As of , there are member states of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

(UN), each of which is a member of the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

. The following is a list of United Nations member states arranged in chronological order according to their dates of admission (with the

United Nations Security Council resolution A United Nations Security Council resolution is a United Nations resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the Security Council (UNSC); the United Nations (UN) body charged with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international pea ...

s that recommended their admission and the

United Nations General Assembly resolution A United Nations General Assembly resolution is a decision or declaration voted on by all member states of the United Nations in the General Assembly. General Assembly resolutions usually require a simple majority (50 percent of all votes plus ...

s that admitted them, signified with SCR and GAR, respectively), including former members. Members denoted with "→" changed their names, had their memberships in the UN continued by a

successor state Succession of states is a concept in international relations regarding a successor state that has become a sovereign state over a territory (and populace) that was previously under the sovereignty of another state. The theory has its roots in 19th- ...

, merged with other members, or were dissolved.

Timeline of Enlargement of the United Nations

1940s

1945 (original members)

The UN officially came into existence on 24 October 1945, after ratification of the

United Nations Charter The Charter of the United Nations (UN) is the foundational treaty of the UN, an intergovernmental organization. It establishes the purposes, governing structure, and overall framework of the United Nations System, UN system, including its Organ ...

by the five permanent members of the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, ...

(

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

, and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

) and a majority of the other signatories. A total of 51 original members (or founding members) joined that year; 50 of them signed the Charter at the

United Nations Conference on International Organization The United Nations Conference on International Organization (UNCIO), commonly known as the San Francisco Conference, was a convention of delegates from 50 Allied nations that took place from 25 April 1945 to 26 June 1945 in San Francisco, Calif ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

on 26 June 1945, while

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, which was not represented at the conference, signed it on 15 October 1945. 24 October 1945 * *

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

''(seat held by the / → renamed to // in 1991)'' * /// * *

''(seat held by the (on mainland (1912–1949) and on

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

(1949–present)) → seat transferred to the in 1971)'' * → * ''(seat held by

Third Czechoslovak Republic The Third Czechoslovak Republic ( cs, Třetí Československá republika, sk, Tretia česko-slovenská republika), officially the Czechoslovak Republic (, ), emerged as a sovereign state after the end of World War II, from 1945 to 1948. It was ...

→ →

Czech and Slovak Federative Republic After the Velvet Revolution in late-1989, Czechoslovakia adopted the official short-lived country name Czech and Slovak Federative Republic ( cz, Česká a Slovenská Federativní Republika, sk, Česká a Slovenská Federatívna Republika; ''� ...

)'' → ''dissolved (current UN members that formerly comprised Czechoslovakia: and '' * * * → ''(period when merged with '' → * *

''(seat held by the → became the → reconstituted as the in 1958)'' * // * / → * * *

Dominion of New Zealand The Dominion of New Zealand was the historical successor to the Colony of New Zealand. It was a constitutional monarchy with a high level of self-government within the British Empire. New Zealand became a separate British Crown colony in 18 ...

→ * * //// * → → → → * (

Provisional Government of National Unity The Provisional Government of National Unity ( pl, Tymczasowy Rząd Jedności Narodowej - TRJN) was a puppet government formed by the decree of the State National Council () on 28 June 1945 as a result of reshuffling the Soviet-backed Provisio ...

) → → → * / * / (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) → ''(successor state)'' * → ''(period when merged with '' → * *

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

''(seat held by the / → renamed to / in 1991)'' * * // * → → → ''dissolved (would-be successor state was de facto suspended from the United Nations by SCR 777 and GAR 47/1; current UN members that formerly comprised Yugoslavia: , , , , , and '') 25 October 1945 * → / 30 October 1945 * → → 31 October 1945 * 1 November 1945 * 2 November 1945 * * 5 November 1945 * 7 November 1945 * / * → / 9 November 1945 * / 13 November 1945 * →

Derg The Derg (also spelled Dergue; , ), officially the Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC), was the military junta that ruled Ethiopia, then including present-day Eritrea, from 1974 to 1987, when the military leadership formally " ...

