What countries are in the United Nations?

 

In 1945, representatives of 50 countries met in San Francisco to draw up the United Nations Charter. The Organization officially came into existence on 24 October 1945, with a core group of 51 countries signing up to it straight away.

 

 

The United Nations Charter

The UN Charter is the document that describes, among other things, what the organisation is supposed to do, how it should do it, how members join and what their rights and responsibilities are. All the member countries have to agree with the Charter.

 

What does the United Nations Do?
 
The purposes of the United Nations are to...

.

The number of member countries has often changed since the beginnings of the UN, with more countries joining, and some older ones leaving as they were broken up to form newer countries

 

This list shows all the member countries up to the middle of 2006, showing the name of the country and the date on which it became a member.

 

 

Country or State Date of Joining the United Nations
small image of this countrys flag Afghanistan 19 Nov. 1946
small image of this countrys flag Albania 14 Dec. 1955
small image of this countrys flag Algeria 08 Oct. 1962
small image of this countrys flag Andorra 28 July 1993
small image of this countrys flag Angola 01 Dec. 1976
small image of this countrys flag Antigua and Barbuda 11 Nov. 1981
small image of this countrys flag Argentina 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Armenia 2 Mar. 1992
small image of this countrys flag Australia 01 Nov. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Austria 14 Dec. 1955
small image of this countrys flag Azerbaijan 02 Mar. 1992
small image of this countrys flag Bahamas 18 Sep. 1973
small image of this countrys flag Bahrain 21 Sep. 1971
small image of this countrys flag Bangladesh 17 Sep. 1974
small image of this countrys flag Barbados 09 Dec. 1966
small image of this countrys flag Belarus (formerly Byelorussia) 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Belgium 27 Dec. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Belize 25 Sep. 1981
small image of this countrys flag Benin 20 Sep. 1960
small image of this countrys flag Bhutan 21 Sep. 1971
small image of this countrys flag Bolivia 14 Nov. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Bosnia and Herzegovina (note 1) 22 May 1992
small image of this countrys flag Botswana 17 Oct. 1966
small image of this countrys flag Brazil 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Brunei Darussalam 21 Sep. 1984
small image of this countrys flag Bulgaria 14 Dec. 1955
small image of this countrys flag Burkina Faso 20 Sep. 1960
small image of this countrys flag Burundi 18 Sep. 1962
small image of this countrys flag Cambodia 14 Dec. 1955
small image of this countrys flag Cameroon 20 Sep. 1960
small image of this countrys flag Canada 09 Nov. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Cape Verde 16 Sep. 1975
small image of this countrys flag Central African Republic 20 Sep. 1960
small image of this countrys flag Chad 20 Sep. 1960
small image of this countrys flag Chile 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag China 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Colombia 05 Nov. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Comoros 12 Nov. 1975
small image of this countrys flag Congo (Republic of the) 20 Sep. 1960
small image of this countrys flag Costa Rica 02 Nov. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Cote d'Ivoire 20 Sep. 1960
small image of this countrys flag Croatia (note 1) 22 May 1992
small image of this countrys flag Cuba 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Cyprus 20 Sep. 1960
small image of this countrys flag Czech Republic (note 2) 19 Jan. 1993
small image of this countrys flag Democratic People's Republic of Korea 17 Sep. 1991
small image of this countrys flag Democratic Republic of the Congo (note 3) 20 Sep. 1960
small image of this countrys flag Denmark 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Djibouti 20 Sep. 1977
small image of this countrys flag Dominica 18 Dec. 1978
small image of this countrys flag Dominican Republic 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Ecuador 21 Dec. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Egypt (note 4) 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag El Salvador 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Equatorial Guinea 12 Nov. 1968
small image of this countrys flag Eritrea 28 May 1993
small image of this countrys flag Estonia 17 Sep. 1991
small image of this countrys flag Ethiopia 13 Nov. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Fiji 13 Oct. 1970
small image of this countrys flag Finland 14 Dec. 1955
small image of this countrys flag France 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Gabon 20 Sep. 1960
small image of this countrys flag Gambia 21 Sep. 1965
small image of this countrys flag Georgia 31 July 1992
small image of this countrys flag Germany (note 5) 18 Sep. 1973
small image of this countrys flag Ghana 08 Mar. 1957
small image of this countrys flag Greece 25 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Grenada 17 Sep. 1974
small image of this countrys flag Guatemala 21 Nov. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Guinea 12 Dec. 1958
small image of this countrys flag Guinea-Bissau 17 Sep. 1974
small image of this countrys flag Guyana 20 Sep. 1966
small image of this countrys flag Haiti 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Honduras 17 Dec. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Hungary 14 Dec. 1955
small image of this countrys flag Iceland 19 Nov. 1946
small image of this countrys flag India 30 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Indonesia (note 6) 28 Sep. 1950
small image of this countrys flag Iran (Islamic Republic of) 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Iraq 21 Dec. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Ireland 14 Dec. 1955
small image of this countrys flag Israel 11 May 1949
small image of this countrys flag Italy 14 Dec. 1955
small image of this countrys flag Jamaica 18 Sep. 1962
small image of this countrys flag Japan 18 Dec. 1956
small image of this countrys flag Jordan 14 Dec. 1955
small image of this countrys flag Kazakhstan 02 Mar. 1992
small image of this countrys flag Kenya 16 Dec. 1963
