There are currently 195 sovereign states in the world, according to the United Nations. However, the exact number is complicated by several factors:
UN Membership
There are 193 member states of the United Nations. This includes almost every independent state in the world, with the exceptions of the Vatican City and Palestine. So by the UN membership count, there are 193 countries.
Partially Recognized States
In addition to the 193 UN member states, there are 2 UN observer states: Vatican City and Palestine. Observer states are not full UN members, but they have the right to speak at UN General Assembly meetings.
There are also several states with partial recognition in the world. These self-declared states have sovereignty over a territory but are only formally recognized by some UN member states. Examples include Taiwan, Kosovo, South Ossetia, and Somaliland.
The number of partially recognized states varies, but typically ranges from 5 to 10 depending on geopolitics. Including these states brings the total number of countries up to around 200.
Dependencies and Territories
There are also many dependent territories in the world that are autonomous to various degrees. Unlike partially recognized states, these territories are not self-governing and rely on another country for defense and diplomacy.
Examples of major dependent territories include Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Bermuda, and Gibraltar. There are over 50 such dependencies globally.
Additionally, there are disputed territories where sovereignty is contested by multiple countries. These include Western Sahara, Kashmir, and the Spratly Islands. The status of these territories affects the country count.
The Olympic Precedent
The International Olympic Committee has allowed dependent territories to compete separately from their governing states under certain conditions. There are currently 206 recognized National Olympic Committees. However, not all of these territorial entities would be considered sovereign states.
United Nations Statistics
According to UN statistics, there are 249 “countries or areas” in the world based on the M49 coding classification. However, this is an expansive definition that includes dependent territories, special administrative regions, and other non-sovereign entities alongside independent countries.
Conclusion
Based on universal formal recognition, there are close to 200 sovereign states in the world. However, the exact number varies based on geopolitical changes and complexities over disputed territories, partial recognition, dependencies, and other special cases.
Most authorities cite the following numbers of sovereign states:
- 193 UN member states
- 2 UN observer states (Vatican City and Palestine)
- 5-10 states with partial recognition
This puts the total number of acknowledged independent countries in the range of 200 to 206. However, there are many more dependent territories and disputed areas that some may also consider to be separate “countries.” So while the precise number is elusive, 195 to 200 is a generally accepted range for how many recognized countries exist in the world today.
World Countries by Region
There are 195 sovereign states in the world divided between 6 continents. Here is a breakdown of the number of countries by region:
Africa – 54 Countries
There are 54 fully recognized sovereign states in Africa:
| Algeria | Angola | Benin | Botswana | Burkina Faso |
| Burundi | Cameroon | Cape Verde | Central African Republic | Chad |
| Comoros | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Republic of the Congo | Côte d’Ivoire | Djibouti |
| Egypt | Equatorial Guinea | Eritrea | Eswatini | Ethiopia |
| Gabon | Gambia | Ghana | Guinea | Guinea-Bissau |
| Kenya | Lesotho | Liberia | Libya | Madagascar |
| Malawi | Mali | Mauritania | Mauritius | Morocco |
| Mozambique | Namibia | Niger | Nigeria | Rwanda |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | Senegal | Seychelles | Sierra Leone | Somalia |
| South Africa | South Sudan | Sudan | Tanzania | Togo |
| Tunisia | Uganda | Zambia | Zimbabwe |
Asia – 48 Countries
There are 48 countries spanning the Asian continent:
| Afghanistan | Armenia | Azerbaijan | Bahrain | Bangladesh |
| Bhutan | Brunei | Cambodia | China | Cyprus |
| Georgia | India | Indonesia | Iran | Iraq |
| Israel | Japan | Jordan | Kazakhstan | Kuwait |
| Kyrgyzstan | Laos | Lebanon | Malaysia | Maldives |
| Mongolia | Myanmar | Nepal | North Korea | Oman |
| Pakistan | Palestine | Philippines | Qatar | Saudi Arabia |
| Singapore | South Korea | Sri Lanka | Syria | Tajikistan |
| Thailand | Timor-Leste | Turkey | Turkmenistan | United Arab Emirates |
