When researching the question, “How many countries are there in the world?” you may be struck by the large amount of conflicting information online.
Truthfully, we wish we could give you a one-sentence answer, but issues lie in disputed land and territories and the recognition of countries worldwide.
How many countries are there in the world?
A ‘conservative’ answer would be to say there are 195 countries in the world. This includes all the countries that members of the United Nations widely agree are countries: the 193 UN member states and the two observer states, Palestine and the Holy See (Vatican City).
If we also include the countries that the US recognizes as independent and sovereign nations, then we count 197 countries in the world. The US also recognizes Kosovo, Niue, and the Cook Islands. However, it does not recognize the State of Palestine, bringing the total count to 197.
We could go a step further and say that there are actually 198 countries in the world. Now, this list would also include Taiwan, which is not widely recognized and is very much up for debate.
199 countries in the world if you recognized the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) otherwise known as Western Sahara, which again is not widely recognized and up for debate.
If you include all of those mentioned above: the 193 UN member states, the 2 observer states, along with Kosovo, Niue and the Cook Islands, Taiwan, and Western Sahara, we are looking at 200 countries in the world. This is quite an outlandish number!
Would you include these as countries? Let’s decide.
Holy See (Vatican City)
This doesn’t sound like a country, but it is. The Vatican City State is a sovereign, independent country, and the Pope of the Catholic Church is its head. The Holy See refers to the government of the Catholic Church.
This is the smallest country in the world, at 0.17 square miles (0.44 square km). It is considered an enclave country, which means that it is completely surrounded by another country. Currently, there are only three enclave countries in the world.
The Vatican City was granted status as a country with the signing of the Lateran Treaty in 1929, which brought the political and religious turmoil in Italy to an end.
Palestine
Palestine, like the Holy See, is an observer state (non-member state) of the UN since 2012. As of May 28, 2024, the majority of member states of the UN recognized the state of Palestine including many Middle Eastern, African and Asian countries, along with a few European countries. In June, the UN urged all member states to recognize the State of Palestine.
“All States must follow the example of 146 United Nations Member States and recognize the State of Palestine and use all political and diplomatic resources at their disposal to bring about an immediate ceasefire in Gaza,” UN experts said in a press release on June 3, 2024.
Niue and the Cook Islands
Niue and the Cook Islands were only recognized as independent, sovereign nations by the United States in 2023, so they are relatively new to our list.
Niue and the Cook Islands are separate countries, but New Zealand retains limited responsibility for them, particularly in the areas of defense and foreign affairs. Therefore, the UN does not recognize Niue or the Cook Islands as full member states.
Kosovo
Kosovo is up for much debate because it is only recognized by 100 countries. This is not enough for the UN to recognize Kosovo.
Since Kosovo’s independence in 2008, the United States has recognized Kosovo as independent and sovereign.
Taiwan
Taiwan has 13 diplomatic allies that recognize Taiwan as not having official relations with Beijing. This includes: Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, Holy See, Marshall Islands, Palau, Paraguay, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Eswatini and Tuvalu.
The United States does not support Taiwan independence as it has a longstanding One-China Policy: On January 1, 1979, the US decided to officially recognize the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the only legitimate government of China, ending its formal relationship with the government of Taiwan, which had previously been recognized as China’s legal government.
Later, in 1982, the US and China discussed Taiwan, which governs itself but is claimed by China. The US made promises to Taiwan during this time. These agreements formed the basis of the US One-China policy, which has helped keep peace between China and Taiwan over the years.
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, also known as the Sahrawi Republic and Western Sahara, has been subject to a longstanding territorial dispute between Morocco and its indigenous Sahrawi people.
It is recognized as a full member of the African Union and is seeking international recognition as an independent state.
As of now, it is not recognized as a state by the UN. It is recognized as a country, however, by some 47 UN member states.
The US recognizes full Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.
Related Question: How many continents are there in the world?
Countries of the world
The following is a list of 197 countries recognized by the United States, along with three heavily debated nations marked with an asterisk.
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Andorra
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas, The
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Belize
- Benin (Dahomey)
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso (Upper Volta)
- Burundi
- Cabo Verde
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Cook Islands
- Costa Rica
- Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Estonia
- Eswatini (Swaziland)
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- Gabon
- Gambia, The
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Greece
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Holy See (Vatican City)
- Honduras
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Micronesia
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar (Burma)
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- Netherlands, The
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Niue
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Republic of Korea (South Korea)
- Republic of the Congo
- Romania
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Samoa
- San Marino
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands, The
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Türkiye (Turkey)
- Turkmenistan
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates, The
- United Kingdom, The
- United States, The
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
- Taiwan*
- Palestine*
- Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR)*
*for your consideration.
For more details, check out our list of countries, where you can easily search for country names, capital cities, and locations in a simple table format.
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. A teacher for seven years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.