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Every Continent Ranked by Number of Countries
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Key Takeaways
- Africa has the most countries of any continent, with 54 recognized nations.
- South America has the fewest, with just 12.
- In total, 195 countries (including two UN observer states) are distributed across seven continents.
The world’s 195 recognized countries are divided across seven continents, but the distribution is far from equal.
Africa leads with 54 countries, more than any other continent. South America has the fewest, at just 12. Meanwhile, Europe and Asia are counted separately despite sharing the same landmass, a division rooted in history and geopolitics rather than geography alone.
This map ranks every continent by number of countries, using data from World Population Review.
Note: Russia is categorized within Asia, as most of its land area lies there.
Breaking Down Countries by Continent
Below, we show how the 193 UN member states plus the UN observer states of Vatican City and Palestine are distributed across the world’s seven continents.
| Rank | Continent | Number of Countries |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Africa | 54 |
| 2 | Asia | 49 |
| 3 | Europe | 43 |
| 4 | North America | 23 |
| 5 | Oceania | 14 |
| 6 | South America | 12 |
| 7 | Antarctica | 0 |
| Total | 195 |
Africa accounts for 54 countries, the highest total of any continent. It spans roughly one-fifth of the world’s land area, with Algeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo among the largest by size. At the other end of the spectrum are island nations like Seychelles and São Tomé and Príncipe.
Asia ranks second with 49 countries. It is the most populous continent by far, home to roughly 60% of the global population. In terms of land area, Russia, China, and India are the largest, while nations like the Maldives and Singapore cover less than 300 square miles.
Europe is home to 43 countries, including 27 European Union members. Ukraine is the largest by land area, followed by France.
North America includes the Caribbean, Central America, and the Arctic region. Its 23 countries include Greenland, which sits on the North American tectonic plate.
At the bottom of the ranking are Oceania and South America, with 14 and 12 countries respectively.
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