It depends on the list. There are 193 member states of the United Nations, or 195 if you add the two UN observer states, Vatican City and Palestine. The ISO 3166-1 standard, used by computers, airlines and postal services, has 249 country and territory codes. Travellers’ clubs count far more: the Travelers’ Century Club lists 330 countries and territories, and NomadMania splits the world into 1,381 regions. For counting your own travels, 193 UN countries is the most common benchmark; say which list you use.
“How many countries have you been to?” sounds like a simple question. It isn’t, because there is no single, agreed list of countries. Two people with exactly the same travels can give different answers, and both can be right. This guide explains the main lists, why they differ, and how to choose one.
The main lists
| List | Count | Who uses it |
|---|---|---|
| UN member states | 193 | Governments, most “countries visited” challenges |
| UN members plus observers | 195 | Many travellers and atlases |
| ISO 3166-1 codes | 249 | Computers, airlines, postal services, flight logs |
| Travelers’ Century Club | 330 | The original country-counting club, founded for people who have visited 100 or more places on its list |
| NomadMania regions | 1,381 | Serious country counters who want to split large countries into regions |
Counts as published by each organisation; the Travelers’ Century Club list is dated January 2022.
193: the United Nations
The 193 member states of the United Nations are the most widely used definition of a country. If someone says they have “been to every country in the world”, this is usually the list they mean.
What it leaves out: places that are not UN members, such as Kosovo and Taiwan, which many people consider countries, and every dependent territory, such as Greenland, Puerto Rico or Hong Kong.
195: adding the observers
The UN has two permanent observer states that are not members: Vatican City (the Holy See) and Palestine. Adding them gives 195, a number you will see in many atlases and travel guides.
249: ISO 3166-1
The ISO 3166-1 standard gives a two-letter code to every country and many territories: GB, FR, JP, and also HK for Hong Kong, PR for Puerto Rico, GL for Greenland. It has 249 codes and is the list that computer systems use, including airline reservation systems and flight logs.
flew.world counts countries and territories by ISO code. That means Hong Kong and Puerto Rico count on their own, which matches how airlines and passports treat them. Your total on flew.world can therefore be higher than your UN count.
330: the Travelers’ Century Club
Founded in the 1950s for people who have visited 100 or more countries, the Travelers’ Century Club keeps a list of 330 countries and territories. It separates places that are geographically or politically distinct from their parent country, such as islands far from the mainland.
Its rule for a visit is generous: even the shortest stop counts, such as a port call or a fuel stop, as long as you leave the aircraft, ship or vehicle and set foot in the territory. You become eligible for membership at 100.
1,381: NomadMania regions
NomadMania goes further, splitting the world into 1,381 regions so that a visit to Moscow and a visit to Vladivostok count separately. It is aimed at travellers who have run out of UN countries and want a harder challenge. It also keeps a UN list of 193.
The tricky cases
Every list has to decide about places like these, and that is where the numbers part ways:
- Partly recognised states, such as Kosovo and Taiwan: not UN members, but separate on ISO and most travellers’ lists.
- Dependent territories, such as Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Puerto Rico, Bermuda or French Polynesia: part of another country politically, but often far away and very different.
- Constituent countries, such as England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: one UN member, but some travellers count them separately.
- Antarctica: not a country at all, but on many travellers’ lists as a destination in its own right.
- Disputed areas, where different lists take different positions.
There is no right answer, which is why stating your list matters more than which list you choose.
What counts as visiting?
The second half of the question is what counts as a visit. The most common rules:
- Set foot outside the airport. The most common rule among travellers, and close to the Travelers’ Century Club’s.
- Stayed overnight. Stricter, and popular with people who want each country to mean something.
- Any landing. The aviation enthusiast’s rule: every airport counts, connections included.
flew.world shows two counts side by side: countries you stayed in, where connections and returning home don’t count, and every country you flew into or through, connections included. You can correct any stop that was really a stay, or the other way round.
Which list should you use?
- For a simple, comparable number: the 193 UN countries.
- If you want to include places like Hong Kong or Puerto Rico: ISO, as flight logs do.
- If you are chasing a serious goal: the Travelers’ Century Club list, or NomadMania for the hardest version.
Whatever you choose, say it when you share your number: “47 countries (UN list)” stops the argument before it starts.
Count your own
The quickest way to see your number is to put it on a map:
- Tap the countries you have been to on the free countries visited map maker and download the image.
- Or let your flights count them: log your flights on flew.world and your countries are counted automatically, with both the “stayed in” and “flown into or through” totals.
More in how to make a map of every country you’ve visited.
Questions
How many countries are there in the world?
There are 193 UN member states, or 195 including the observer states Vatican City and Palestine. Other lists count more, such as 249 ISO codes or 330 on the Travelers’ Century Club list.
Is Hong Kong a country?
It is not a UN member state, but it has its own ISO code (HK), and many travellers and flight logs, including flew.world, count it separately.
Does an airport connection count as visiting a country?
Most travellers say no unless you leave the airport. The Travelers’ Century Club counts even short stops if you set foot in the territory. flew.world shows counts with and without connections.
How many countries do you need for the Travelers’ Century Club?
100 from its list of 330 countries and territories.
How does flew.world count countries?
By ISO code, so territories such as Hong Kong count on their own. It shows countries you stayed in and every country you flew into or through.
Sources
- Countries and territories Travelers’ Century Club
- Travel lists NomadMania
- How many countries have you visited? AFAR
Updated 2 November 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at hello@flew.world.
