United Nations member states

There are currently 191 member states in the United Nations.

• Afghanistan -- (November 19, 1946)
• Albania -- (December 14, 1955)
• Algeria -- (October 8, 1962)
• Andorra -- (July 28, 1993)
• Angola -- (December 1, 1976)
• Antigua and Barbuda -- (November 11, 1981)
• Argentina -- (October 24, 1945)
• Armenia -- (March 2, 1992)
• Australia -- (November 1, 1945)
• Austria -- (December 14, 1955)
• Azerbaijan -- (March 2, 1992)
• Bahamas -- (September 18, 1973)
• Bahrain -- (September 21, 1971)
• Bangladesh -- (September 17, 1974)
• Barbados -- (December 9, 1966)
• Belarus -- (October 24, 1945)
• Belgium -- (December 27, 1945)
• Belize -- (September 25, 1981)
• Benin -- (September 20, 1960)
• Bhutan -- (September 21, 1971)
• Bolivia -- (November 14, 1945)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina -- (May 22, 1992) originally October 19, 1945
• Botswana -- (October 17, 1966)
• Brazil -- (October 24, 1945)
• Brunei Darussalam -- (September 21, 1984)
• Bulgaria -- (December 14, 1955)
• Burkina Faso -- (September 20, 1960)
• Burundi -- (September 18, 1962)
• Cambodia -- (December 14, 1955)
• Cameroon -- (September 20, 1960)
• Canada -- (November 9, 1945)
• Cape Verde -- (September 16, 1975)
• Central African Republic -- (September 20, 1960)
• Chad -- (September 20, 1960)
• Chile -- (October 24, 1945)
• China^* -- (October 24, 1945)
• Colombia -- (November 5, 1945)
• Comoros -- (November 12, 1975)
• Congo (Republic of the Congo) -- (September 20, 1960)
• Congo, Democratic Republic of the -- (September 20, 1960)
• Costa Rica -- (November 2, 1945)
• Côte d'Ivoire -- (September 20, 1960)
• Croatia -- (May 22, 1992) originally October 19, 1945
• Cuba -- (October 24, 1945)
• Cyprus -- (September 20, 1960)
• Czech Republic -- (January 19, 1993)
• Denmark -- (October 24, 1945)
• Djibouti -- (September 20, 1977)
• Dominica -- (December 18, 1978)
• Dominican Republic -- (October 24, 1945)
• Ecuador -- (December 21, 1945)
• Egypt -- (October 24, 1945)
• El Salvador -- (October 24, 1945)
• Equatorial Guinea -- (November 12, 1968)
• Eritrea -- (May 28, 1993)
• Estonia -- (September 17, 1991)
• Ethiopia -- (November 13, 1945)
• Fiji -- (October 13, 1970)
• Finland -- (December 14, 1955)
• France -- (October 24, 1945)
• Gabon -- (September 20, 1960)
• Gambia -- (September 21, 1965)
• Georgia -- (July 31, 1992)
• Germany -- (September 18, 1973)
• Ghana -- (March 8, 1957)
• Greece -- (October 25, 1945)
• Grenada -- (September 17, 1974)
• Guatemala -- (November 21, 1945)
• Guinea -- (December 12, 1958)
• Guinea-Bissau -- (September 17, 1974)
• Guyana -- (September 20, 1966)
• Haiti -- (October 24, 1945)
• Honduras -- (December 17, 1945)
• Hungary -- (December 14, 1955)
• Iceland -- (November 19, 1946)
• India -- (October 30, 1945)
• Indonesia -- (September 28, 1950)
• Iran, Islamic Republic of -- (October 24, 1945)
• Iraq -- (December 21, 1945)
• Ireland -- (December 14, 1955)
• Israel -- (May 11, 1949)
• Italy -- (December 14, 1955)
• Jamaica -- (September 18, 1962)
• Japan -- (December 18, 1956)
• Jordan -- (December 14, 1955)
• Kazakhstan -- (March 2, 1992)
• Kenya -- (December 16, 1963)
• Kiribati -- (September 14, 1999)
• Korea, Democratic People's Republic of (North Korea) -- (September 17, 1991)
• Korea, Republic of (South Korea) -- (September 17, 1991)
• Kuwait -- (May 14, 1963)
• Kyrgyzstan -- (March 2, 1992)
• Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos) -- (December 14, 1955)
• Latvia -- (September 17, 1991)
• Lebanon -- (October 24, 1945)
• Lesotho -- (October 17, 1966)
• Liberia -- (November 2, 1945)
• Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (Libya) -- (December 14, 1955)
• Liechtenstein -- (September 18, 1990)
• Lithuania -- (September 17, 1991)
• Luxembourg -- (October 24, 1945)
• Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia -- (April 8, 1993) originally October 19, 1945
• Madagascar -- (September 20, 1960)
• Malawi -- (December 1, 1964)
• Malaysia -- (September 17, 1957)
• Maldives -- (September 21, 1965)
• Mali -- (September 28, 1960)
• Malta -- (December 1, 1964)
• Marshall Islands -- (September 17, 1991)
• Mauritania -- (October 27, 1961)
• Mauritius -- (April 24, 1968)
• Mexico -- (November 7, 1945)
• Micronesia, Federated States of -- (September 17, 1991)
• Moldova, Republic of -- (March 2, 1992)
• Monaco -- (May 28, 1993)
• Mongolia -- (October 27, 1961)
