How many countries are there in the world?

The short answer is 195: the 193 member states of the United Nations plus its 2 observer states, Vatican City and Palestine.

The count depends on who you ask. A few places govern themselves and are recognised by some countries but aren’t UN members, such as Taiwan and Kosovo. Travellers often include them. VisitedAtlas counts 198 countries: Kosovo, Palestine, Taiwan, Vatican, Western Sahara, on top of the 193 UN members.

There are also 41 territories that belong to another country, like Greenland (Denmark), Puerto Rico (United States) and Hong Kong (China). They have their own flags and borders on the map, but they aren’t independent countries.

Countries by continent

Continent	UN members	All countries
Africa	52	53
Asia	46	48
Europe	43	45
North America	23	23
South America	12	12
Oceania	17	17
Total	193	198

Count the countries you’ve visited

Questions and answers

How many countries are in the UN?

193. South Sudan was the most recent to join, in 2011.

Is Taiwan a country?

Taiwan governs itself and has its own government, currency and passport, but it isn’t a UN member and only a handful of countries recognise it officially. Many travellers count it as a country.

Is Greenland a country?

Greenland is a self-governing territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, not an independent country.

Which continent has the most countries?

Africa, with 52 UN member states.