Information on the latest edition
Who’s Who, published in print annually by A&C Black since 1897, and online by Oxford University Press since 2008, is the leading source of up-to-date information about tens of thousands of influential people worldwide who impact British public life today. For more information about Who's Who, including its history, please visit our About page.
For answers to some common questions about the site visit our Frequently Asked Questions page or read our detailed help page.
Don’t have access? Then find out how to subscribe.
This site is updated annually each December and is an invaluable research tool, and a unique way of measuring social change. An invitation to appear in Who's Who recognises lasting distinction and influence, with an entry in Who's Who being for life.
WHO'S WHO 2025: PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2024
The 177th edition of Who’s Who brings together over 32,500 autobiographical entries from people of influence and interest in every area of public life. Who's Who 2025 celebrates the achievements of British Society.
Notes to editors
The first edition of Who's Who was published in 1849. Then a compact, 250-page volume (one tenth of the size of the 2014 edition), it consisted of an almanac followed by thirty-nine lists of ranks and appointments and the names of those holding them. Since its acquisition by A&C Black in 1897, Who's Who has consolidated its status of supreme national importance, proving to be invaluable as a research tool and a unique way of measuring social change. During the Second World War Winston Churchill personally intervened to ensure its publication and full circulation was not affected by the paper shortage. Who's Who is still to this day the definitive reference book relied upon by academics, researchers, business people, government officials and charities, as well as the casual browser.
Who's Who and Who Was Who Online
From December 2014, Who's Who and Who Was Who, which covers 1897 onwards, was made available online exclusively from Oxford University Press (OUP), where the data can be searched extensively and cross-referenced to other works.
With origins dating back to 1478, OUP is the world's largest university press with the widest global presence. Find out more
For further information about the online edition of Who's Who, and for press access, please visit the Contact Us page.