Below is a list of sovereign states, including the dates when they became independent and the dates when their current form of government (their constitution) was established. This list is organized by continent.

This list includes 195 countries that are currently members of the United Nations or non-member observer states recognized by the United Nations General Assembly. It does not include states that no longer exist but does include some countries that are not widely recognized by all nations.

For information about proposed states or groups of people who believe their lands are still under foreign control, see the list of active autonomist and secessionist movements.

Nation-building is a long process, and the exact date when a country was formed is often hard to determine. For example, England and France were both independent kingdoms during the medieval period, but England is no longer a sovereign state because it became part of Great Britain in 1707. France, however, became a republic in 1870 (though the modern French government, called the Fifth Republic, was formed in 1958).

Approximately 60 countries gained independence from the United Kingdom throughout history, the most of any former colonial power. Around 40 countries gained independence from France. More than 50% of the world’s current borders were created during British and French rule. Many other countries gained independence from other European powers, such as 23 from Spain, 7 from Portugal, 4 from the Netherlands, 3 from Belgium, and 2 from Italy.

A clear measure of a country’s formation is the date of its national constitution. However, constitutions are a modern idea, so most formation dates based on constitutions are from recent or earlier modern times (the oldest existing constitution is from San Marino, dating to 1600).

Independence dates for widely recognized countries before 1919 should be treated carefully. Before the League of Nations was created, there was no international group to officially recognize independence. Before this, independence only meant that two groups of people agreed that each was in control of its own land. The League of Nations was later replaced by the United Nations after World War II. For more information about disputed territories, see the relevant section.

The following list includes the formation dates of countries, along with a brief description of key events during their formation. For more detailed information about a country’s history, refer to the main article about that country.

Sortable list

The term "date of last subordination" means the final day a country was controlled by another government. This list includes states and their earlier forms as independent and continuous, even if they existed in areas now part of other countries that were later taken over by force or merged. It does not count times when a country was ruled by a foreign power for a short period or during colonial rule. However, it includes cases where a foreign military took control without planning to take over the country or when a government in exile existed.

The list groups countries based on when they became independent after being ruled by another country (for example, 41 countries gained independence from the United Kingdom and France between 1956 and 1966) or when they separated from a larger political group (for example, 20 countries became independent from the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia between 1990 and 2006). In other cases, a country was controlled by a foreign power for some time but later regained its independence (for example, 6 countries became independent from Nazi Germany between 1944 and 1945).

The dates listed show when a country was actually controlled or occupied by another power, even if other countries did not officially recognize this control.

In groups like Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Poland-Lithuania, the Soviet Union, or the Kalmar Union, one part of the group was usually the main leader, often where the government was based. The United Kingdom is a special case. If England is considered the main part, its history can be traced back to the Roman conquest, Saxon invasions, unification in the 10th century, and the Norman Conquest in 1066, before joining with Scotland in 1707. If viewed from Scotland’s perspective, its history of independence can be traced back to unification in 843, ending with the 1707 union with England (with a short period of control by England from 1657 to 1660). Some Scots see the 1707 union as losing their independence to England.

Some countries have completely disappeared without any new country taking their place. This happens when a country is taken over and no longer exists, even as a government in exile. The most recent example is the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), which was abolished after Germany reunited in 1990. Modern Germany is a combination of East and West Germany, not a direct replacement for East Germany.

This list does not include parts of the Holy Roman Empire or the Ottoman Empire and Russian Empire, as these were not independent countries but parts of larger empires. It also does not include British dominions before 1931, as these were not fully independent and still relied on the United Kingdom for foreign policy and defense, similar to places like Puerto Rico and Greenland today.

The idea of a sovereign state is different from the idea of a nation. Some nations do not have their own country (for example, stateless nations). This list includes the dates when current sovereign states were created, not the dates when nations first appeared. For some nations, like the Bulgarians, history separates the different countries they created over time (such as the First, Second, and Third Bulgarian States).