How Many Countries Are There in the World? (And Why Nobody Agrees)
· 4 min read
How many countries are there in the world?
There are 195 countries in the world under the most widely used definition: the 193 member states of the United Nations plus 2 non-member observer states, the Holy See and the State of Palestine.
UN membership is the closest thing the world has to an official register of countries. The newest member is South Sudan, admitted on 14 July 2011 as the 193rd member state — no country has joined since. The two observers sit in the General Assembly, speak in debates, but cannot vote. Palestine was granted that status by resolution 67/19 on 29 November 2012.
Why do different organisations give different numbers?
Different organisations give different numbers because no single global authority decides what counts as a country. Each body draws its own line based on what it needs the list for — voting rights, football fixtures, statistical codes, or diplomatic recognition.
| Organisation | Count | What it is counting |
|---|---|---|
| United Nations | 193 | Full member states |
| UN + observers | 195 | Members plus Holy See and Palestine |
| US State Department | 197 | States the US recognises as independent |
| International Olympic Committee | 206 | National Olympic Committees |
| FIFA | 211 | Football associations, including territories |
| ISO 3166-1 | 249 | Country and territory codes |
| CIA World Factbook | 262 | Entries, including oceans and dependencies |
The US figure of 197 is higher than 195 because Washington recognises Kosovo, and in September 2023 added the Cook Islands and Niue — two states in free association with New Zealand. It does not recognise Palestine.
Is Taiwan a country?
Taiwan meets every practical test of statehood — territory, population, government, currency, passport — but as of 2026 only 12 states maintain formal diplomatic relations with it. That list is 11 UN members plus the Holy See, down from 22 in 2016.
The turning point was UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, adopted on 25 October 1971, which recognised the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate representative of China at the UN. Taiwan has had no seat since. Most countries, including the United States and most of Europe, maintain unofficial trade and cultural offices in Taipei instead of embassies.
Is Kosovo a country?
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008 and is recognised by over 100 UN member states, but the exact figure is itself disputed. Kosovo's foreign ministry claims 115 recognitions; Serbia argues that roughly two dozen states have since withdrawn theirs, putting the real number closer to 84.
The International Court of Justice ruled on 22 July 2010, by 10 votes to 4, that Kosovo's declaration of independence "did not violate international law". The Court was careful to add that it had not been asked whether Kosovo is a state — recognition is a political act, not a legal verdict. Russia and China both oppose Kosovo's UN membership, and as permanent Security Council members they can block it.
Is Palestine a country?
Palestine is recognised as a sovereign state by 157 of 193 UN member states — just over 81% — as of September 2025. That share crossed 80% for the first time in September 2025, when France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium and several others recognised it within a single week.
Palestine cannot become a full UN member without a Security Council recommendation, which the United States has repeatedly vetoed.
So what number should a quiz use?
A map quiz should stay close to 195, because that matches the UN list atlases, textbooks and search engines default to. It is the number most geography curricula teach, and the number that lets one player's score be compared with another's.
Mappari quizzes 196: the 193 UN members, the two observer states, and Taiwan, which has its own territory, government and flag and appears in essentially every geography quiz.
Territories and dependencies such as Greenland, Puerto Rico and Hong Kong are drawn on the map and can be examined in Explore mode, but are never asked about, for a simple reason: they are not countries. Several contested territories are not drawn separately at all, because of which worldview the map is built from — see why world maps disagree for exactly what that means here.
Put it into practice: try the world locate quiz or the flags quiz.