How many independent countries are there in the world

The three places often considered de facto independent countries despite zero recognition from UN members are Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), Transnistria, and Somaliland. The Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic, which shared this status until recently, have now been recognized by Russia and joined the list of "States With Partial Recognition" (see previous section).

Our accounting no longer includes the so-called "Islamic State" (IS; formerly ISIS or ISIL), which made a plausible claim to independence from about 2014 to 2020. Though its fighters still dominate some remote areas, they don't seem to be consistently governing any populated places anymore after losing most of their territory in Syria, Iraq, and Libya. 

And though a supposedly IS-affiliated rebel group is still fighting for territorial control in Mozambique, it no longer holds consistent control of any towns, and in any case IS headquarters doesn't seem to have direct control of the group.

How many countries are there in the world? While this might seem to be a simple question, the answer is quite complicated.

The problem is that different organizations have different stances on exactly what it takes to qualify as a country. Depending on the source, the number of countries can vary quite considerably, and there is no universal agreement on the total.

That said, the United Nations is generally regarded as the de facto authority on nationhood. Currently, the U.N. recognizes 193 countries as member states. It also recognizes two "observers states", the Holy See/Vatican City and Palestine, which are self-ruling territories but not full-fledged countries.

However, even the U.N. list is not free of controversy. The U.N. does not currently acknowledge the self-governed territory of Taiwan (Republic of China), which was a member of the U.N. from 1945 to 1971, but is now considered a territory of mainland China. Similarly, as of 2020, roughly half of U.N. members still considered Kosovo to be part of Serbia rather than its own nation.

By comparison, Britannica's list of countries grants full nation-hood rights to Vatican City, Taiwan, and Kosovo for a total of 196 countries. Then there's Wikipedia's list of sovereign states, which mirrors the U.N.'s list of 193 countries and two observer states, then adds eleven sovereign states, including Taiwan, Kosovo, Northern Cyprus, Cook Islands, and more for a total of 206.

Perhaps the most puzzling non-country is Greenland, a massive island between the north Atlantic and Arctic oceans, which certainly looks like it ought to be its own country—just like its tiny neighbor, Iceland. However, Greenland is not a U.N. member country and, while it controls many of its own domestic affairs, it is ultimately controlled by Denmark, a European country even tinier than Iceland, thousands of miles away.

Other sources use a less rigid definition of country and give dependent and disputed territories such as Greenland and the Gaza Strip their own separate listings. This is the reason the United States' CIA Factbook lists 237 countries.

All of this demonstrates that it is not so simple to determine the exact number of countries there are in the world. Moreover, and the constantly changing nature of politics means that issues around sovereignty are unlikely to ever be fully resolved.

For the ultimate list of not just countries, but also territories and regions that have some degree of self-governance but are not universally considered fully-fledged countries, check the table below.

Likewise, some nations or regions of the world have declared their independence and are recognized by a majority of UN member states yet are not part of the United Nations. Kosovo, a region of Serbia that declared independence in 2008, is one such example. 

Nations Recognized by the United States

The United States officially recognizes other nations through the State Department. As of March 2019, the State Department recognized 195 independent countries around the world. This list reflects the political agenda of the United States of America and its allies.

Unlike the United Nations, the United States maintains full diplomatic relations with Kosovo and the Vatican. However, one nation is missing from the State Department's list that should be on it.

The Nation That Isn't

The island of Taiwan, formally known as the Republic of China, meets the requirements for an independent country or state status. However, all but a handful of nations refuse to recognize Taiwan as an independent nation. The political reasons for this date back to the late 1940s, when the Republic of China was ousted from mainland China by Mao Tse Tung's communist rebels and ROC leaders fled to Taiwan. The communist People's Republic of China maintains that it has authority over Taiwan, and relations between the island and mainland have been strained.

Taiwan was actually a member of the United Nations (and even the Security Council) until 1971 when mainland China replaced Taiwan in the organization. Taiwan, which has the world's 29th-largest economy, continues to press for full recognition by others. But China, with its growing economic, military, and political clout, has largely been able to shape the dialogue on this issue. As a result, Taiwan cannot fly its flag at international events such as the Olympics and must be referred to as Chinese Taipei in some diplomatic situations.

Territories, Colonies, and Other Non-Nations

Dozens of territories and colonies are sometimes erroneously called countries but don't count because they're governed by other countries. Places commonly confused as being countries include Puerto Rico, Bermuda, Greenland, Palestine, and Western Sahara. The components of the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England) are not fully independent countries, either, though they do enjoy a degree of autonomy. When dependent territories are included, the United Nations recognizes a total of 241 countries and territories. 

So How Many Countries Are There?

If you use the U.S. State Department's list of recognized nations and also include Taiwan, there are 196 countries in the world. The same number is reached if you count the UN voting members, its two permanent observers, and Taiwan. This is why 196 is probably the best current answer to the question.

View Article Sources

1. “Country/Area List.” United Nations.

2. “Independent States in the World - United States Department of State.” U.S. Department of State.

3. “Member States.” United Nations.

Cite this Article

Format

Your Citation

Rosenberg, Matt. "The Number of Countries in the World." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/number-of-countries-in-the-world-1433445 (accessed November 30, 2022).

What countries are now independent?

Which country is No 1 in world?

What is the 197 country in the world?

Which countries are not independent?