There are currently 193 UN Member States. Each of the Member States of the United Nations has one seat in the General Assembly.
Information about current members, growth of membership since 1945, and the procedure of how a country becomes a member is available on the UN website. Documents by and about members can be found in the UN Digital Library and other sources.
UN website links
- Current Member States of the United Nations
- Growth in United Nations membership, 1945-present
- How does a country become a Member of the United Nations?
- RefWorld: Browse by Country A Global Law and Policy Database operated by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
- ReliefWeb Humanitarian Information: Countries and Territories
- UN General Assembly General Debate website
- UN Member States Dataset in UN Digital Library This dataset lists current UN Member States as at March 2025. The data is derived from UN Digital Library corporate authority records. It provides information on variant names of the country, membership documents (with the exception of UN founding members), and coverage dates, in addition to M49 and ISO codes. This information is recorded based on UN official documents and historical resources.) Copyright, United Nations; Non commercial use, with attribution
- UN Member States on the Record
- UN Treaty Collection: Status of UN Charter and Statute of the ICJ
United Nations Membership
UN Charter, Chapter II, Articles 3-6 concern Membership in the UN. Only states can be members of the United Nations.
Membership in different organs of the UN varies.
Membership of the principal organs is determined by the Charter of the United Nations and the Statute of the International Court of Justice:
- According to the UN Charter, Article 9, “The General Assembly shall consist of all the Members of the United Nations”
- According to the UN Charter, Article 23, “The Security Council shall consist of fifteen Members of the United Nations”; there are 5 permanent members and 10 non-permanent members, 5 of which are elected each year by the General Assembly for a 2-year term
- According to UN Charter, Article 61, “The Economic and Social Council shall consist of fifty-four Members of the United Nations elected by the General Assembly”; 18 Members are elected each year for a 3-year term
- According to the Statute of the International Court of Justice, Chapter I, Articles 2-33, the ICJ is composed of 15 “independent judges, elected regardless of their nationality from among persons of high moral character, who possess the qualifications required in their respective countries for appointment to the highest judicial offices, or are jurisconsults of recognized competence in international law”; 5 members are elected every 3 years for 9-year terms. The General Assembly and Security Council independently elect the judges and candidates must obtain an absolute majority in both organs
In accordance with the Charter, the General Assembly (Article 22), Security Council (Article 29) and the Economic and Social Council (Article 68) may establish subsidiary organs. The decision to establish a subsidiary organ (also called the mandate) usually includes:
- Type of members: e.g. states or individuals serving in personal capacity
- Number of members
- Distribution of seats according to equitable geographical distribution among the regional groups
- Method of electing members
- Length of term of membership
Additional Resources
- About UN Membership website
- Current Member States of the United Nations
- UNData : Country (Area) Profiles : Popular Statistical Tables of the UN Statistical Yearbook
UN Digital Library searches about membership
- Search for “Application of* for admission to membership in the United Nations”
- Search for resolutions about “Admission of* to membership in the United Nations”
- Search for subject:UN Members
Related Research Guides
- Charter of the United Nations (1945) Research Guide
- UN Mandates
- UN Membership
- UN System Documentation
Related FAQs
- Ask DAG: How are countries elected to membership in UN bodies?
- Ask DAG: Who represents Member States in the UN? How does the United Nations approve the credentials of representatives? How are ambassadors or permanent representatives appointed?
Additional Resources
- Repertory of Practice of United Nations OrgansAnalytical studies of the decisions of the UN principal organs under each of the Articles of the Charter ; Comprehensive summary of the decisions of United Nations Organs, together with review of related material, organized by Charter Articles.
- The Charter of the United Nations / Edited by Bruno Simma; Daniel-Erasmus Khan; Georg Nolte; Andreas Paulus (eds)ISBN: 9780192864536Date: 2024
- International Institutional Law / Henry G. Schermers; Niels M. BlokkerCall Number: LSA 341.1 S327ISBN: 9789004187986Date: 2018
- Oppenheim’s International Law / Rosalyn Higgins; Sandesh Sivakumaran; James Sloan; Dapo Akande; Philippa Webb The United Nations, whose specialized agencies were the subject of an Appendix to the 1958 edition of Oppenheim’s International Law: Peace, has expanded beyond all recognition since its founding in 1945.This volume represents a study that is entirely new, but prepared in the way that has become so familiar over succeeding editions of Oppenheim. An authoritative and comprehensive study of the United Nations’ legal practice, this volume covers the formal structures of the UN as it has expanded over the years, and all that this complex organization does. All substantive issues are addressed in separate sections, including among others, the responsibilities of the UN, financing, immunities, human rights, preventing armed conflicts and peacekeeping, and judicial matters. In examining the evolving structures and ever expanding work of the United Nations, this volume follows the long-held tradition of Oppenheim by presenting facts uncoloured by personal opinion, in a succinct text that also offers in the footnotes a wealth of information and ideas to be explored. It is book that, while making all necessary reference to the Charter, the Statute of the International Court of Justice, and other legal instruments, tells of the realities of the legal issues as they arise in the day to day practice of the United Nations. Missions to the UN, Ministries of Foreign Affairs, practitioners of international law, academics, and students will all find this book to be vital in their understanding of the workings of the legal practice of the UN. Research for this publication was made possible by The Balzan Prize, which was awarded to Rosalyn Higgins in 2007 by the International Balzan Foundation.ISBN: 9780198808312Date: 2017-12-12
- The Procedure of the UN Security Council / Loraine Sievers; Sam DawsCall Number: Ref 341.13 B1593, UNX.15 B1593ISBN: 9780199685295Date: 2014
- United Nations Handbook / New Zealand. Ministry of Foreign AffairsDate: 1973-