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What is International Men's Day?
International Men's Day is observed every November 19. It was established in 1999 by Trinidadian academic Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh and is now marked in over 80 countries. Unlike International Women's Day, it is not officially recognised by the UN, but it is supported by UN agencies and focuses on men's health, positive role models and gender equality.
Why November 19?
Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh, a history lecturer at the University of the West Indies, launched the modern International Men's Day on November 19, 1999. He chose the date for two personal reasons: it was his father's birthday, and it was the date Trinidad and Tobago's football team had qualified for the 1989 World Cup — a moment of national unity he wanted to invoke.
Earlier attempts at a men's day existed (notably one in Malta starting February 7, 1994), but none became globally established before Teelucksingh's version.
Upcoming dates
International Men's Day falls on November 19 every year. The next five occurrences:
| Year | Date | Day of week |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | November 19, 2026 | Thursday |
| 2027 | November 19, 2027 | Friday |
| 2028 | November 19, 2028 | Sunday |
| 2029 | November 19, 2029 | Monday |
| 2030 | November 19, 2030 | Tuesday |
The six pillars
Teelucksingh defined six "pillars" or objectives for the day:
- Promote positive male role models.
- Celebrate men's positive contributions to society, community, family, marriage, childcare and the environment.
- Focus on men's health and well-being — social, emotional, physical and spiritual.
- Highlight discrimination against men.
- Improve gender relations and promote gender equality.
- Create a safer, better world where people can be safe and grow to reach their full potential.
Men's health by the numbers
From WHO, the Movember Foundation and the Global Burden of Disease study:
- Globally, men's life expectancy is 5.2 years shorter than women's on average (WHO 2024).
- Men account for around 75% of all suicides in many high-income countries, including the UK, US, Australia and Canada.
- Suicide is the leading cause of death for men under 50 in the UK.
- Around 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.
- Movember has funded over 1,300 men's health projects since 2003 and raised over A$1.5 billion.
Other notable November 19 observances
November 19 also coincides with:
- World Toilet Day — a UN-designated day (since 2013) coordinated by UN-Water focused on sanitation access.
- Movember — the whole month of November, founded 2003 in Australia, focused specifically on men's health.
Sources & references
- internationalmensday.com — the official campaign site.
- Movember Foundation — the leading men's health charity.
- WHO — Life expectancy data.
FAQs
International Men's Day in its current form was established in 1999 by Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh, a history lecturer at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago. Teelucksingh chose November 19 because it was his father's birthday and also the date Trinidad and Tobago's football team had qualified for the 1989 World Cup (a moment he associated with national unity).
No, not formally. International Men's Day is not adopted by the UN General Assembly as an official UN day. It is, however, supported in various ways by UN Women, UNESCO and several UN agencies, particularly around the day's themes of men's health and positive masculinity. International Women's Day (March 8) is officially UN-recognised; International Men's Day is not.
It is observed in over 80 countries, including the UK, Australia, India, South Africa, Singapore, Canada, the United States, the Caribbean and much of Europe. It is not a public holiday in any country. The UK Parliament has debated it annually since 2015.
They are separate but overlapping. International Men's Day is November 19, founded by Teelucksingh in 1999, with six broad annual pillars. Movember is the whole month of November and was founded in 2003 in Melbourne, Australia by Travis Garone and Luke Slattery. Movember focuses specifically on men's health (prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention), encouraging participants to grow moustaches and raise funds.
Teelucksingh defined six pillars: (1) promote positive male role models, (2) celebrate men's positive contributions, (3) focus on men's health and well-being (physical, mental, social), (4) highlight discrimination against men, (5) improve gender relations and promote gender equality, and (6) create a safer, better world. The day's theme each year is built around at least one of these pillars.
Yes — November 19 is also World Toilet Day, a UN-designated day (since 2013) coordinated by UN-Water and focused on sanitation access. The two days share the date but are unrelated in origin.