UN member states which at least one other UN member state does not recognise

  Non-UN member states and observer states recognised by at least one UN member state

  Non-UN member states recognised by other non-UN member states only

  Non-UN member state not recognised by any state

A number of polities have declared independence and sought diplomatic recognition from the international community as de jure sovereign states, but have not been universally recognised as such. These entities often have de facto control of their territory. A number of such entities have existed in the past.

There are two traditional doctrines that provide indicia of how a de jure sovereign state comes into being. The declarative theory defines a state as a person in international law if it meets the following criteria:

1. a defined territory


2. a permanent population


3. a government, and


4. a capacity to enter into relations with other states.

According to the declarative theory, an entity's statehood is independent of its recognition by other states. By contrast, the constitutive theory defines a state as a person of international law only if it is recognised as such by other states that are already a member of the international community.^[1]

Proto-states often reference either or both doctrines in order to legitimise their claims to statehood. There are, for example, entities which meet the declarative criteria (with de facto partial or complete control over their claimed territory, a government and a permanent population), but whose statehood is not recognised by any other states. Non-recognition is often a result of conflicts with other countries that claim those entities as integral parts of their territory. In other cases, two or more partially recognised states may claim the same territorial area, with each of them de facto in control of a portion of it (as have been the cases of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China (PRC), and North and South Korea). Entities that are recognised by only a minority of the world's states usually reference the declarative doctrine to legitimise their claims.

In many situations, international non-recognition is influenced by the presence of a foreign military force in the territory of the contested entity, making the description of the country's de facto status problematic. The international community can judge this military presence too intrusive, reducing the entity to a puppet state where effective sovereignty is retained by the foreign power. Historical cases in this sense can be seen in Japanese-led Manchukuo or the German-created Slovak Republic and Independent State of Croatia before and during World War II. In the 1996 case Loizidou v. Turkey, the European Court of Human Rights judged Turkey for having exercised authority in the territory of Northern Cyprus.

There are also entities which do not have control over any territory or do not unequivocally meet the declarative criteria for statehood but have been recognised to exist de jure as sovereign entities by at least one other state. Historically this has happened in the case of the Holy See (1870–1929), Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (during Soviet annexation), and more recently the State of Palestine at the time of its declaration of independence in 1988. The Sovereign Military Order of Malta is currently in this position. See list of governments in exile for unrecognised governments without control over the territory claimed.

Criteria for inclusion

Women in Somaliland, wearing the colors of the Somaliland flag.

The criteria for inclusion means a polity must claim sovereignty, lack recognition from at least one UN member state, and either:

• satisfy the declarative theory of statehood, or
  


• be recognised as a state by at least one UN member state.

Background

There are 193 United Nations (UN) member states, while both the Holy See and the State of Palestine have observer state status in the United Nations.^[2] However, some countries fulfill the declarative criteria, are recognised by the large majority of other states and are members of the United Nations, but are still included in the list here because one or more other states do not recognise their statehood, due to territorial claims or other conflicts.

Some states maintain informal (officially non-diplomatic) relations with states that do not officially recognise them. The Republic of China (Taiwan) is one such state, as it maintains unofficial relations with many other states through its Economic and Cultural Offices, which allow regular consular services. This allows the ROC to have economic relations even with states that do not formally recognise it. A total of 56 states, including Germany,^[3] Italy,^[4] the United States,^[5] and the United Kingdom,^[6] maintain some form of unofficial mission in the ROC. Kosovo,^[7] the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh),^[8] the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,^[9]Abkhazia,^[10]Transnistria,^[10] the Sahrawi Republic,^[11]Somaliland,^[12] and Palestine^[13] also host informal diplomatic missions, and/or maintain special delegations or other informal missions abroad.

