Lists of the 193 members of the United Nations are easy to locate, but how many countries are not members of the UN? Three countries out of the 196 countries of the world are not members of the United Nations.

Kosovo
Taiwan
Vatican City / The Holy See

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on on February 17, 2008 but has not gained complete international recognition to allow it to become a member of the United Nations.
In 1971 the People's Republic of China (mainland China) replaced Taiwan (also known as the Republic of China) in the United Nations.
The independent papal state of 771 people (including the Pope) was created in 1929. They have not chosen to become part of the international organization.Vatican City - Because of its tiny population and unique status, the Vatican City is a permanent observer state, but not a full member. (Holy See and the United Nations)

Palestine - Attempted to gain membership in 2011/2012, but failed due to lack of support from the Security Council. The US would have likely vetoed membership. It is currently recognized as a non-member observer state. (Palestine 194)

Taiwan - The UN considers the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China to be a single state, therefore Taiwan is not a member.

There are several partially recognized states like Kosovo, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, which are not members and, as far as I can tell, have not yet attempted to gain membership.

Written 29 Mar 2014 • View Upvotes