Rare Disease Day 2025

Rare Disease Day is an important international awareness day that takes place annually on 28 February (or 29 February in leap years). This date was chosen because 29 February is the rarest day of the year. Thousands of rare disease organisations from around the world participate in every Rare Disease Day, representing the nearly 300 million people living with a rare condition globally.

Genetic Alliance UK is the proud organiser of Rare Disease Day across the UK. The international Rare Disease Day awareness raising campaign is led by rare disease group EURORDIS.

Every Rare Disease Day we focus on a particular challenge or opportunity for people affected by rare conditions in the UK. One of the ways that we mark Rare Disease Day is through our Parliamentary receptions in Westminster and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales. We also organise a virtual reception bringing together representatives from England, Scotland, Wales and the Northern Ireland Rare Disease Partnership in Northern Ireland.