While it may seem simple, the question ‘How many countries are there in the world?’ has no easy and definitive answer.
The total number of countries in the world differs from source to source – just as the number of continents. Many point to the UN’s list of officially recognised nations as a definitive answer to the question, but this isn’t without its controversies.
The UN, for example, doesn’t recognise the territories of Vatican City (the smallest country in the world) or Palestine as fully-fledged countries, instead listing them as observer states (nations that can speak at the United Nations General Assembly meetings, but cannot vote on resolutions).
In the UN's list, too, are more controversial omissions. Taiwan isn’t recognised by the organisation, nor is Kosovo or Hong Kong. Outside the UN, such territories are recognised by some, but not by others. It's complex and very political.
Depending on who you ask, the total number of countries on Earth ranges anywhere between 193 to 237. This is ultimately because there are a lot of disputed zones and nations that hold either full or partial sovereignty around the world.
How many countries are there in the world?
There are 195 recognised countries in the world, according to the United Nations. 193 of these are member states of the UN, while two countries are non-member observer states: Vatican City and the State of Palestine.
Other organisations list a different number of countries on Earth, with US intelligence agency the CIA listing 237 countries in total.
Below, you’ll find the complete list of UN-recognised fully sovereign and independent countries but it is worth reiterating that many other nations exist that consider themselves fully-fledged nations.
Full list of countries in the world
Here are the 193 countries in the world that are full UN member states.
| Country | Capital city | Population | Size in km squared (K=thousand, M=million) |
| Afghanistan | Kabul | 42,239,854 | 652.2K |
| Albania | Tirana | 2,832,439 | 28.7K |
| Algeria | Algiers | 45,606,480 | 2.4M |
| Andorra | Andorra la Vella | 80,088 | 468 |
| Angola | Luanda | 36,684,202 | 1.2M |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Saint John's | 94,298 | 442 |
| Argentina | Buenos Aires | 45,773,884 | 2.8M |
| Armenia | Yerevan | 2,777,970 | 29.7K |
| Australia | Canberra | 26,439,111 | 7.7M |
| Austria | Vienna | 8,958,960 | 83.9K |
| Azerbaijan | Baku | 10,412,651 | 86.6K |
| Bahamas | Nassau | 412,623 | 13.9K |
| Bahrain | Manama | 1,485,509 | 765 |
| Bangladesh | Dhaka | 172,954,319 | 147.6K |
| Barbados | Bridgetown | 281,995 | 430 |
| Belarus | Minsk | 9,498,238 | 207.6K |
| Belgium | Brussels | 11,686,140 | 30.5K |
| Belize | Belmopan | 410,825 | 23K |
| Benin | Porto-Novo | 13,712,828 | 112.6K |
| Bhutan | Thimphu | 787,424 | 38.4K |
| Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | Sucre | 12,388,571 | 1.1M |
| Bosnia And Herzegovina | Sarajevo | 3,210,847 | 51.2K |
| Botswana | Gaborone | 2,675,352 | 582K |
| Brazil | Brasília | 216,422,446 | 8.5M |
| Brunei Darussalam | Bandar Seri Begawan | 452,524 | 5.8K |
| Bulgaria | Sofia | 6,687,717 | 110.9K |
| Burkina Faso | Ouagadougou | 23,251,485 | 273K |
| Burundi | Gitega & Bujumbura | 13,238,559 | 27.8K |
| Cambodia | Phnom Penh | 16,944,826 | 181K |
| Cameroon | Yaoundé | 28,647,293 | 475.4K |
| Canada | Ottawa | 38,781,291 | 10M |
| Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) | Praia | 598,682 | 4K |
| Central African Republic | Bangui | 5,742,315 | 623K |
| Chad | N'Djamena | 18,278,568 | 1.3M |
| Chile | Santiago | 19,629,590 | 756.1K |
| China | Beijing | 1,425,671,352 | 9.7M |
| Colombia | Bogotá | 52,085,168 | 1.1M |
| Comoros | Moroni | 852,075 | 1.9K |
| Congo | Brazzaville | 6,106,869 | 342K |