→

People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia The People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (PDRE) () was a socialist state that existed in Ethiopia and present day Eritrea from 1987 to 1991. The PDRE was established in February 1987 as a Marxist-Leninist one-party state upon the adoption ...

→ Transitional Government of Ethiopia → / * 14 November 1945 *

Republic of Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

→ 15 November 1945 * / Republic of Venezuela → / 21 November 1945 * 27 November 1945 * 10 December 1945 * 17 December 1945 * // 18 December 1945 * 21 December 1945 * / *

Kingdom of Iraq The Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq ( ar, المملكة العراقية الهاشمية, translit=al-Mamlakah al-ʿIrāqiyyah ʾal-Hāshimyyah) was a state located in the Middle East from 1932 to 1958. It was founded on 23 August 1921 as the Kingdo ...

→ / Iraqi Republic → /

Ba'athist Iraq Ba'athist Iraq, formally the Iraqi Republic until 6 January 1992 and the Republic of Iraq thereafter, covers the History of Iraq, national history of Iraq between 1968 and 2003 under the rule of the Ba'ath Party (Iraqi-dominated faction), Arab S ...

→ // 27 December 1945 *

1946

19 November 1946 (all by SCR 8 and GAR 34) * → → /

Democratic Republic of Afghanistan The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA),, renamed the Republic of Afghanistan, in 1987, was the Afghan state during the one-party rule of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) from 1978 to 1992. The PDPA came to power ...

→ Islamic State of Afghanistan → / → * * 16 December 1946 * ( SCR 13, GAR 101) →

1947

30 September 1947 (all by SCR 29 and GAR 108) *

Dominion of Pakistan Between 14 August 1947 and 23 March 1956, Pakistan was an independent federal dominion in the Commonwealth of Nations, created by the passing of the Indian Independence Act 1947 by the British parliament, which also created the Dominion of ...

→ * → → ''(unified state after merging with )''

1948

19 April 1948 * Union of Burma ( SCR 45, GAR 188) →

Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma , conventional_long_name = Union of Burma Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma , common_name = Burma , status = , status_text = , p1 = Post-independence Burma, 1948–1962Uni ...

→ Union of Myanmar →

1949

11 May 1949 * ( SCR 69, GAR 273)

1950s

1950

28 September 1950 * ( SCR 86, GAR 491)

1955

14 December 1955 (all by SCR 109 and GAR 995) * → / * * // → *

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...

→ → → → * / → * * / (application addressed in 1947 by SCR 24) → * * (application addressed in 1947 by SCR 25) * * → * →

Libyan Arab Republic Muammar Gaddafi became the ''de facto'' leader of Libya on 1 September 1969 after leading a group of young Libyan Army officers against King Idris I in a bloodless coup d'état. After the king had fled the country, the Revolutionary Comma ...

→ → * → * → * → → * → /

1956

12 November 1956 *

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

( SCR 112, GAR 1110) → * ( SCR 115, GAR 1111) * ( SCR 116, GAR 1112) 18 December 1956 * / ( SCR 121, GAR 1113)

1957

8 March 1957 * Dominion of Ghana → // ( SCR 124, GAR 1118) 17 September 1957 * ( SCR 125, GAR 1134) →

1958

22 February 1958 * and merge to become the 12 December 1958 * ( SCR 131, GAR 1325)

1960s

1960

20 September 1960 * ( SCR 133, GAR 1476) → → United Republic of Cameroon → * ( SCR 136, GAR 1477) * ( SCR 140, GAR 1478) → * ( SCR 141, GAR 1479) * // ( SCR 142, GAR 1480) → → // * ( SCR 147, GAR 1481) →

People's Republic of Benin The People's Republic of Benin (french: République populaire du Bénin; sometimes translated as Benin Popular Republic or Popular Republic of Benin) was a socialist state located in the Gulf of Guinea on the African continent, which would becom ...