small image of this countrys flag Kiribati 14 Sept. 199
small image of this countrys flag Kuwait 14 May 1963
small image of this countrys flag Kyrgyzstan 02 Mar. 1992
small image of this countrys flag Lao People's Democratic Republic 14 Dec. 1955
small image of this countrys flag Latvia 17 Sep. 1991
small image of this countrys flag Lebanon 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Lesotho 17 Oct. 1966
small image of this countrys flag Liberia 02 Nov. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 14 Dec. 1955
small image of this countrys flag Liechtenstein 18 Sep. 1990
small image of this countrys flag Lithuania 17 Sep. 1991
small image of this countrys flag Luxembourg 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Madagascar 20 Sep. 1960
small image of this countrys flag Malawi 01 Dec. 1964
small image of this countrys flag Malaysia (note 7) 17 Sep. 1957
small image of this countrys flag Maldives 21 Sep. 1965
small image of this countrys flag Mali 28 Sep. 1960
small image of this countrys flag Malta 01 Dec. 1964
small image of this countrys flag Marshall Islands 17 Sep. 1991
small image of this countrys flag Mauritania 27 Oct. 1961
small image of this countrys flag Mauritius 24 Apr. 1968
small image of this countrys flag Mexico 07 Nov. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Micronesia (Federated States of) 17 Sep. 1991
small image of this countrys flag Monaco 28 May 1993
small image of this countrys flag Mongolia 27 Oct. 1961
small image of this countrys flag Montenegro (note 8) 28 June 2006
small image of this countrys flag Morocco 12 Nov. 1956
small image of this countrys flag Mozambique 16 Sep. 1975
small image of this countrys flag Myanmar 19 Apr. 1948
small image of this countrys flag Namibia 23 Apr. 1990
small image of this countrys flag Nauru 14 Sept. 1999
small image of this countrys flag Nepal 14 Dec. 1955
small image of this countrys flag Netherlands 10 Dec. 1945
small image of this countrys flag New Zealand 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Nicaragua 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Niger 20 Sep. 1960
small image of this countrys flag Nigeria 07 Oct. 1960
small image of this countrys flag Norway 27 Nov. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Oman 07 Oct. 1971
small image of this countrys flag Pakistan 30 Sep. 1947
small image of this countrys flag Palau 15 Dec. 1994
small image of this countrys flag Panama 13 Nov. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Papua New Guinea 10 Oct. 1975
small image of this countrys flag Paraguay 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Peru 31 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Philippines 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Poland 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Portugal 14 Dec. 1955
small image of this countrys flag Qatar 21 Sep. 1971
small image of this countrys flag Republic of Korea 17 Sep. 1991
small image of this countrys flag Republic of Moldova 02 Mar. 1992
small image of this countrys flag Romania 14 Dec. 1955
small image of this countrys flag Russian Federation (note 9) 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Rwanda 18 Sep. 1962
small image of this countrys flag Saint Kitts and Nevis 23 Sep. 1983
small image of this countrys flag Saint Lucia 18 Sep. 1979
small image of this countrys flag Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 16 Sep. 1980
small image of this countrys flag Samoa 15 Dec. 1976
small image of this countrys flag San Marino 02 Mar. 1992
small image of this countrys flag Sao Tome and Principe 16 Sep. 1975
small image of this countrys flag Saudi Arabia 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Senegal 28 Sep. 1960
small image of this countrys flag Serbia (note 10) 01 Nov. 2000
small image of this countrys flag Seychelles 21 Sep. 1976
small image of this countrys flag Sierra Leone 27 Sep. 1961
small image of this countrys flag Singapore 21 Sep. 1965
small image of this countrys flag Slovakia (note 11) 19 Jan. 1993
small image of this countrys flag Slovenia (note 12) 22 May 1992
small image of this countrys flag Solomon Islands 19 Sep. 1978
small image of this countrys flag Somalia 20 Sep. 1960
small image of this countrys flag South Africa 07 Nov. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Spain 14 Dec. 1955
small image of this countrys flag Sri Lanka 14 Dec. 1955
small image of this countrys flag Sudan 12 Nov. 1956
small image of this countrys flag Suriname 04 Dec. 1975
small image of this countrys flag Swaziland 24 Sep. 1968
small image of this countrys flag Sweden 19 Nov. 1946
small image of this countrys flag Switzerland 10 Sep. 2002
small image of this countrys flag Syrian Arab Republic (note 13) 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Tajikistan 02 Mar. 1992
small image of this countrys flag Thailand 16 Dec. 1946
small image of this countrys flag Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (note 14) 08 Apr. 1993
small image of this countrys flag Timor-Leste 27 Sep. 2002
small image of this countrys flag Togo 20 Sep. 1960
small image of this countrys flag Tonga 14 Sep. 1999
small image of this countrys flag Trinidad and Tobago 18 Sep. 1962
small image of this countrys flag Tunisia 12 Nov. 1956
small image of this countrys flag Turkey 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Turkmenistan 02 Mar. 1992
small image of this countrys flag Tuvalu 05 Sept. 2000
small image of this countrys flag Uganda 25 Oct. 1962
small image of this countrys flag Ukraine 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag United Arab Emirates 09 Dec. 1971
small image of this countrys flag United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag United Republic of Tanzania (note 15) 14 Dec. 1961
small image of this countrys flag United States of America 24 Oct. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Uruguay 18 Dec. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Uzbekistan 02 Mar. 1992
small image of this countrys flag Vanuatu 15 Sep. 1981
small image of this countrys flag Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 15 Nov. 1945
small image of this countrys flag Viet Nam 20 Sep. 1977
small image of this countrys flag Yemen (note 16) 30 Sep. 1947
small image of this countrys flag Zambia 01 Dec. 1964
small image of this countrys flag Zimbabwe 25 Aug. 1980

