How many countries are there in the world?
You will find 193, 195, 197, 206, 211 and 249 all stated confidently by sources that are not wrong. They are counting different things. Once you see what each number measures, the disagreement stops being confusing and becomes useful, because it tells you which number belongs in which context.
193: UN member states
This is the strictest widely used figure and the one to reach for if you need a defensible baseline. It counts sovereign states that are full members of the United Nations. Membership is a clear, verifiable, binary fact, which is exactly what makes the number stable and quotable.
Its weakness is that it excludes places that function as countries in every practical sense a traveler cares about. If your list of 193 is missing somewhere you have a passport stamp from, that is the reason.
195: adding the two observer states
The UN recognizes two non-member observer states: the Holy See (Vatican City) and Palestine. Adding them to the 193 gives 195, which is the figure most general-reference sources use when they want to be inclusive without getting into contested territory.
This is the number you will most often see quoted as simply "how many countries there are", and it is a reasonable default for non-travel contexts.
197: the common travel figure
Travel counters frequently use 197, which is 195 plus Taiwan and Kosovo. Both are self-governing, both issue their own passports and control their own borders, and both are places you can straightforwardly fly to and enter, which is what matters when the purpose of the count is travel rather than diplomacy.
Both are also politically contested, which is precisely why they fall outside the UN-based figures. Including them is a statement about practical travel, not about recognition. Aviozo uses 197 for this reason, and it is the denominator behind the percentage on your map.
206 and 211: the sporting bodies
The International Olympic Committee recognizes 206 National Olympic Committees, and FIFA has 211 member associations. Both exceed every political count because they admit territories that field their own teams without being sovereign states, such as Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, and several Caribbean and Pacific territories.
These figures are excellent for their own purpose and misleading outside it. A traveler using 211 as a denominator is quietly counting football associations, not countries.
249: the ISO code list
ISO 3166-1 assigns codes to 249 entities. This is the list behind country dropdowns, shipping forms and, usually, the flag emoji on your phone. It deliberately includes dependencies, overseas territories and special areas, because its job is to give every addressable place a code, not to decide what is a country.
If you have ever wondered why a form lets you pick Antarctica, this is why. It is the right list for software and the wrong one for a travel count.
Which number should you use?
For a travel counter, 197 is the most defensible choice: it includes everywhere you can actually go and enter, and excludes the territorial entries that would inflate the number without corresponding to distinct countries. For a general fact, 195 is the safest. For anything where the answer must be strictly verifiable, use 193 and say that it is UN members.
The one thing worth avoiding is mixing lists. Counting your visits against 197 while your visited list includes overseas territories from the ISO list produces a percentage that means nothing. Pick a list, count against that list, and the number stays honest.
Frequently asked questions
How many countries are there in the world?
It depends on what you are counting. 193 are UN member states, 195 adds the Holy See and Palestine, 197 is the common travel figure that also includes Taiwan and Kosovo, and 249 is the ISO code list that includes territories and dependencies.
Why does Aviozo use 197?
Because the purpose is travel. 197 covers everywhere you can practically fly to and enter, including Taiwan and Kosovo, while excluding the dependencies and territories that appear in the 249-entry ISO list and would inflate a travel count.
Is Taiwan a country?
Politically contested, and that is why it is absent from the UN-based counts of 193 and 195. In practical travel terms it governs itself, issues its own passports and controls its own borders, which is why travel counts such as 197 include it.
Why do the Olympics and FIFA have more?
They admit territories that field their own teams without being sovereign states, such as Hong Kong and Puerto Rico. The IOC recognizes 206 National Olympic Committees and FIFA has 211 member associations, so both exceed every political count.
Does the number change?
Rarely, and usually through a state splitting, merging or gaining recognition. South Sudan was the most recent addition to UN membership. For practical purposes the figures above are stable year to year.
Plan the whole trip on Aviozo
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