All Countries in the World and Their Capitals

How many countries are there in the world? As of 2024, the United Nations (UN) recognizes 195 independent countries, including its 193 members and two permanent observer states (Vatican and Palestine). In recent history, the number of states has quadrupled. However, some are contested by member states, others are subject to special sovereignty or have an ambiguous status.

All Countries in the World

Distribution of countries by continent

Disputed Countries

The United Nations list is far from reaching consensus. Cyprus, which has been independent since 1960, is not recognized by Turkey, even though Turkey is a member of the United Nations. Another example: France still refuses diplomatic recognition to North Korea.

Conversely, some states are not recognized by the United Nations, but are recognized by at least one member of the organization. Two examples are Kosovo, which declared itself independent in 2008 and was recognized by 103 states, or Taiwan, which is recognized by 14 states although it has never declared independence. Here is a full list of disputed countries and capitals:

  • Not recognized as a country by the United Nations but listed here: Taiwan, Kosovo, Western Sahara.
  • Hong Kong, Macau are part of the People’s Republic of China and are not separate, sovereign states.
  • Faroe Islands, Greenland belong to Denmark and are not their own sovereign states.
  • Russia belongs to Europe and Asia. But since the larger part of the country belongs to Asia; the same applies to Turkey.
  • Latin America is not considered a continent in its own right.
  • Antarctica is an independent continent, but it does not have its own sovereign states.
  • Jerusalem is not recognized as the capital of Israel by the United Nations and the majority of member states, even though Israel declares it to be so by national law.

Evolution of the number of countries in the world

The number of countries in the world has exploded due to decolonization. In 1914 there were only 53 countries in the world recognized as independent. At that time, dominions such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand were still under British sovereignty. At the end of 1945, the newly formed United Nations had 51 member states, while 72 states divided the world between themselves. With decolonization and the disintegration of the Eastern Bloc, that number has quadrupled. The most recent formation is South Sudan, which was declared independent in 2011 after years of civil war.

All Capital Cities in the World

Capital is either the most important city of a country, a state (or province),  or even the most essential town of a city (or county). In general, it’s the administrative center of local government. For example, London is the capital city of United Kingdom, while Austin is the capital city of Texas (one of the 50 U.S. states).

Washington DC, Capital of United States

In the table below, please see an alphabetical list of all independent nations and their capitals as well as the regions where each country is located:

