How many Countries are there in the World? Countries in the World: 195 There are 195 countries in the world today. This total comprises 193 countries that are member states of the United Nations and 2 countries that are non-member observer states: the Holy See and the State of Palestine . Not in the list Not included in this total count of 195 countries are: Taiwan - the United Nations considers it represented by the People's Republic of China The Cook Islands and Niue , both states in free association with New Zealand which are members of several UN specialized agencies and have been recognized "full treaty-making capacity", but are neither member states nor non-member observer states. Dependencies (or dependent territories, dependent areas, dependencies) and Areas of Special Sovereignty (autonomous territories) Other countries recognized by the United Nations as not being self-governi...