→ * ( SCR 148, GAR 1482) * ( SCR 149, GAR 1483) → * ( SCR 150, GAR 1484) → * ( SCR 151, GAR 1485) * ( SCR 152, GAR 1486) → → * ( SCR 153, GAR 1487) * ( SCR 154, GAR 1488) → → * / ( SCR 155, GAR 1489) 28 September 1960 * ( SCR 139 and SCR 158, GAR 1490) * ( SCR 139 and SCR 159, GAR 1491) 7 October 1960 * ( SCR 160, GAR 1492)

1961

27 September 1961 * ( SCR 165, GAR 1623) 27 October 1961 * ( SCR 166, GAR 1630) → / * / ( SCR 167, GAR 1631) 14 December 1961 * ( SCR 170, GAR 1667) → ''(after merging with )''

1962

18 September 1962 * / ( SCR 172, GAR 1748) * // ( SCR 173, GAR 1749) * ( SCR 174, GAR 1750) *

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

→ ( SCR 175, GAR 1751) 8 October 1962 * ( SCR 176, GAR 1754) 25 October 1962 * / ( SCR 177, GAR 1758)

1963

14 May 1963 * (GAR 1872) 16 December 1963 * /

Sultanate of Zanzibar The Sultanate of Zanzibar ( sw, Usultani wa Zanzibar, ar, سلطنة زنجبار , translit=Sulṭanat Zanjībār), also known as the Zanzibar Sultanate, was a state controlled by the Sultan of Zanzibar, in place between 1856 and 1964. The Su ...

( SCR 184, GAR 1975) → People's Republic of Zanzibar → ''merged with (now )'' * ( SCR 185, GAR 1976)

1964

1 December 1964 * // ( SCR 195, ''General Assembly decision'') *

State of Malta The State of Malta ( mt, Stat ta’ Malta), commonly known as Malta, was the predecessor to the modern-day Republic of Malta. It existed between 21 September 1964 and 13 December 1974. The Crown Colony of Malta became independent under the Ma ...

→ ( SCR 196, ''General Assembly decision'') * / ( SCR 197, ''General Assembly decision'')

1965

20 January 1965 * withdraws from the United Nations 21 September 1965 * ( SCR 200, GAR 2008) * ( SCR 212, GAR 2009) * ( SCR 213, GAR 2010)

1966

20 September 1966 * ( SCR 223, GAR 2133) 28 September 1966 * rejoins the United Nations 17 October 1966 * ( SCR 224, GAR 2136) * // ( SCR 225, GAR 2137) 9 December 1966 * ( SCR 230, GAR 2175)

1967

14 December 1967 * ( SCR 243, GAR 2310) → ''merged with (now unified state of )''

1968

24 April 1968 * ( SCR 249, GAR 2371) 24 September 1968 * ( SCR 257, GAR 2376) → 12 November 1968 * ( SCR 260, GAR 2384)

1970s

1970

13 October 1970 *

Dominion of Fiji The Dominion of Fiji was the official name of Fiji between October 1970 and 6 October 1987. When British rule ended in 1970, the Colony of Fiji was given independence as a Dominion, in which the British monarch, Elizabeth II, remained head ...

→ ( SCR 287, GAR 2622)

1971

21 September 1971 * ( SCR 292, GAR 2751) * // ( SCR 296, GAR 2752) * ( SCR 297, GAR 2753) 7 October 1971 * / ( SCR 299, GAR 2754) 25 October 1971 * China's seat at the United Nations transferred from the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeas ...

to the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

. ( GAR 2758) 9 December 1971 * ( SCR 304, GAR 2794)

1973

18 September 1973 * ( SCR 335, GAR 3050) → ''(unified state after accession of )'' * ( SCR 335, GAR 3050) → ''acceded to (now unified state of )'' * ( SCR 336, GAR 3051)

1974

17 September 1974 * ( SCR 351, GAR 3203) * ( SCR 352, GAR 3204) * ( SCR 356, GAR 3205)

1975

16 September 1975 * / ( SCR 372, GAR 3363) * ( SCR 373, GAR 3364) * //

People's Republic of Mozambique The People's Republic of Mozambique (Portuguese: ''República Popular de Moçambique'') was a socialist state that existed in present day Mozambique from 1975 to 1990. The People's Republic of Mozambique was established when the country gain ...

