Year by year · 21st century

2011

2011 in world history: 7 events and 9 deaths. 188 recorded states existed that year.

Events

1 May
US special forces kill Osama bin Laden in Pakistan
Navy SEALs raided a compound in Abbottabad and killed the al-Qaeda leader behind the 11 September attacks. President Obama announced it that night, US time; in Pakistan it was early on 2 May.
Pakistan
9 July
South Sudan becomes independent
South Sudan declared independence from Sudan after a referendum, becoming the world's newest internationally recognised state. Independence followed decades of civil war, but a new conflict erupted in 2013.
20 October
Muammar Gaddafi is captured and killed near Sirte
Rebel fighters captured Muammar Gaddafi near his hometown of Sirte and killed him shortly afterwards. His death ended 42 years of rule and the Libyan civil war.
31 October
World population reaches seven billion, UN estimates
The United Nations designated 31 October 2011 as the symbolic day the world's population reached seven billion. The total had doubled since the late 1960s.
United Nations
Event
2011 Christchurch earthquake
The 2011 Christchurch earthquake was a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck Christchurch, New Zealand, on 22 February 2011.

ProfileState185 states with a known seat in 2011Open the atlas at 2011 →

Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). 2011. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/2011
MLA: “2011.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/2011. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “2011.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/2011.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘2011’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/2011 (Accessed: ).