The following is a list providing an overview of sovereign states around the world, with information on their status and recognition of their sovereignty.
The 206 listed states can be divided into three categories based on membership within the United Nations System: 193 member states, 2 observer states and 11 other states. The sovereignty dispute column indicates states having undisputed sovereignty (188 states), states having disputed sovereignty (16 states, of which there are 6 member states, 1 observer state and 9 other states), and states having a special status (2 states).
Compiling a list such as this can be a difficult and controversial process, as there is no definition that is binding on all the members of the community of nations concerning the criteria for statehood. For more information on the criteria used to determine the contents of this list, please see the criteria for inclusion section below. The list is intended to include entities that have been recognised as having de facto status as sovereign states, and inclusion should not be seen as an endorsement of any specific claim to statehood in legal terms.
List of states
| Common and formal names | Membership within the UN System | Sovereignty dispute | Further information on status and recognition of sovereignty |
|---|---|---|---|
| ↓ UN member states and observer states ↓ | |||
| Abkhazia → See Abkhazia listing | |||
 Afghanistan – Islamic Republic of Afghanistan |
UN member state | None | |
 Albania – Republic of Albania |
UN member state | None | |
 Algeria – People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria |
UN member state | None | |
 Andorra – Principality of Andorra |
UN member state | None | Andorra is a co-principality in which the office of head of state is jointly held ex officio by the French president and the bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of Urgell, who himself is appointed with approval from the Holy See. |
 Angola – Republic of Angola |
UN member state | None | |
 Antigua and Barbuda |
UN member state | None | Antigua and Barbuda is a Commonwealth realm with one autonomous region, Barbuda. |
 Argentina – Argentine Republic |
UN member state | None | Argentina is a federation of 23 provinces and one autonomous city. |
 Armenia – Republic of Armenia |
UN member state | Not recognised by Pakistan. | Armenia is not recognised by Pakistan due to the dispute over Artsakh. |
| Artsakh → See Artsakh listing | |||
 Australia – Commonwealth of Australia |
UN member state | None | Australia is a Commonwealth realm and a federation of both states and territories. There are six states, three internal territories, six external territories and one claimed Antarctic external territory. The external territories of Australia are:
|
 Austria – Republic of Austria |
UN member state | None | Member of the European Union. Austria is a federation of nine states. |
 Azerbaijan – Republic of Azerbaijan |
UN member state | None | Azerbaijan contains one autonomous region, Nakhchivan The de facto state of Artsakh has been established in the southwest of Azerbaijan. |
 Bahamas, The – Commonwealth of The Bahamas |
UN member state | None | The Bahamas is a Commonwealth realm. |
 Bahrain – Kingdom of Bahrain |
UN member state | None | |
 Bangladesh – People’s Republic of Bangladesh |
UN member state | None | |
 Barbados |
UN member state | None | Barbados is a Commonwealth realm. |
 Belarus – Republic of Belarus |
UN member state | None | |
 Belgium – Kingdom of Belgium |
UN member state | None | Member of the EU. Belgium is a federation of three linguistic communities and three regions. |
 Belize |
UN member state | None | Belize is a Commonwealth realm. |
 Benin – Republic of Benin |
UN member state | None | |
 Bhutan – Kingdom of Bhutan |
UN member state | None | |
 Bolivia – Plurinational State of Bolivia |
UN member state | None | |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina |
UN member state | None | Bosnia and Herzegovina has two constituent entities:
and Brčko District, a self-governing administrative district. |
 Botswana – Republic of Botswana |
UN member state | None | |
 Brazil – Federative Republic of Brazil |
UN member state | None | Brazil is a federation of 26 states and one federal district. |
 Brunei – Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace |
UN member state | None | |
 Bulgaria – Republic of Bulgaria |
UN member state | None | Member of the EU. |
 Burkina Faso |
UN member state | None | |
| Burma → See Myanmar listing | |||
 Burundi – Republic of Burundi |
UN member state | None | |
 Cambodia – Kingdom of Cambodia |
UN member state | None | |
 Cameroon – Republic of Cameroon |
UN member state | None | |
 Canada |
UN member state | None | Canada is a Commonwealth realm and a federation of ten provinces and three territories. |
 Cape Verde – Republic of Cabo Verde |
UN member state | None | |
 Central African Republic |
UN member state | None | |
 Chad – Republic of Chad |
UN member state | None | |
 Chile – Republic of Chile |
UN member state | None | |
 China – People’s Republic of China |
UN member state | Partially unrecognised. Claimed by the Republic of China | China contains five autonomous regions, Guangxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Tibet, and Xinjiang. Additionally, it has sovereignty over the Special Administrative Regions of:
China claims, but does not control Taiwan, which is governed by a rival administration (the Republic of China) that claims all of China as its territory. China is not recognised by 15 UN member states and Vatican City, which, with the exception of Bhutan, all recognise Taiwan instead. |