Moscow, Russia

# Flag Nation Population Capital Capital
1 Afghanistan Flag Afghanistan 38,928,357 Kabul Southern Asia
2 Åland Islands 29,789 Mariehamn Northern Europe
3 Albania Flag Albania 2,877,808 Tirana Southern Europe
4 Algeria Flag Algeria 43,851,055 Algiers Northern Africa
5 Andorra Flag Andorra 77,276 Andorra Southern Europe
6 Angola Flag Angola 32,866,283 Luanda Central Africa
7 Antigua and Barbuda Flag Antigua and Barbuda 97,940 Saint John’s North America
8 Argentina Flag Argentina 45,195,785 Buenos Aires South America
9 Armenia Flag Armenia 2,963,254 Yerevan Western Asia
10 Australia Flag Australia 25,499,895 Canberra Australasia
11 Austria Flag Austria 9,006,409 Vienna Western Europe
12 Azerbaijan Flag Azerbaijan 10,139,188 Baku Western Asia
13 Bahamas Flag Bahamas 393,255 Nassau North America
14 Bahrain Flag Bahrain 1,701,586 Manama Western Asia
15 Bangladesh Flag Bangladesh 164,689,394 Dhaka Southern Asia
16 Barbados Flag Barbados 287,386 Bridgetown North America
17 Belarus Flag Belarus 9,449,334 Minsk Eastern Europe
18 Belgium Flag Belgium 11,589,634 Brussels Western Europe
19 Belize Flag Belize 397,639 Belmopan North America
20 Benin Flag Benin 12,123,211 Porto-Novo Western Africa
21 Bhutan Flag Bhutan 771,619 Thimphu Southern Asia
22 Bolivia Flag Bolivia 11,673,032 Sucre South America
23 Bosnia and Herzegovina Flag Bosnia and Herzegovina 3,280,830 Sarajevo Southern Europe
24 Botswana Flag Botswana 2,351,638 Gaborone Southern Africa
25 Brazil Flag Brazil 212,559,428 Brasilia South America
26 Brunei Flag Brunei 437,490 Bandar Seri Begawan Southeastern Asia
27 Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 6,948,456 Sofia Eastern Europe
28 Burkina Faso Flag Burkina Faso 20,903,284 Ouagadougou Western Africa
29 Burma Flag Burma 54,409,811 Naypyidaw Southeastern Asia
30 Burundi Flag Burundi 11,890,795 Gitega Eastern Africa
31 Cambodia Flag Cambodia 16,718,976 Phnom Penh Southeastern Asia
32 Cameroon Flag Cameroon 26,545,874 Yaounde Central Africa
33 Canada Flag Canada 37,742,165 Ottawa North America
34 Cape Verde Flag Cape Verde 555,998 Praia Western Africa
35 Central African Republic Flag Central African Republic 4,829,778 Bangui Central Africa
36 Chad Flag Chad 16,425,875 N’Djamena Central Africa
37 Chile Flag Chile 19,116,212 Santiago South America
38 China Flag China 1,439,323,787 Beijing Eastern Asia
39 Colombia Flag Colombia 50,882,902 Bogota South America
40 Comoros Flag Comoros 869,612 Moroni Eastern Africa
41 Cook Islands Flag Cook Islands 17,459 Avarua District Oceania
42 Costa Rica Flag Costa Rica 5,094,129 San Jose North America
43 Ivory Coast Flag Côte d’Ivoire 26,378,285 Yamoussoukro Western Africa
44 Croatia Flag Croatia 4,105,278 Zagreb Southern Europe
45 Cuba Flag Cuba 11,326,627 Havana North America
46 Cyprus Flag Cyprus 1,207,370 Nicosia Western Asia
47 Czech Republic Flag Czech Republic 10,708,992 Prague Eastern Europe
48 Democratic Republic of the Congo Flag Democratic Republic of the Congo 89,561,414 Kinshasa Central Africa
49 Denmark Flag Denmark 5,792,213 Copenhagen Northern Europe
50 Djibouti Flag Djibouti 988,011 Djibouti Eastern Africa
51 Dominica Flag Dominica 71,997 Roseau North America
52 Dominican Republic Flag Dominican Republic 10,847,921 Santo Domingo North America
53 Ecuador Flag Ecuador 17,643,065 Quito South America
54 Egypt Flag Egypt 102,334,415 Cairo Northern Africa
55 El Salvador Flag El Salvador 6,486,216 San Salvador North America
56 Equatorial Guinea Flag Equatorial Guinea 1,402,996 Malabo Central Africa
57 Eritrea Flag Eritrea 3,546,432 Asmara Eastern Africa
58 Estonia Flag Estonia 1,326,546 Tallinn Northern Europe
59 Ethiopia Flag Ethiopia 114,963,599 Addis Ababa Eastern Africa
60 Faroe Islands Flag Faroe Islands 48,678 Tórshavn Europe
61 Micronesia Flag Micronesia 112,640 Palikir Micronesia
62 Fiji Flag Fiji 896,456 Suva Melanesia
63 Finland Flag Finland 5,540,731 Helsinki Northern Europe
64 France Flag France 65,273,522 Paris Western Europe
65 Gabon Flag Gabon 2,225,745 Libreville Central Africa
66 Gambia Flag Gambia 2,416,679 Banjul Western Africa
67 Georgia Flag Georgia 3,989,178 Tbilisi Western Asia
68 Germany Flag Germany 83,783,953 Berlin Western Europe
69 Ghana Flag Ghana 31,072,951 Accra Western Africa
70 Greece Flag Greece 10,423,065 Athens Southern Europe
