Country rankings

Unrecognized Countries

Armenia has the highest Year Declared (1,991), followed by Palestine (1,988) and Western Sahara (1,976). Malta has the lowest (1,113).

GeographyPolitics & Government12 countries · 6 metricsUpdated Aug 28, 2023Original page
1 source
Year DeclaredBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →
12 of 235 countries
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Year Declared

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 12 ranked

Highest first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one country; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
1,955
Middle half 1,948 – 1,975
Average
1,889
12 countries
Highest
1,991
Armenia
Lowest
1,113
Malta

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

12 countries · # = rank by Year Declared
#
1ArmeniaUN memberRepublic of Armenia1,991Many, but not all, UN members—Armenia, independent since 1991, supports the disputed area Artsakh's claim to independence from Azerbaijan. However, Armenia itself is not recognised by UN member Pakistan, which supports Azerbaijan's claim on the disputed area Artsakh.
2PalestineUN memberState of Palestine1,988Many, but not all, UN membersIsraelIsrael gained control of the Palestinian territories as a result of the Six-Day War in 1967, but has never formally annexed them. - The State of Palestine (commonly known as Palestine) was declared in 1988 by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which is recognised by …
3Western SaharaNon-UN memberSahrawi Arab Democratic Republic1,976At least one UN memberMoroccoMorocco invaded and annexed most of Western Sahara in 1975. - Only Morocco and the United States have acknowledged Morocco's claim to the region. - 46 UN member nations and South Ossetia recognize Western Sahara's sovereignty
4NiueAssociated stateNiue1,974At least one UN memberNew Zealand (free association)Niue became a state in free association with New Zealand in 1974 after a constitutional referendum. - Although Niue is fully self-governing and behaves as a sovereign state in international law, its constitutional status is different from that of a fully independent state. For…
5Cook IslandsAssociated stateCook Islands1,965At least one UN memberNew Zealand (free association)The Cook Islands became a state in free association with New Zealand in 1965. The Cook Islands are fully self-governing and behave as a sovereign state in international law, but their constitutional status is different from that of a fully independent state—for example, all Co…
6CyprusUN memberRepublic of Cyprus1,960Many, but not all, UN membersNorthern CyprusThe Republic of Cyprus, independent since 1960, is not recognised by one UN member (Turkey) and one non-member (Northern Cyprus), due to the ongoing civil dispute over the island. - Turkey does not accept Cyprus' rule over the whole island and refers to it as the "Greek Cyprio…
7ChinaUN memberPeople's Republic of China1,949Many, but not all, UN membersTaiwan (Republic of China)The People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of Taiwan (ROC) both claim authority over all of China and refuse to recognize one another's sovereignty. - Both China and Taiwan also enforce the One-China policy, meaning that they refuse to establish diplomatic relations…
8South KoreaUN memberRepublic of Korea1,948Many, but not all, UN membersNorth KoreaSouth Korea (officially the Republic of Korea), independent since 1948, is not recognised by one UN member, North Korea.
8North KoreaUN memberDemocratic People's Republic of Korea1,948Many, but not all, UN membersSouth KoreaNorth Korea (officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea), independent since 1948, is not recognised by South Korea.
8IsraelUN memberState of Israel1,948Many, but not all, UN membersPalestine and SyriaIsrael, founded in 1948, is not recognised by 28 UN members. - The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which enjoys majority international recognition as sole representative of the Palestinian people, recognised Israel in 1993. - In January 2018 and October 2018, the Pale…
11TaiwanNon-UN memberRepublic of China1,912At least one UN memberChinaThe Republic of China (ROC) was constitutionally formed in 1912, and located primarily in Taiwan since 1949 (resulting in "Taiwan" being frequently used to refer to the state). - The ROC enjoyed majority recognition as the sole government of China until roughly the late 1950s/…
12MaltaNon-UN memberSovereign Military Order of Malta1,113Limited—The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) is considered a sovereign non-state entity as it claims neither statehood nor territory. - First recognized as sovereign by Pope Paschal II in 1113, it has established full diplomatic relations with 111 UN member states as well as t…

What correlates with Year Declared?

Pearson r against 453 other country metrics sharing at least 10 countries, 1 near-identical series hidden. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Year Declared tend to score higher on these

  1. UK Green List StatusUK Green List Countries
    r = +0.84 · very strong · n = 12
    Plot
  2. Vacc. Rate MCV1Vaccination Rates by Country
    r = +0.65 · strong · n = 10
    Plot
  3. Vacc. Rate RCV1Vaccination Rates by Country
    r = +0.65 · strong · n = 10
    Plot
  4. Voting AgeVoting Age by Country
    r = +0.63 · strong · n = 11
    Plot
  5. % Rel. Change 2016-22 (Ages 5-19)Childhood Obesity Rates by Country
    r = +0.54 · strong · n = 10
    Plot
  6. Nurses and MidwivesNurse Vacancies by Country
    r = +0.47 · moderate · n = 10
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Year Declared tend to score lower on these

  1. Population Density (per km²)
    r = −0.82 · very strong · n = 12
    Plot
  2. Average Radiance 2012-2023Darkest Countries
    r = −0.73 · very strong · n = 11
    Plot
  3. Opioid Use RateDrug Use by Country
    r = −0.73 · very strong · n = 11
    Plot
  4. Anxiety Cases Lower LimitAnxiety Rates by Country
    r = −0.72 · very strong · n = 11
    Plot
  5. Anxiety Cases OverallAnxiety Rates by Country
    r = −0.70 · very strong · n = 11
    Plot
  6. Debt as % of GNICountries Without Debt
    r = −0.70 · strong · n = 10
    Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest Year Declared?
Armenia has the highest Year Declared, at 1,991, followed by Palestine (1,988) and Western Sahara (1,976).
Which country has the lowest Year Declared?
Malta has the lowest Year Declared, at 1,113.
What is the median Year Declared across countries?
The median is 1,955 across the 12 countries with data.
Where does this unrecognized countries data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: List of States with Limited Recognition - Wikipedia.