| China, Republic of → See Taiwan listing | |||
 Colombia – Republic of Colombia |
UN member state | None | |
 Comoros – Union of the Comoros |
UN member state | None | Comoros is a federation of three islands. |
 Congo, Democratic Republic of the |
UN member state | None | |
 Congo, Republic of the |
UN member state | None | |
| Cook Islands → See Cook Islands listing | |||
 Costa Rica – Republic of Costa Rica |
UN member state | None | |
| Côte d’Ivoire → See Ivory Coast listing | |||
 Croatia – Republic of Croatia |
UN member state | None | Member of the EU. |
 Cuba – Republic of Cuba |
UN member state | None | |
 Cyprus – Republic of Cyprus |
UN member state | Not recognised by Turkey | Member of the EU. The northeastern part of the island is the de facto state of Northern Cyprus.Cyprus is not recognised by Turkey due to the Cyprus dispute, with Turkey recognising Northern Cyprus. |
 Czech Republic |
UN member state | None | Member of the EU. |
| Democratic People’s Republic of Korea → See Korea, North listing | |||
| Democratic Republic of the Congo → See Congo, Democratic Republic of the listing | |||
 Denmark – Kingdom of Denmark |
UN member state | None | Member of the EU. The Kingdom of Denmark includes 2 self-governing territories:
The continental territory of Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland form the three constituent countries of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of Denmark as a whole is a member of the EU, but EU law does not apply to the Faroe Islands and Greenland. |
 Djibouti – Republic of Djibouti |
UN member state | None | |
 Dominica – Commonwealth of Dominica |
UN member state | None | |
 Dominican Republic |
UN member state | None | |
 East Timor – Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste |
UN member state | None | |
 Ecuador – Republic of Ecuador |
UN member state | None | |
 Egypt – Arab Republic of Egypt |
UN member state | None | |
 El Salvador – Republic of El Salvador |
UN member state | None | |
 Equatorial Guinea – Republic of Equatorial Guinea |
UN member state | None | |
 Eritrea – State of Eritrea |
UN member state | None | |
 Estonia – Republic of Estonia |
UN member state | None | Member of the EU. |
 Eswatini – Kingdom of Eswatini |
UN member state | None | |
 Ethiopia – Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia |
UN member state | None | Ethiopia is a federation of nine regions and two chartered cities. |
 Fiji – Republic of Fiji |
UN member state | None | Fiji contains one autonomous region, Rotuma. |
 Finland – Republic of Finland |
UN member state | None | Member of the EU.
|
 France – French Republic |
UN member state | None | Member of the EU. France contains five overseas regions/departments; French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Réunion. France also includes the overseas territories of:
|
 Gabon – Gabonese Republic |
UN member state | None | |
 Gambia, The – Republic of The Gambia |
UN member state | None | |
 Georgia |
UN member state | None | Georgia contains two autonomous republics, Adjara and Abkhazia. In Abkhazia and South Ossetia, de facto states have been formed. |
 Germany – Federal Republic of Germany |
UN member state | None | Member of the EU. Germany is a federation of 16 states. |
 Ghana – Republic of Ghana |
UN member state | None | |
 Greece – Hellenic Republic |
UN member state | None | Member of the EU. Greece contains one autonomous area, Mount Athos. |
 Grenada |
UN member state | None | Grenada is a Commonwealth realm. |
 Guatemala – Republic of Guatemala |
UN member state | None | |
 Guinea – Republic of Guinea |
UN member state | None | |
 Guinea-Bissau – Republic of Guinea-Bissau |
UN member state | None | |
 Guyana – Co-operative Republic of Guyana |
UN member state | None | |
 Haiti – Republic of Haiti |
UN member state | None | |
| Holy See → See Vatican City listing | |||
 Honduras – Republic of Honduras |
UN member state | None | |
 Hungary |
UN member state | None | Member of the EU. |
 Iceland |
UN member state | None | |
 India – Republic of India |
UN member state | None | India is a federation of 28 states and eight union territories. |
 Indonesia – Republic of Indonesia |
UN member state | None | Indonesia has five autonomous provinces, Aceh, Jakarta, Papua, West Papua, and Yogyakarta. |
 Iran – Islamic Republic of Iran |
UN member state | None | |
 Iraq – Republic of Iraq |
UN member state | None | Iraq is a federation of 19 governorates, four of which make up the autonomous Kurdistan Region. |
 Ireland |
UN member state | None | Member of the EU. |
 Israel – State of Israel |
UN member state | Partially unrecognised | Israel exerts strong control over the territory claimed by Palestine. Israel annexed East Jerusalem, an annexation not recognised by the international community. Israel maintains varying levels of control over the rest of the West Bank, and although Israel no longer has a permanent civilian or military presence in the Gaza Strip, following its unilateral disengagement, it is still considered by some to be the occupying power under international law.Israel is not recognised as a state by 28 UN members and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. The Palestine Liberation Organization, which enjoys recognition by a majority of UN member states as the sole representative of the Palestinian people, also does not recognise Israel. |