71 Greenland Flag Greenland 56,225 Nuuk North America
72 Grenada Flag Grenada 112,534 Saint George’s North America
73 Guatemala Flag Guatemala 17,915,579 Guatemala City North America
74 Guinea Flag Guinea 13,132,806 Conakry Western Africa
75 Guinea-Bissau Flag Guinea-Bissau 1,968,012 Bissau Western Africa
76 Guyana Flag Guyana 786,563 Georgetown South America
77 Haiti Flag Haiti 11,402,539 Port-au-Prince North America
78 Holy See Flag Holy See 812 Vatican City Southern Europe
79 Honduras Flag Honduras 9,904,618 Tegucigalpa North America
80 Hungary Flag Hungary 9,660,362 Budapest Eastern Europe
81 Iceland Flag Iceland 341,254 Reykjavik Northern Europe
82 India Flag India 1,380,004,396 New Delhi Southern Asia
83 Indonesia Flag Indonesia 273,523,626 Jakarta Southeastern Asia
84 Iran Flag Iran 83,992,960 Tehran Western Asia
85 Iraq Flag Iraq 40,222,504 Baghdad Western Asia
86 Ireland Flag Ireland 4,937,797 Dublin Northern Europe
87 Israel Flag Israel 8,655,546 Jerusalem Western Asia
88 Italy Flag Italy 60,461,837 Rome Southern Europe
89 Jamaica Flag Jamaica 2,961,178 Kingston North America
90 Japan Flag Japan 126,476,472 Tokyo Eastern Asia
91 Jordan Flag Jordan 10,203,145 Amman Western Asia
92 Kazakhstan Flag Kazakhstan 18,776,718 Astana Central Asia
93 Kenya Flag Kenya 53,771,307 Nairobi Eastern Africa
94 Kiribati Flag Kiribati 119,460 Tarawa Atoll Micronesia
95 Kosovo Flag Kosovo 1,810,377 Pristina Eastern Europe
96 Kuwait Flag Kuwait 4,270,582 Kuwait City Western Asia
97 Kyrgyzstan Flag Kyrgyzstan 6,524,206 Bishkek Central Asia
98 Laos Flag Laos 7,275,571 Vientiane Southeastern Asia
99 Latvia Flag Latvia 1,886,209 Riga Northern Europe
100 Lebanon Flag Lebanon 6,825,456 Beirut Western Asia
101 Lesotho Flag Lesotho 2,142,260 Maseru Southern Africa
102 Liberia Flag Liberia 5,057,692 Monrovia Western Africa
103 Libya Flag Libya 6,871,303 Tripoli Northern Africa
104 Liechtenstein Flag Liechtenstein 38,139 Vaduz Western Europe
105 Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2,722,300 Vilnius Northern Europe
106 Luxembourg Flag Luxembourg 625,989 Luxembourg Western Europe
107 Madagascar Flag Madagascar 27,691,029 Antananarivo Eastern Africa
108 Malawi Flag Malawi 19,129,963 Lilongwe Eastern Africa
109 Malaysia Flag Malaysia 32,366,010 Kuala Lumpur Southeastern Asia
110 MaldivesFlag Maldives 540,555 Male Southern Asia
111 Mali Flag Mali 20,250,844 Bamako Western Africa
112 Malta Flag Malta 441,554 Valletta Southern Europe
113 Marshall Islands Flag Marshall Islands 59,201 Majuro Micronesia
114 Mauritania Flag Mauritania 4,649,669 Nouakchott Western Africa
115 Mauritius Flag Mauritius 1,271,779 Port Louis Eastern Africa
116 Mexico Flag Mexico 128,932,764 Mexico City North America
117 Moldova Flag Moldova 4,033,974 Chisinau Eastern Europe
118 Monaco Flag Monaco 39,253 Monaco Western Europe
119 Mongolia Flag Mongolia 3,278,301 Ulaanbaatar Eastern Asia
120 Montenegro Flag Montenegro 628,077 Podgorica Southern Europe
121 Morocco Flag Morocco 36,910,571 Rabat Northern Africa
122 Mozambique Flag Mozambique 31,255,446 Maputo Eastern Africa
123 Namibia Flag Namibia 2,540,916 Windhoek Southern Africa
124 Nauru Flag Nauru 10,835 Yaren District Micronesia
125 Nepal Flag Nepal 29,136,819 Kathmandu Southern Asia
126 Netherlands Flag Netherlands 17,134,883 Amsterdam Western Europe
127 New Zealand Flag New Zealand 4,822,244 Wellington Polynesia
128 Nicaragua Flag Nicaragua 6,624,565 Managua North America
129 Niger Flag Niger 24,206,655 Niamey Western Africa
130 Nigeria Flag Nigeria 206,139,600 Abuja Western Africa
131 Niue Flag Niue 1,620 Alofi Oceania
132 North Korea Flag North Korea 25,778,827 Pyongyang Eastern Asia
133 Norway Flag Norway 5,421,252 Oslo Northern Europe
134 North Macedonia Flag Macedonia 2,022,558 Skopje Southern Europe
135 Oman Flag Oman 5,106,637 Muscat Western Asia
136 Pakistan Flag Pakistan 220,892,351 Islamabad Southern Asia
137 Palau Flag Palau 18,105 Melekeok Micronesia
138 Palestine Flag Palestine 5,101,425 East Jerusalem Western Asia
139 Panama Flag Panama 4,314,778 Panama City North America
140 Papua New Guinea Flag Papua New Guinea 8,947,035 Port Moresby Melanesia
141 Paraguay Flag Paraguay 7,132,549 Asuncion South America
142 Peru Flag Peru 32,971,865 Lima South America