| Costa Rica | San José | 5,212,173 | 51.1K |
| Côte D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) | Yamoussoukro | 28,873,034 | 322.5K |
| Croatia | Zagreb | 4,008,617 | 56.6K |
| Cuba | Havana | 11,194,449 | 109.9K |
| Cyprus | Nicosia | 1,260,138 | 9.3K |
| Czechia (Czech Republic) | Prague | 10,495,295 | 78.9K |
| Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) | Pyongyang | 26,160,821 | 120.5K |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Kinshasa | 102,262,808 | 2.3M |
| Denmark | Copenhagen | 5,910,913 | 43.1K |
| Djibouti | Djibouti City | 1,136,455 | 23.2K |
| Dominica | Roseau | 73,040 | 751 |
| Dominican Republic | Santo Domingo | 11,332,972 | 48.7K |
| Ecuador | Quito | 18,190,484 | 276.8K |
| Egypt | Cairo | 112,716,598 | 1M |
| El Salvador | San Salvador | 6,364,943 | 21K |
| Equatorial Guinea | Malabo | 1,714,671 | 28.1K |
| Eritrea | Asmara | 3,748,901 | 117.6K |
| Estonia | Tallinn | 1,322,765 | 45.2K |
| Eswatini | Mbabane & Lobamba | 1,210,822 | 17.4K |
| Ethiopia | Addis Ababa | 126,527,060 | 1.1M |
| Fiji | Suva | 936,375 | 18.3K |
| Finland | Helsinki | 5,545,475 | 338.4K |
| France | Paris | 64,756,584 | 551.7K |
| Gabon | Libreville | 2,436,566 | 267.7K |
| Gambia (Republic of The) | Banjul | 2,773,168 | 10.7K |
| Georgia | Tbilisi | 3,728,282 | 69.7K |
| Germany | Berlin | 83,294,633 | 357.1K |
| Ghana | Accra | 34,121,985 | 238.5K |
| Greece | Athens | 10,341,277 | 132K |
| Grenada | St. George's | 126,183 | 344 |
| Guatemala | Guatemala City | 18,092,026 | 108.9K |
| Guinea | Conakry | 14,190,612 | 245.9K |
| Guinea Bissau | Bissau | 2,150,842 | 36.1K |
| Guyana | Georgetown | 813,834 | 215K |
| Haiti | Port-au-Prince | 11,724,763 | 27.8K |
| Honduras | Tegucigalpa | 10,593,798 | 112.5K |
| Hungary | Budapest | 10,156,239 | 93K |
| Iceland | Reykjavík | 375,318 | 103K |
| India | New Delhi | 1,428,627,663 | 3.3M |
| Indonesia | Jakarta | 277,534,122 | 1.9M |
| Iran (Islamic Republic of) | Tehran | 89,172,767 | 1.6M |
| Iraq | Baghdad | 45,504,560 | 438.3K |
| Ireland | Dublin | 5,056,935 | 70.3K |
| Israel | Jerusalem (disputed) | 9,174,520 | 20.8K |
| Italy | Rome | 58,870,762 | 301.3K |
| Jamaica | Kingston | 2,825,544 | 11K |
| Japan | Tokyo | 123,294,513 | 377.9K |
| Jordan | Amman | 11,337,052 | 89.3K |
| Kazakhstan | Astana | 19,606,633 | 2.7M |
| Kenya | Nairobi | 55,100,586 | 580.4K |
| Kiribati | South Tarawa | 133,515 | 811 |
| Kuwait | Kuwait City | 4,310,108 | 17.8K |
| Kyrgyzstan | Bishkek | 6,735,347 | 200K |
| Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos) | Vientiane | 7,633,779 | 236.8K |
| Latvia | Riga | 1,830,211 | 64.6K |
| Lebanon | Beirut | 5,353,930 | 10.5K |
| Lesotho | Maseru | 2,330,318 | 30.4K |
| Liberia | Monrovia | 5,418,377 | 111.4K |
| Libya | Tripoli | 6,888,388 | 1.8M |
| Liechtenstein | Vaduz | 39,584 | 160 |
| Lithuania | Vilnius | 2,718,352 | 65.3K |
| Luxembourg | Luxembourg City | 654,768 | 2.6K |
| Madagascar | Antananarivo | 30,325,732 | 587K |
| Malawi | Lilongwe | 20,931,751 | 118.5K |
| Malaysia | Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur | 34,308,525 | 330.8K |
| Maldives | Malé | 521,021 | 300 |
| Mali | Bamako | 23,293,698 | 1.2M |
| Malta | Valletta | 535,064 | 316 |
| Marshall Islands | Delap-Uliga-Djarrit | 41,996 | 181 |
| Mauritania | Nouakchott | 4,862,989 | 1M |
| Mauritius | Port Louis | 1,300,557 | 2K |
| Mexico | Mexico City | 128,455,567 | 2M |
| Micronesia (Federated States of) | Palikir | 115,224 | 702 |
| Monaco | Monaco | 36,297 | 2 |
| Mongolia | Ulaanbaatar | 3,447,157 | 1.6M |
| Montenegro | Podgorica | 626,485 | 13.8K |
| Morocco | Rabat | 37,840,044 | 446.6K |
| Mozambique | Maputo | 33,897,354 | 801.6K |
| Myanmar | Naypyidaw | 54,577,997 | 676.6K |