( SCR 374, GAR 3365) → 10 October 1975 * ( SCR 375, GAR 3368) 12 November 1975 * ( SCR 376, GAR 3385) → // → 4 December 1975 * ( SCR 382, GAR 3413)

1976

21 September 1976 * // ( SCR 394, GAR 31/1) 1 December 1976 *

People's Republic of Angola The People's Republic of Angola () was the self-declared socialist state which governed Angola from its independence in 1975 until 25 August 1992, during the Angolan Civil War. History The regime was established in 1975, after Portuguese A ...

( SCR 397, GAR 31/44) → 15 December 1976 * ( SCR 399, GAR 31/104) →

1977

20 September 1977 * ( SCR 412, GAR 32/1) * ( SCR 413, GAR 32/2)

1978

19 September 1978 * ( SCR 433, GAR 33/1) 18 December 1978 * ( SCR 442, GAR 33/107)

1979

18 September 1979 * / ( SCR 453, GAR 34/1)

1980s

1980

25 August 1980 * ( SCR 477, GAR S-11/1) 16 September 1980 * // ( SCR 464, GAR 35/1)

1981

15 September 1981 * ( SCR 489, GAR 36/1) 25 September 1981 * / ( SCR 491, GAR 36/3) 11 November 1981 * ( SCR 492, GAR 36/26)

1983

23 September 1983 * ( SCR 537, GAR 38/1)

1984

21 September 1984 * ( SCR 548, GAR 39/1)

1990s

1990

23 April 1990 * ( SCR 652, GAR S-18/1) 18 September 1990 * ( SCR 663, GAR 45/1)

1991

24 August 1991 * / independence from the

17 September 1991 * /

Democratic People's Republic of Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

( SCR 702, GAR 46/1) * //

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its ea ...

( SCR 702, GAR 46/1) * ( SCR 703, GAR 46/2) * ( SCR 704, GAR 46/3) * // independence from the

* ( SCR 709, GAR 46/4) * ( SCR 710, GAR 46/5) * / ( SCR 711, GAR 46/6)

1992

2 March 1992 * // ( SCR 732, GAR 46/224) * ( SCR 735, GAR 46/227) * / ( SCR 736, GAR 46/225) * ( SCR 737, GAR 46/226) * / ( SCR 738, GAR 46/228) * ( SCR 739, GAR 46/223) * /// ( SCR 741, GAR 46/229) * ( SCR 742, GAR 46/230) * / ( SCR 744, GAR 46/231) 22 May 1992 * ( SCR 753, GAR 46/238) * ( SCR 754, GAR 46/236) *

Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Република Босна и Херцеговина) was a state in Southeastern Europe, existing from 1992 to 1995. It is the direct lega ...

( SCR 755, GAR 46/237) → / 31 July 1992 * / ( SCR 763, GAR 46/241)

1993

19 January 1993 * ( SCR 800, GAR 47/222) * ( SCR 801, GAR 47/221) 8 April 1993 * / ( SCR 817, GAR 47/225) → 28 May 1993 * / ( SCR 828, GAR 47/230) * ( SCR 829, GAR 47/231) 28 July 1993 * ( SCR 848, GAR 47/232)

1994

15 December 1994 * ( SCR 963, GAR 49/63)

1999

14 September 1999 * ( SCR 1248, GAR 54/1) * ( SCR 1249, GAR 54/2) * ( SCR 1253, GAR 54/3)

2000s

2000

5 September 2000 * ( SCR 1290, GAR 55/1) 1 November 2000 * ( SCR 1326, GAR 55/12) → → / ''(successor state)''

2002

10 September 2002 * ( SCR 1426, GAR 57/1) 27 September 2002 * ( SCR 1414, GAR 57/3)

2006

28 June 2006 * ( SCR 1691, GAR 60/264)

2010s

2011

14 July 2011 * ( SCR 1999, GAR 65/308)

Summary

United Nations member countries world map

Below is a summary of the growth in UN membership.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Enlargement of the United Nations

History of the United Nations Society-related timelines