A third of young people in the UK cannot name Auschwitz or any other concentration camp and ghetto where the Holocaust was committed, a study has revealed.

As part of a major international survey in countries including the US and UK, other growing knowledge gaps have been identified, particularly among 18-29 year olds.

The findings were released on Monday ahead of the International Day of Remembrance in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. The move comes amid concerns about a resurgence of the far right and rising anti-Semitism.

More than a quarter of people surveyed in the UK could not name a concentration camp or ghetto set up by the Nazis during the Second World War.

King Charles will travel to Auschwitz on Monday to commemorate the liberation, meet with survivors and other dignitaries, and meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister pledged to make Holocaust education in the UK a "truly national effort" and said his government would "ensure the Holocaust is taught in all schools".

Keir Starmer said: “We must first remember the six million Jewish victims and defend the truth against anyone who would deny it.

“But as we remember, we must also act. Because we say ‘never again’ – but where is the ‘never again’ in the genocides of Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur – when anti-Semitic Where is "no more" when Islamism is still killing Jews?

“Today, we must make these words more meaningful. We will make Holocaust education a truly national effort. We will ensure that it is taught in all schools and work to give every young person the opportunity to hear about surviving Recordings of survivors’ testimonies, because by learning from survivors we can develop empathy for others and an appreciation of our common humanity, which is the ultimate way to defeat survivors’ hatred of difference.

"It happened, and it can happen again: this is the Holocaust's warning to us all. That is why it is up to all of us to make 'Never Again' finally mean what it says: never again."

When asked to name a concentration camp, death camp, killing field, transit camp or ghetto they had heard of, 26% of British respondents said they did not know the names. This proportion is 33% among British 18-29 year olds, and as high as 48% among American respondents.

Auschwitz-Birkenau was the most famous concentration camp, mentioned by 69% of British respondents.

Those involved in the study said some of the findings suggested Holocaust education in the UK was having a meaningful impact. However, there are particular concerns about the apparent spread of Holocaust denial and distortion on social media platforms such as X and Facebook.

When asked if they had encountered Holocaust denial or distortion on social media, 23% of UK respondents said "yes". Nearly half (47%) of Polish adults answered yes, while in Austria and Hungary the figure was 38%. Germany is at 37%, the United States is at 33%, Romania is at 25%, and France is at 20%.

Professor Stuart Foster, director of the Center for Holocaust Education at University College London, said: “This research starkly reveals significant and problematic levels of knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust among adults in Europe and North America.

“Particularly disturbing is the reported high level of denial and distortion of the Holocaust, which appears to be fueled by misinformation and disinformation on social media platforms. However, it is reassuring to note that the vast majority Respondents support Holocaust education in schools."

Among Britons who have experienced Holocaust denial and distortion, X and Facebook emerged as the most common social media platforms on which they experienced it. X is cited by 42%.

However, among this group of 18-29-year-olds, 42% identified TikTok as the social media platform they recalled seeing denial and misrepresentation on.

In all eight countries surveyed, a majority of the population was unaware that 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust, while a notable proportion believed that 2 million or fewer Jews were killed.

Those who believed that the number of Jews killed did not exceed 2 million included 28% in Romania, 27% in Hungary, 24% in Poland, 21% in France, the United States and Austria, 20% in the United Kingdom and 18% in Germany.

A large proportion of young people aged 18-29 have not heard of the Holocaust in France (46%), Romania (15%), Austria (14%) and Germany (12%). The figure for the UK is 2%.

Gideon Taylor, chair of the Claims Conference, said: "The alarming gaps in knowledge, particularly among younger generations, highlight the urgent need for more effective Holocaust education. The fact is that a significant number of adults are unable to identify basic The facts - such as the death of 6 million Jews - are deeply worrying."

The task force overseeing the investigation is composed of historians and experts from museums, educational institutions, and leading nonprofit organizations in the field of Holocaust education. These include the Jerusalem Yad Vashem Memorial, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Claims Conference.