Member states of the United Nations

For the League of Nations, see Member states of the League of Nations.

  193 United Nations member states
  2 UN General Assembly observer states (the Holy See[a] and the State of Palestine)
  2 eligible non-member states (the Cook Islands and Niue)[1][2]
  17 non-self-governing territories
  Antarctica (assertion of territorial claims suspended under the Antarctic Treaty System)
A long row of flags
Flags of the member states of the United Nations, in front of the Palace of Nations (Geneva, Switzerland). Since 2015, the flags of the two observer states are raised alongside those of the 193 member states.

The member states of the United Nations comprise 193 sovereign states. The United Nations (UN) is the world's largest intergovernmental organization. All members have equal representation in the UN General Assembly.[3]

The Charter of the United Nations defines the rules for admission of member states. Membership is open to all states which accept certain terms of the charter and are able to carry them out. New members must be recommended by the United Nations Security Council. In addition to the member states, the UN also invites non-member states to be observer states at the UN General Assembly. A member state that has persistently violated the principles of the United Nations Charter can be expelled from the United Nations.[4]


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  1. ^ "UN: "Data for 197 countries: all 193 member states, two observer states (the Holy See and Palestine), and two non-member states (Cook Islands and Niue)"" (PDF). UN.org. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  2. ^ "United Nations - The World Today". UN.org. 1 September 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  3. ^ "What are Member States?". United Nations.
  4. ^ "Frequently asked questions". United Nations Office at Vienna. Retrieved 17 December 2023.