143 Philippines Flag Philippines 109,581,089 Manila Southeastern Asia
144 Poland Flag Poland 37,846,622 Warsaw Eastern Europe
145 Portugal Flag Portugal 10,196,720 Lisbon Southern Europe
146  Puerto Rico Flag Puerto Rico 3,285,874 San Juan Caribbean
147 Qatar Flag Qatar 2,881,064 Doha Western Asia
148 Republic of the Congo Flag Republic of the Congo 5,240,011 Brazzaville Central Africa
149 Romania Flag Romania 19,237,702 Bucharest Eastern Europe
150 Russia Flag Russia 145,934,473 Moscow Eastern Europe
151 Rwanda Flag Rwanda 12,952,229 Kigali Eastern Africa
152 Samoa Flag Samoa 198,425 Apia Polynesia
153 San Marino Flag San Marino 33,942 San Marino Southern Europe
154 Sao Tome and Principe Flag Sao Tome and Principe 219,170 Sao Tome Central Africa
155 Saudi Arabia Flag Saudi Arabia 34,813,882 Riyadh Western Asia
156 Senegal Flag Senegal 16,743,938 Dakar Western Africa
157 Serbia Flag Serbia 8,737,382 Belgrade Southern Europe
158 Seychelles Flag Seychelles 98,358 Victoria Eastern Africa
159 Sierra Leone Flag Sierra Leone 7,976,994 Freetown Western Africa
160 Singapore Flag Singapore 5,850,353 Singapore Southeastern Asia
161 Slovakia Flag Slovakia 5,459,653 Bratislava Eastern Europe
162 Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2,078,949 Ljubljana Southern Europe
163 Solomon Islands Flag Solomon Islands 686,895 Honiara Melanesia
164 Somalia Flag Somalia 15,893,233 Mogadishu Eastern Africa
165 South Africa Flag South Africa 59,308,701 Bloemfontein; Pretoria; Cape Town Southern Africa
166 South Korea Flag South Korea 51,269,196 Seoul Eastern Asia
167 South Sudan Flag South Sudan 11,193,736 Juba Eastern Africa
168 Spain Flag Spain 46,754,789 Madrid Southern Europe
169 Sri Lanka Flag Sri Lanka 21,413,260 Colombo; Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte Southern Asia
170 St.Kitts and Nevis Flag Saint Kitts and Nevis 52,441 Basseterre North America
171 St. Lucia Flag Saint Lucia 181,889 Castries North America
172 St. Vincent and The Grenadines Flag Saint Vincent and The Grenadines 110,951 Kingstown North America
173 Sudan Flag Sudan 43,849,271 Khartoum Northern Africa
174 Suriname Flag Suriname 586,643 Paramaribo South America
175 Swaziland Flag Swaziland 1,163,491 Mbabane Southern Africa
176 Sweden Flag Sweden 10,099,276 Stockholm Northern Europe
177 Switzerland Flag Switzerland 8,654,633 Bern Western Europe
178 Syria Flag Syria 17,500,669 Damascus Western Asia
179 Taiwan Flag Taiwan* 23,816,786 Taipei Eastern Asia
180 Tajikistan Flag Tajikistan 9,537,656 Dushanbe Central Asia
181 Tanzania Flag Tanzania 59,734,229 DDodoma Eastern Africa
182 Thailand Flag Thailand 69,799,989 Bangkok Southeastern Asia
183 East TimorFlag East Timor 1,318,456 Dili Southeastern Asia
184 Togo Flag Togo 8,278,735 Lome Western Africa
185 Tonga Flag Tonga 105,706 Nuku’alofa Polynesia
186 Trinidad and Tobago Flag Trinidad and Tobago 1,399,499 Port-of-Spain North America
187 Tunisia Flag Tunisia 11,818,630 Tunis Northern Africa
188 Turkey Flag Turkey 84,339,078 Ankara Western Asia
189 Turkmenistan Flag Turkmenistan 6,031,211 Ashgabat Central Asia
190 Tuvalu Flag Tuvalu 11,803 Vaiaku Polynesia
191 Uganda Flag Uganda 45,741,018 Kampala Eastern Africa
192 Ukraine Flag Ukraine 43,733,773 Kiev Eastern Europe
193 United Arab Emirates Flag United Arab Emirates 9,890,413 Abu Dhabi Western Asia
194 United Kingdom Flag United Kingdom 67,886,022 London Northern Europe
195 United States Flag United States 331,002,662 Washington, D. C. North America
196 Uruguay Flag Uruguay 3,473,741 Montevideo South America
197 Uzbekistan Flag Uzbekistan 33,469,214 Tashkent Central Asia
198 Vanuatu Flag Vanuatu 307,156 Port-Vila Melanesia
199 Venezuela Flag Venezuela 28,435,951 Caracas South America
200 Vietnam Flag Vietnam 97,338,590 Hanoi Southeastern Asia
201 Western Sahara Flag Western Sahara 597,339 Laayoune Western Africa
202 Yemen Flag Yemen 29,825,975 Sanaa Western Asia
203 Zambia Flag Zambia 18,383,966 Lusaka Eastern Africa
204 Zimbabwe Flag Zimbabwe 14,862,935 Harare Eastern Africa

Beijing, China

Note: While Taiwan has its own capital city, it is not a nation, but a part of China.

You can also view countries in alphabetical order:

Cities, towns, counties and zip codes in the United States

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