Present geopolitical entities by level of recognition

UN member states not recognised by at least one UN member state

Name	Declared	Status	Other claimants	Further information	References
South Korea	1948	South Korea, independent since 1948, is not recognised by one UN member, North Korea.	North Korea claims to be the sole legitimate government of Korea.	Foreign relations, missions (of, to)	[14][15]
Republic of Armenia	1991	Armenia, independent since 1991, is not recognised by one UN member, Pakistan, as Pakistan has a position of supporting Azerbaijan since the Nagorno-Karabakh War.	None	Foreign relations, missions (of, to)	[16][17]
Republic of Cyprus	1960	The Republic of Cyprus, independent since 1960, is not recognised by one UN member (Turkey) and one UN non-member (Northern Cyprus), due to the ongoing civil dispute over the island.	Northern Cyprus claims part of the island of Cyprus.	Foreign relations, missions (of, to)	[18][19][20][21]
North Korea	1948	North Korea, independent since 1948, is not recognised by three UN members: France, Japan, South Korea; and one non-UN member: Taiwan.[22][23][24][original research?][25][26]	South Korea claims to be the sole legitimate government of Korea.	Foreign relations, missions (of, to)	[24][27][28][25][26]
People's Republic of China	1949	The People's Republic of China (PRC), proclaimed in 1949, is the more widely recognised of the two claimant governments of "China", the other being the Republic of China (ROC, also known as Taiwan). The PRC does not accept diplomatic relations with states that recognise the ROC (16 UN members and the Holy See as of 21 August 2018). Most of these states do not officially recognise the PRC as a state, though some states have established relations with the ROC while stating they do not intend to stop recognising the PRC (Kiribati, Nauru).[29][30] Some states which currently recognise only the PRC have attempted simultaneous recognition and relations with the ROC and the PRC in the past (Liberia, Vanuatu).[31][32][33] According to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, the PRC is the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations.[a]	Republic of China claims to be the sole legitimate government over all of China under the Constitution of the Republic of China. See also: Two Chinas	Foreign relations, missions (of, to) PRC's diplomatic relations dates of establishment	[34]
State of Israel	1948	Israel, founded in 1948, is not recognised by 31 UN members.	Syria claims the Golan Heights.  Lebanon claims Shebaa Farms.  Palestine claims areas controlled by Israel. Subject to the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian peace process and broader Arab-Israeli peace process.	Foreign relations, missions (of, to) International recognition	[35][36][37][38] [39]

UN observer states not recognised by at least one UN member state

Name	Declared	Status	Other claimants	Further information	References
State of Palestine	1988	The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) declared the State of Palestine in 1988. At the time the Israeli Armed Forces had control of most of the proclaimed territory.[40] It is recognised by 137 UN member states, the Holy See,[41] and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.[42] Today the PLC (Palestinian Legislative Council) executes the government functions in all Palestinian territories outside of Israeli military-controlled zones. Prior to the Council's administration, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) was established in 1994 according to the Oslo Accords and the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement.[b] Palestine participates in the United Nations as an observer state,[43] and has membership in the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and UNESCO.[44] It was accorded non-member observer state status at the United Nations by United Nations General Assembly resolution 67/19.	Israel does not recognise the state of Palestine and controls areas claimed by Palestine.[b] Subject to the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian peace process.	Foreign relations, missions (of, to) International recognition, Proposals for a Palestinian state	[53][54][55][56][57][58]