| Namibia | Windhoek | 2,604,172 | 825.6K |
| Nauru | Yaren | 12,780 | 21 |
| Nepal | Kathmandu | 30,896,590 | 147.2K |
| Netherlands | Amsterdam | 17,618,299 | 41.9K |
| New Zealand | Wellington | 5,228,100 | 270.5K |
| Nicaragua | Managua | 7,046,310 | 130.4K |
| Niger | Niamey | 27,202,843 | 1.3M |
| Nigeria | Abuja | 223,804,632 | 923.8K |
| North Macedonia | Skopje | 2,085,679 | 25.7K |
| Norway | Oslo | 5,474,360 | 323.8K |
| Oman | Muscat | 4,644,384 | 309.5K |
| Pakistan | Islamabad | 240,485,658 | 881.9K |
| Palau | Ngerulmud | 18,058 | 459 |
| Panama | Panama City | 4,468,087 | 75.4K |
| Papua New Guinea | Port Moresby | 10,329,931 | 462.8K |
| Paraguay | Asunción | 6,861,524 | 406.8K |
| Peru | Lima | 34,352,719 | 1.3M |
| Philippines | Manila | 117,337,368 | 342.4K |
| Poland | Warsaw | 41,026,067 | 312.7K |
| Portugal | Lisbon | 10,247,605 | 92.1K |
| Qatar | Doha | 2,716,391 | 11.6K |
| Republic of Korea (South Korea) | Seoul | 51,784,059 | 100.2K |
| Republic of Moldova | Chişinău | 3,435,931 | 33.8K |
| Romania | Bucharest | 19,892,812 | 238.4K |
| Russian Federation (Russia) | Moscow | 144,444,359 | 17.1M |
| Rwanda | Kigali | 14,094,683 | 26.3K |
| Saint Kitts And Nevis | Basseterre | 47,755 | 261 |
| Saint Lucia | Castries | 180,251 | 616 |
| Saint Vincent And The Grenadines | Kingstown | 103,698 | 389 |
| Samoa | Apia | 225,681 | 2.8K |
| San Marino | San Marino | 33,642 | 61 |
| Sao Tome And Principe | São Tomé | 231,856 | 964 |
| Saudi Arabia | Riyadh | 36,947,025 | 2.1M |
| Senegal | Dakar | 17,763,163 | 196.7K |
| Serbia | Belgrade | 7,149,077 | 88.4K |
| Seychelles | Victoria | 107,660 | 452 |
| Sierra Leone | Freetown | 8,791,092 | 71.7K |
| Singapore | Singapore | 6,014,723 | 710 |
| Slovakia | Bratislava | 5,795,199 | 49K |
| Slovenia | Ljubljana | 2,119,675 | 20.3K |
| Solomon Islands | Honiara | 740,424 | 28.9K |
| Somalia | Mogadishu | 18,143,378 | 637.7K |
| South Africa | Pretoria, Cape Town & Bloemfontein | 60,414,495 | 1.2M |
| South Sudan | Juba | 11,088,796 | 619.7K |
| Spain | Madrid | 47,519,628 | 506K |
| Sri Lanka | Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte & Colombo | 21,893,579 | 65.6K |
| Sudan | Khartoum | 48,109,006 | 1.9M |
| Suriname | Paramaribo | 623,236 | 163.8K |
| Sweden | Stockholm | 10,612,086 | 450.3K |
| Switzerland | Bern (de facto) (technically no capital) | 8,796,669 | 41.3K |
| Syrian Arab Republic (Syria) | Damascus | 23,227,014 | 185.2K |
| Tajikistan | Dushanbe | 10,143,543 | 143.1K |
| Thailand | Bangkok | 71,801,279 | 513.1K |
| Timor-Leste | Dili | 1,360,596 | 14.9K |
| Togo | Lomé | 9,053,799 | 56.8K |
| Tonga | Nuku'alofa | 107,773 | 747 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Port of Spain | 1,534,937 | 5.1K |
| Tunisia | Tunis | 12,458,223 | 163.6K |
| Türkiye (Turkey) | Ankara | 85,816,199 | 783.6K |
| Turkmenistan | Ashgabat | 6,516,100 | 488.1K |
| Tuvalu | Funafuti | 11,396 | 26 |
| Uganda | Kampala | 48,582,334 | 241.6K |
| Ukraine | Kyiv | 36,744,634 | 603.5K |
| United Arab Emirates | Abu Dhabi | 9,516,871 | 83.6K |
| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | London | 67,736,802 | 242.9K |
| United Republic of Tanzania (Tanzania) | Dodoma | 67,438,106 | 945.1K |
| United States of America | Washington, D.C. | 339,996,563 | 9.4M |
| Uruguay | Montevideo | 3,423,108 | 181K |
| Uzbekistan | Tashkent | 35,163,944 | 447.4K |
| Vanuatu | Port Vila | 334,506 | 12.2K |
| Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of | Caracas | 28,838,499 | 916.4K |
| Viet Nam | Hanoi | 98,858,950 | 331.2K |
| Yemen | Sanaa | 34,449,825 | 528K |
| Zambia | Lusaka | 20,569,737 | 752.6K |
| Zimbabwe | Harare | 16,665,409 | 390.8K |
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