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The fourth WSF was held in Mumbai, India, from 16 January to 21 January 2004.

It was the first meeting of the World Social Forum held outside Brazil and its success has encouraged the WSF to expand in scope across the global South.

Some credit it with inspiring the Asian Social Forum held in November of that year.

The attendance was expected to be 75, 000 and it shot over by thousands.

The cultural diversity was one notable aspect of the forum.

A notable decision that was taken was the stand on free software.

One of the key speakers at the WSF 2004 was Joseph Stiglitz.

In contrast to earlier meetings, which had focused more on Euro-centric political intellectualism, the 2004 meeting included marches, as well as colorful and lively demonstrations.

Indian activists were also very active in using this time to educate others about the issues of caste, class and religious conflict in India, with particular focus on the plight of the Dalit, sometimes referred to as the ' untouchables ' in Indian society.