• Morocco -- (November 12, 1956)
• Mozambique -- (September 16, 1975)
• Myanmar (Burma) -- (April 19, 1948)
• Namibia -- (April 23, 1990)
• Nauru -- (September 14, 1999)
• Nepal -- (December 14, 1955)
• Netherlands, Kingdom of -- (December 10, 1945)
• New Zealand -- (October 24, 1945)
• Nicaragua -- (October 24, 1945)
• Niger -- (September 20, 1960)
• Nigeria -- (October 7, 1960)
• Norway -- (November 27, 1945)
• Oman -- (October 7, 1971)
• Pakistan -- (September 30, 1947)
• Palau -- (December 15, 1994)
• Panama -- (November 13, 1945)
• Papua New Guinea -- (October 10, 1975)
• Paraguay -- (October 24, 1945)
• Peru -- (October 31, 1945)
• Philippines -- (October 24, 1945)
• Poland -- (October 24, 1945)
• Portugal -- (December 14, 1955)
• Qatar -- (September 21, 1971)
• Romania -- (December 14, 1955)
• Russian Federation -- (October 24, 1945)
• Rwanda -- (September 18, 1962)
• Saint Kitts and Nevis -- (September 23, 1983)
• Saint Lucia -- (September 18, 1979)
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines -- (September 16, 1980)
• Samoa -- (December 15, 1976)
• San Marino -- (March 2, 1992)
• São Tomé and Príncipe -- (September 16, 1975)
• Saudi Arabia -- (October 24, 1945)
• Senegal -- (September 28, 1960)
• Serbia and Montenegro -- (November 1, 2000 as Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, renamed on February 4, 2003) originally October 19 1945- Yugoslavia was first country to ratify UN membership
• Seychelles -- (September 21, 1976)
• Sierra Leone -- (September 27, 1961)
• Singapore -- (September 21, 1965)
• Slovakia -- (January 19, 1993)
• Slovenia -- (May 22, 1992) originally October 19, 1945
• Solomon Islands -- (September 19, 1978)
• Somalia -- (September 20, 1960)
• South Africa -- (November 7, 1945)
• Spain -- (December 14, 1955)
• Sri Lanka -- (December 14, 1955)
• Sudan -- (November 12, 1956)
• Suriname -- (December 4, 1975)
• Swaziland -- (September 24, 1968)
• Sweden -- (November 19, 1946)
• Switzerland -- (September 10, 2002)
• Syrian Arab Republic (Syria) -- (October 24, 1945)
• Tajikistan -- (March 2, 1992)
• Tanzania, United Republic of -- (December 14, 1961)
• Thailand -- (December 16, 1946)
• Timor-Leste (East Timor) -- (September 27, 2002)
• Togo -- (September 20, 1960)
• Tonga -- (September 14, 1999)
• Trinidad and Tobago -- (September 18, 1962)
• Tunisia -- (November 12, 1956)
• Turkey -- (October 24, 1945)
• Turkmenistan -- (March 2, 1992)
• Tuvalu -- (September 5, 2000)
• Uganda -- (October 25, 1962)
• Ukraine -- (October 24, 1945)
• United Arab Emirates -- (December 9, 1971)
• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland -- (October 24, 1945)
• United States of America -- (October 24, 1945)
• Uruguay -- (December 18, 1945)
• Uzbekistan -- (March 2, 1992)
• Vanuatu -- (September 15, 1981)
• Venezuela -- (November 15, 1945)
• Viet Nam -- (September 20, 1977)
• Yemen -- (September 30, 1947)
• Zambia -- (December 1, 1964)
• Zimbabwe -- (August 25, 1980)

The Seat of China

Main article: China and the United Nations

The Republic of China was one of the five original founders of the UN in 1945. However, the Kuomintang-controlled ROC government was deposed in 1949, with the new Communist government of the People's Republic of China taking control of most of the country. Representatives of the nationalist government continued to represent China at the UN, though it was often alleged that this was somewhat unfair, given the size of the ROC's jurisdiction of Taiwan (and other outlying islands) compared to the PRC's juridiction of mainland China. In October 1971, Resolution 2758 was passed by the General Assembly, effectively expelling the ROC from all UN organs and replacing the China seat on the Security Council with the PRC. Multiple attempts by the Republic of China to re-join the UN, no longer to represent "China" as a whole but the "twenty-three million people of the Republic of China on Taiwan," have not made it past committee.

Observer States

In addition to the member states discussed above, there is also a non-member observer state: the Holy See (Vatican City State), which maintains a permanent observer mission at the UN headquarters. The Vatican is the smallest sovereign country in the world.

Some international organizations have a similar observer status; see UN General Assembly for a list.

External link

• Official list of member states, including membership history