005; marks the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau on 27 January 1945.
United Nations General Assembly · Source: un.org
(Wednesday)
International Day of Peaceful Coexistence
Proclaimed by the UN General Assembly on 4 March 2025 (resolution 79/269) to promote tolerance and respect for religious and cultural diversity.
United Nations General Assembly · Source: un.org
(Friday)
World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day
Recognised by the World Health Assembly on 31 May 2021 (decision WHA74(18)); the date also recalls the first NTD road map, launched in 2012.
World Health Organization (World Health Assembly) · Source: who.int
Anti-Leprosy DayNational
India's national leprosy day, held on Gandhi's death anniversary; the Sparsh Leprosy Awareness Campaign was launched on this day in 2017.
Government of India (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) · Source: dghs.mohfw.gov.in
Martyrs' DayNational
Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948; the nation keeps two minutes' silence at 11 AM for martyrs of the freedom struggle.
Government of India (Ministry of Home Affairs) · Source: mha.gov.in
Frequently Asked Questions
How many important days are there in January 2026?
This list has 24 days in January 2026: 11 international and 13 national. Each was checked against an official page of the UN, a UN agency, the Government of India or the body that runs the day.
Which national days of India fall in January 2026?
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (9 January); World Hindi Day (10 January); National Youth Day (12 January); Defence Forces Veterans' Day (14 January); Army Day (15 January); National Startup Day (16 January); Parakram Diwas (23 January); National Girl Child Day (24 January); National Tourism Day (25 January); National Voters' Day (25 January); Republic Day (26 January); Anti-Leprosy Day (30 January); Martyrs' Day (30 January).
Which days in January change their date every year?
These are held on a fixed weekday, so the date moves: World Leprosy Day (every year on the last Sunday of the month; 25 January in 2026).
Are the themes of these days given?
No. Themes change every year, so this list keeps to the lasting facts: who declared the day, whose memory or which event it marks, and since when. A given year’s theme is in that day’s current affairs story.