States that are neither UN members nor UN observers

States recognised by at least one UN member state
Name	Declared	Status	Other claimants	Further information	References
Republic of Kosovo	2008	Kosovo declared its independence in 2008. It is currently recognised by 111 UN members, the Republic of China, the Cook Islands, Niue, and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Two other UN members (Burundi and Suriname) have recognised Kosovo and subsequently withdrawn recognition. The United Nations, as stipulated in Security Council Resolution 1244, has administered the territory since 1999 through the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, with cooperation from the European Union since 2008. It is a member of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, Venice Commission, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the International Olympic Committee, among others.	Serbia claims Kosovo as part of its sovereign territory.	Foreign relations, missions (of, to) International recognition; Political status	[59][60]
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic	1976	Both the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and Morocco claim sovereignty over the territory of Western Sahara. The SADR, which declared its independence in 1976, is currently recognised by 46 UN member states and South Ossetia. 38 other UN member states have recognised the SADR but subsequently retracted or suspended recognition, pending the outcome of a referendum on self-determination.[61][62] Western Sahara is not recognised as part of Morocco by any state, but some states support the Moroccan autonomy plan. Moroccan "territorial integrity" is favoured by the Arab League. The SADR is a member of the African Union. United Nations General Assembly Resolution 34/37 recognised the right of the Western Sahara people to self-determination and recognised also the Polisario Front as the representative of the Western Sahara people.[63] Western Sahara is listed on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.	Morocco claims Western Sahara as part of its sovereign territory.	Foreign relations, missions (of, to) International recognition; Political status	[64]
Republic of China	1912[c]	The Republic of China (ROC, usually called Taiwan), constitutionally formed in 1912, enjoyed majority recognition as the sole government of China until the end of the Chinese Civil War, after which a majority of UN member states have gradually switched recognition to the People's Republic of China. The ROC is currently recognised as a state by 16 UN members and the Holy See. The remaining UN member states either regard its controlled territory as de jure part of the People's Republic of China (PRC) or have used careful diplomatic language to avoid taking a position as to whether the territory of the ROC is part of the PRC.[a] Throughout the years, the ROC has adopted differing positions towards simultaneous recognition of the ROC and the PRC by other countries.[66]	People's Republic of China claims to be the successor of the former Republic of China and claims all of the territory under ROC jurisdiction as part of its sovereign territory. See also: Two Chinas	Foreign relations, missions (of, to) Political status	[67]
Republic of South Ossetia	1991	South Ossetia declared its independence in 1991. It is currently recognised by 5 UN member states (Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru, and Syria), and four UN non-member states (Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Abkhazia, Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and Transnistria).[68][69] One UN member (Tuvalu) recognised South Ossetia but subsequently withdrew its recognition.[70][71]	Georgia claims both Abkhazia and South Ossetia as part of its sovereign territory.	Foreign relations, missions (of, to) International recognition	[72][73][74]
Republic of Abkhazia	1999	Abkhazia declared its independence in 1999.[75] It is currently recognised by 5 UN member states (Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru, and Syria), and three UN non-member states (South Ossetia, Transnistria and Republic of Artsakh).[68][76] Two other UN member states (Tuvalu and Vanuatu) have recognised Abkhazia[77][78][79][80][81] but subsequently withdrawn their recognition.[82][70][71]		Foreign relations, missions (of, to) International recognition	[83][72][73][84][74]
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus	1983	Northern Cyprus declared its independence in 1983. It is recognised by one UN member, Turkey. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Economic Cooperation Organization have granted Northern Cyprus observer status under the name "Turkish Cypriot State". United Nations Security Council Resolution 541 defines the declaration of independence of Northern Cyprus as legally invalid.[85] The International Court of Justice stated in its advisory opinion on Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2010 that "the Security Council in an exceptional character attached illegality to the DOI of TRNC because it was, or would have been connected with the unlawful use of force" and "general international law contains no applicable prohibition of declarations of independence".[86]	Cyprus claims Northern Cyprus as part of its sovereign territory.	Foreign relations, missions (of, to) Cyprus dispute	[87]
States recognised only by other non-UN member states
Name	Declared	Status	Other claimants	Further information	References
Republic of Artsakh	1991	Artsakh (formerly known as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) declared its independence in 1991 (roughly at the same time as Azerbaijan itself when the Soviet Union fell). It is recognised by three UN non-members: Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transnistria.[69]	Azerbaijan claims Artsakh as part of its sovereign territory.	Foreign relations, missions (of, to) International recognition, Political status	[88][89]
Transnistria	1990	Transnistria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, declared its independence in 1990. It is recognised by three UN non-members: Abkhazia, Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and South Ossetia.	Moldova claims Transnistria as part of its sovereign territory.	Foreign relations, missions (of, to) International recognition, Political status	[88][90]
States not recognised by any other state
Name	Declared	Status	Other claimants	Further information	References
Republic of Somaliland	1991	Somaliland declared its independence from Somalia in 1991. It claims to be the successor to the State of Somaliland, a short lived sovereign state that existed from 26 June 1960 (when the British Somaliland Protectorate gained full independence from the United Kingdom) to 1 July 1960 (when the State of Somaliland united with Somalia to form the Somali Republic). Somaliland is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia.	Somalia claims Somaliland as part of its sovereign territory.	Foreign relations, missions (of, to)	[88][91]

Excluded entities

• The Sovereign Military Order of Malta is a non-state sovereign entity and is not included, as it claims neither statehood nor territory.^{[92][93][94][95][96]} It has established full diplomatic relations with 105 sovereign states as a sovereign subject of international law^[97] and participates in the United Nations as an observer entity. Although it is not recognised as a subject of international law by France,^[98] the order maintains official, but not diplomatic, relations with France and also with five other states: Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Canada.^[99][100]


• 
  Uncontacted peoples who either live in societies that cannot be defined as states or whose statuses as such are not definitively known.


• Entities considered to be micronations are not included.^[d] Even though micronations generally claim to be sovereign and independent, it is often debatable whether a micronation truly controls its claimed territory.^[e] For this reason, micronations are usually not considered of geopolitical relevance. For a list of micronations, see list of micronations.


• Those areas undergoing current civil wars and other situations with problems over government succession, regardless of temporary alignment with the inclusion criteria (e.g. by receiving recognition as state or legitimate government), where the conflict is still in its active phase, the situation is too rapidly changing and no relatively stable rump states have emerged yet.


• 
  Rebel groups that have declared independence and exert some control over territory, but that reliable sources do not describe as meeting the threshold of a sovereign state under international law. Examples include Donetsk People's Republic, Luhansk People's Republic and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (see List of rebel groups that control territory for a more complete list of such groups).


• Those of the current irredentist movements and governments in exile that do not satisfy the inclusion criteria by simultaneously not satisfying the declarative theory and not having been recognised as state or legitimate government by any other state.


• Some states can be slow to establish relations with new UN member states and thus do not recognise them, despite having no dispute and sometimes favorable relations. These are excluded from the list.

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

• 
  Geldenhuys, Deon (2009). Contested States in World Politics. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-23418-5.
  


• 
  Ker-Lindsay, James (2012). The Foreign Policy of Counter Secession: Preventing the Recognition of Contested States (1st ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199698394.