 Italy – Italian Republic |
UN member state | None | Member of the EU. Italy has 5 autonomous regions, Aosta Valley, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Sardinia, Sicily and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. |
 Ivory Coast – Republic of Côte d’Ivoire |
UN member state | None | |
 Jamaica |
UN member state | None | Jamaica is a Commonwealth realm. |
 Japan |
UN member state | None | |
 Jordan – Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan |
UN member state | None | |
 Kazakhstan – Republic of Kazakhstan |
UN member state | None | |
 Kenya – Republic of Kenya |
UN member state | None | |
 Kiribati – Republic of Kiribati |
UN member state | None | |
 Korea, North – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea |
UN member state | Claimed by South Korea | North Korea is not recognised by three UN members, France, Japan, and South Korea, the last of which claims to be the sole legitimate government of Korea. |
 Korea, South – Republic of Korea |
UN member state | Claimed by North Korea | South Korea has one autonomous region, Jejudo.South Korea is not recognised by North Korea, which claims to be the sole legitimate government of Korea. |
| Kosovo → See Kosovo listing | |||
 Kuwait – State of Kuwait |
UN member state | None | |
 Kyrgyzstan – Kyrgyz Republic |
UN member state | None | |
 Laos – Lao People’s Democratic Republic |
UN member state | None | |
 Latvia – Republic of Latvia |
UN member state | None | Member of the EU. |
 Lebanon – Lebanese Republic |
UN member state | None | |
 Lesotho – Kingdom of Lesotho |
UN member state | None | |
 Liberia – Republic of Liberia |
UN member state | None | |
 Libya – State of Libya |
UN member state | None | |
 Liechtenstein – Principality of Liechtenstein |
UN member state | None | |
 Lithuania – Republic of Lithuania |
UN member state | None | Member of the EU. |
 Luxembourg – Grand Duchy of Luxembourg |
UN member state | None | Member of the EU. |
| Macedonia → See North Macedonia listing | |||
 Madagascar – Republic of Madagascar |
UN member state | None | |
 Malawi – Republic of Malawi |
UN member state | None | |
 Malaysia |
UN member state | None | Malaysia is a federation of 13 states and three federal territories. |
 Maldives – Republic of Maldives |
UN member state | None | |
 Mali – Republic of Mali |
UN member state | None | |
 Malta – Republic of Malta |
UN member state | None | Member of the EU. |
 Marshall Islands – Republic of the Marshall Islands |
UN member state | None | Under Compact of Free Association with the United States. |
 Mauritania – Islamic Republic of Mauritania |
UN member state | None | |
 Mauritius – Republic of Mauritius |
UN member state | None | Mauritius has an autonomous island, Rodrigues. |
 Mexico – United Mexican States |
UN member state | None | Mexico is a federation of 31 states and one autonomous city.The Rebel Zapatista Autonomous Municipalities have de facto autonomy. |
 Micronesia – Federated States of Micronesia |
UN member state | None | Under Compact of Free Association with the United States. The Federated States of Micronesia is a federation of four states. |
 Moldova – Republic of Moldova |
UN member state | None | Moldova has the autonomous regions of Gagauzia and Transnistria autonomous territorial unit. The latter and a city Bender is under the de facto control of Transnistria. |
 Monaco – Principality of Monaco |
UN member state | None | |
 Mongolia |
UN member state | None | |
 Montenegro |
UN member state | None | |
 Morocco – Kingdom of Morocco |
UN member state | None | Part of the Moroccan-claimed Western Sahara is controlled by the partially recognised Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. |
 Mozambique – Republic of Mozambique |
UN member state | None | |
 Myanmar – Republic of the Union of Myanmar |
UN member state | None | Wa State is a de facto autonomous state within Myanmar. |
| Nagorno-Karabakh → See Artsakh listing | |||
 Namibia – Republic of Namibia |
UN member state | None | |
 Nauru – Republic of Nauru |
UN member state | None | |
 Nepal – Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal |
UN member state | None | Nepal is a federation composed of 7 provinces. |
 Netherlands – Kingdom of the Netherlands |
UN member state | None | Member of the EU. The Kingdom of the Netherlands includes four areas with substantial autonomy:
The continental part of the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten form the four constituent countries of the Kingdom. Three other overseas territories (Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius) are special municipalities of the continental Netherlands. The Kingdom of the Netherlands as a whole is a member of the EU, but EU law applies only to parts within Europe. |
 New Zealand |
UN member state | None | New Zealand is a Commonwealth realm, and has one dependent territory and one claimed Antarctic dependent territory of:
The New Zealand Government acts for the entire Realm of New Zealand in all international contexts, which has responsibilities for (but no rights of control over) two freely associated states:
The Cook Islands and Niue have diplomatic relations with 49 and 18 UN members respectively. They have full treaty-making capacity in the UN, and are members of some UN specialized agencies. |
 Nicaragua – Republic of Nicaragua |
UN member state | None | Nicaragua contains two autonomous regions, Atlántico Sur and Atlántico Norte. |
 Niger – Republic of Niger |
UN member state | None | |