 

1. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was an original Member of the United Nations, the Charter having been signed on its behalf on 26 June 1945 and ratified 19 October 1945, until its dissolution following the establishment and subsequent admission as new members of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Slovenia, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was admitted as a Member of the United Nations by General Assembly resolution A/RES/46/237 of 22 May 1992.

The Republic of Croatia was admitted as a Member of the United Nations by General Assembly resolution A/RES/46/238 of 22 May 1992.

2. Czechoslovakia was an original Member of the United Nations from 24 October 1945. In a letter dated 10 December 1992, its Permanent Representative informed the Secretary-General that the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic would cease to exist on 31 December 1992 and that the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, as successor States, would apply for membership in the United Nations. Following the receipt of its application, the Security Council, on 8 January 1993, recommended to the General Assembly that the Czech Republic be admitted to United Nations membership. The Czech Republic was thus admitted on 19 January of that year as a Member State.

3. Zaire joined the United Nations on 20 September 1960. On 17 May 1997, its name was changed to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

4. Egypt and Syria were original Members of the United Nations from 24 October 1945. Following a plebiscite on 21 February 1958, the United Arab Republic was established by a union of Egypt and Syria and continued as a single Member. On 13 October 1961, Syria, having resumed its status as an independent State, resumed its separate membership in the United Nations.  On 2 September 1971, the United Arab Republic changed its name to the Arab Republic of Egypt.

