The total number of countries in the world, although it seems like an exact figure, may vary depending on the type of institution on which the information is based. The first thing to review is what is meant by country. Martin Purvis expert in geography, history and politics from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, He explained to BBC Mundo that, for a country to be defined as such, it must:
- Have a defined territory
- Have a degree of permanence
- Possess political institutions and own government
- Be recognized by other sovereign states as an independent country
- Finally, you must interact diplomatically with others
As Purvis explainsthe number of countries may change due to the last two selection criteria, Well, there are many countries that function as independent countries, but, for example, they are not recognized by the international community. One of the main entities that gives this recognition is the United Nations (UN).
But then, how many countries are in the world? Next, we tell you how the current consensus is and present the list of both recognized and non-recognized countries.
How many countries are in the world?
For the UN, In the world there are a total of 193 states, with the Republic of Sudan being the last country to be included on the list. Additionally, there is Palestine and the Holy See, which They are included as non-member observer countries.
As explained by the same entity, the ‘Observer States’ can attend and participate in the Assemblies and procedures that the organization has, although they do not have the right to vote in the draft resolutions and in the decisions made by their main organs and agencies. . In this order of ideas, according to the UN, there would be 195 countries in the world.
Now, there are 6 other states that are not part of this list, but have partial recognition, such as Kosovo, Taiwan, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. This is because These countries come from a relatively recent independence process and many countries still do not recognize their autonomy.
Although this would give a total of 201 countries, In other entities a larger number can be found. In the Olympics, for example, there are 206 national Olympic committees; while in FIFA 211 national teams are recognized.
This is because, in these organizations, territories that are dependent on other countries, such as Puerto Rico or Hong Kong, are also recognized. For all of the above, it is said that the number of countries or states in the world varies depending on the type of institution that reads it.
Updated list of countries 2024
Currently, the UN is the organization that has the most force in the determination of a country in the world. For this reason, below We leave you the official list of the countries that the Organization recognizes:
Read more:
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Germany
- Andorra
- Angola
- Old and bearded
- Saudi Arabia
- Algeria
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Bahrain
- Belgium
- Belize
- Benin
- Belarus
- Burma
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Bhutan
- Cape Verde
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Taste
- Chad
- Chili
- China
- Cyprus
- Vatican City
- Colombia
- Comoros
- North Korea
- South Korea
- Ivory Coast
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Denmark
- Dominica
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- The Savior
- United Arab Emirates
- Eritrea
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- USA
- Estonia
- Ethiopia
- Philippines
- Finland
- Fiji
- France
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Grenade
- Greece
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Equatorial Guinea
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Hungary
- India
- Indonesia
- Iraq
- Iran
- Ireland
- Iceland
- Marshall Islands
- Solomon Islands
- Israel
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kyrgyzstan
- Kiribati
- Kuwait
- Laos
- Lesotho
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Liberia
- Libya
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- North Macedonia
- Madagascar
- Malaysia
- Malawi
- Maldives
- Mali
- malt
- Morocco
- Mauricio
- Mauritania
- Mexico
- Micronesia
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Norway
- New Zealand
- Oman
- Netherlands
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Palestine (as Permanent Observer State)
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- United Kingdom
- Central African Republic
- Czech Republic
- Republic of Congo
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Dominican Republic
- Rwanda
- Romania
- Russia
- Samoa
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- San Marino
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- St. Lucia
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Syria
- Somalia
- Sri Lanka
- Swaziland
- South Africa
- Sudan
- South Sudan
- Sweden
- Swiss
- Surinam
- Thailand
- Tanzania
- Tajikistan
- East Timor
- Togo
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkmenistan
- Türkiye
- Tuvalu
- Ukraine
- Uganda
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Djibouti
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