| Uzbekistan | Vietnam | Yemen |
Europe – 44 Countries
The European region contains 44 sovereign states:
| Albania | Andorra | Austria | Belarus | Belgium |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bulgaria | Croatia | Cyprus | Czechia |
| Denmark | Estonia | Finland | France | Germany |
| Greece | Hungary | Iceland | Ireland | Italy |
| Kosovo | Latvia | Liechtenstein | Lithuania | Luxembourg |
| Malta | Moldova | Monaco | Montenegro | Netherlands |
| North Macedonia | Norway | Poland | Portugal | Romania |
| Russia | San Marino | Serbia | Slovakia | Slovenia |
| Spain | Sweden | Switzerland | Turkey | Ukraine |
| United Kingdom | Vatican City |
North America – 23 Countries
There are 23 sovereign countries in the North American region:
| Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas | Barbados | Belize | Canada |
| Costa Rica | Cuba | Dominica | Dominican Republic | El Salvador |
| Grenada | Guatemala | Haiti | Honduras | Jamaica |
| Mexico | Nicaragua | Panama | St. Kitts and Nevis | St. Lucia |
| St. Vincent and the Grenadines | Trinidad and Tobago | United States |
South America – 12 Countries
There are 12 independent countries in South America:
| Argentina | Bolivia | Brazil | Chile | Colombia |
| Ecuador | Guyana | Paraguay | Peru | Suriname |
| Uruguay | Venezuela |
Oceania – 14 Countries
There are 14 fully sovereign states scattered across the Oceania region of the Pacific:
| Australia | Fiji | Kiribati | Marshall Islands | Micronesia |
| Nauru | New Zealand | Palau | Papua New Guinea | Samoa |
| Solomon Islands | Tonga | Tuvalu | Vanuatu |
The 10 Most Populous Countries
The 10 countries in the world with the largest populations are:
| Rank | Country | Estimated 2023 Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 1,450,335,000 |
| 2 | India | 1,412,544,000 |
| 3 | United States | 335,900,000 |
| 4 | Indonesia | 278,228,000 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 235,102,000 |
| 6 | Brazil | 215,353,000 |
| 7 | Nigeria | 216,746,000 |
| 8 | Bangladesh | 167,885,000 |
| 9 | Russia | 145,805,000 |
| 10 | Mexico | 131,562,000 |
These 10 nations alone account for over 60% of the global population. China and India have over 1.4 billion people each and are in a league of their own in terms of population size.
The 10 Least Populous Countries
On the other end of the spectrum, the 10 least populous countries in the world are:
| Rank | Country | Estimated 2023 Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vatican City | 1,000 |
| 2 | Nauru | 12,200 |
| 3 | Tuvalu | 12,200 |
| 4 | Palau | 18,200 |
| 5 | Monaco | 39,500 |
| 6 | San Marino | 34,000 |
| 7 | Liechtenstein | 38,300 |
| 8 | St Kitts and Nevis | 53,500 |
| 9 | Dominica | 72,100 |
| 10 | Marshall Islands | 59,300 |
Many of the world’s smallest countries by population are remote island nations. The least populous is Vatican City, with around 1,000 residents within its territorial borders.
Newest Countries and Most Recent Border Changes
Country borders and declarations of independence are constantly shifting. Here are some of the newest sovereign states and most recent border changes:
- South Sudan – gained independence in 2011
- Timor-Leste – gained independence in 2002
- Kosovo – declared independence in 2008, partially recognized
- Serbia – peacefully ceded Montenegro in 2006
- Eritrea – split from Ethiopia in 1993
- Palau – gained independence in 1994
- Brunei – gained full independence from the UK in 1984
- Zimbabwe – gained independence from the UK in 1980
- Kiribati – gained independence from the UK in 1979
- Solomon Islands – gained independence from the UK in 1978
Generally, newer countries have formed by gaining sovereignty after colonialism or peaceful separations from larger nations. Violent border changes have become less common in the modern era. The most recent new countries have emerged in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.
Conclusion
Defining exactly how many countries exist in the world largely depends on complex political considerations. There are around 195 universally recognized sovereign states, but the precise number fluctuates. There are far fewer fully independent countries than the 250 separate “countries and areas” distinguished by the United Nations statistics.
Tracking the shifting geopolitical landscape reveals a trend toward more independent countries, as dependencies gain sovereignty and large nations split. But the basic number has remained relatively steady in recent decades. Recognizing between 195 to 205 countries captures the majority of universally accepted sovereign states in the world today.