5. The Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic were admitted to membership in the United Nations on 18 September 1973.  Through the accession of the German Democratic Republic to the Federal Republic of Germany, effective from 3 October 1990, the two German States have united to form one sovereign State.

6. By letter of 20 January 1965, Indonesia announced its decision to withdraw from the United Nations "at this stage and under the present circumstances". By telegram of 19 September 1966, it announced its decision "to resume full cooperation with the United Nations and to resume participation in its activities". On 28 September 1966, the General Assembly took note of this decision and the President invited representatives of Indonesia to take seats in the Assembly.

7. The Federation of Malaya joined the United Nations on 17 September 1957.  On 16 September 1963, its name was changed to Malaysia, following the admission to the new federation of Singapore, Sabah (North Borneo) and Sarawak. Singapore became an independent State on 9 August 1965 and a Member of the United Nations on 21 September 1965.

8. The membership of the State Union Serbia and Montenegro in the United Nations, including all organs and organizations of the United Nations system, is continued by the Republic of Serbia on the basis of Article 60 of the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro, activated by the Declaration of Independence adopted by the National Assembly of Montenegro on 3 June 2006.

The Republic of Montenegro was admitted as a Member of the United Nations by General Assembly resolution 60/264 of 28 June 2006.

9. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was an original Member of the United Nations from 24 October 1945. In a letter dated 24 December 1991, Boris Yeltsin, the President of the Russian Federation, informed the Secretary-General that the membership of the Soviet Union in the Security Council and all other United Nations organs was being continued by the Russian Federation with the support of the 11 member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

10. The membership of the State Union Serbia and Montenegro in the United Nations, including all organs and organizations of the United Nations system, is continued by the Republic of Serbia on the basis of Article 60 of the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro, activated by the Declaration of Independence adopted by the National Assembly of Montenegro on 3 June 2006.

The Republic of Montenegro was admitted as a Member of the United Nations by General Assembly resolution 60/264 of 28 June 2006.

11. Czechoslovakia was an original Member of the United Nations from 24 October 1945. In a letter dated 10 December 1992, its Permanent Representative informed the Secretary-General that the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic would cease to exist on 31 December 1992 and that the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, as successor States, would apply for membership in the United Nations. Following the receipt of its application, the Security Council, on 8 January 1993, recommended to the General Assembly that the Slovak Republic be admitted to United Nations membership. The Slovak Republic was thus admitted on 19 January of that year as a Member State.

12. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was an original Member of the United Nations, the Charter having been signed on its behalf on 26 June 1945 and ratified 19 October 1945, until its dissolution following the establishment and subsequent admission as new members of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Slovenia, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

The Republic of Slovenia was admitted as a Member of the United Nations by General Assembly resolution A/RES/46/236 of 22 May 1992.

13. Egypt and Syria were original Members of the United Nations from 24 October 1945. Following a plebiscite on 21 February 1958, the United Arab Republic was established by a union of Egypt and Syria and continued as a single Member. On 13 October 1961, Syria, having resumed its status as an independent State, resumed its separate membership in the United Nations.

14. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was an original Member of the United Nations, the Charter having been signed on its behalf on 26 June 1945 and ratified 19 October 1945, until its dissolution following the establishment and subsequent admission as new members of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Slovenia, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

By resolution A/RES/47/225 of 8 April 1993, the General Assembly decided to admit as a Member of the United Nations the State being provisionally referred to for all purposes within the United Nations as "The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" pending settlement of the difference that had arisen over its name.

15. Tanganyika was a Member of the United Nations from 14 December 1961 and Zanzibar was a Member from 16 December 1963. Following the ratification on 26 April 1964 of Articles of Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar, the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar continued as a single Member, changing its name to the United Republic of Tanzania on 1 November 1964.

16. Yemen was admitted to membership in the United Nations on 30 September 1947 and Democratic Yemen on 14 December 1967. On 22 May 1990, the two countries merged and have since been represented as one Member with the name "Yemen".

Source: UN Press Release ORG/1360/Rev.1 (10 February 2004)

 

 

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