List of members of the United Nations Security Council explained

Membership of the United Nations Security Council is held by the five permanent members and ten elected, non-permanent members.

Being elected requires a two-thirds majority vote from the United Nations General Assembly. Elected members hold their place on the council for a two-year term, with five seats contested in even years and five seats contested in odd years. An outgoing member cannot be immediately re-elected.

Elections usually begin in October for a term starting January 1. Because of the two-thirds majority requirement, it is possible for two evenly matched candidates to deadlock with approximately half the vote each, sometimes needing weeks of negotiations to resolve.

Non-permanent seats are distributed geographically, with a certain number of seats allocated to each of the five United Nations Regional Groups.

Current membership

Permanent members

Country	Regional Group	Member since
	Asia-Pacific Group	, replaced the Republic of China
	Western European and Others Group
	Eastern European Group	, replaced the Soviet Union
	Western European and Others Group
	Western European and Others Group

Non-permanent members

Country	Regional Group	Term began	Term ends
	African Group (Arab)	2024	2025
	Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)	2023	2024
	Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)	2024	2025
	Asia-Pacific Group	2023	2024
	Western European and Others Group (WEOG)	2023	2024
	African Group	2023	2024
	Asia-Pacific Group	2024	2025
	African Group	2024	2025
	Eastern European Group (EEG)	2024	2025
	Western European and Others Group (WEOG)	2023	2024

Regional Groups

The ten non-permanent seats have the following distribution:

• African Group: 3 members
• Asia-Pacific Group: 2 members
• Eastern European Group: 1 member
• Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC): 2 members
• Western European and Others Group (WEOG): 2 members

In addition, one of the five African/Asian seats is an Arab country, alternating between the two groups. This rule was added in 1967 for it to be applied beginning with 1968.

Electoral timetable

Term beginning in years that are:	Odd	Even
African Group	one member	two members *
Asia-Pacific Group	one member	one member *
Eastern European Group	none	one member
	one member	one member
	two members	none

* The representative of Arab nations alternates between these two spaces.

The odd/even distribution was effectively decided by the January 1946 and 1965 elections (the first ever election, and the first election after the expansion of seats). For each of the six and four members in the newly created seats, the UN General Assembly voted to grant either a 1-year or 2-year term.

Previous Security Council composition

From 1946 to 1965, the Security Council had six non-permanent members. Due to a lack of African and Asian member states, the seats had the following distribution:

• Latin America: 2 members
• Commonwealth of Nations: 1 member
• Eastern Europe: 1 member
• Middle East: 1 member
• Western Europe: 1 member

As decolonization increased the number of Asian and African member states without a group, they began to contest other seats: Ivory Coast substituted a member of the Commonwealth in 1964–1965, the Eastern European seat regularly included Asian countries from 1956, Liberia took the place of a Western European country in 1961, and Mali successfully contested the Middle Eastern seat in December 1964 (the Security Council would be expanded before Mali's term began).

An amendment to the UN Charter ratified in 1965 increased the number of non-permanent seats to 10, and the Regional Groups were formalized. The amendment effectively created three African seats and one Asian seat (if treating the Commonwealth seat as a WEOG seat and the Middle Eastern seat as an Asian seat).

Membership by year

Permanent

width=50	Year !	Chinese seat	French seat	Soviet/Russian seat	British seat	American seat
1945		Prov. Gov. of France
1946		French Fourth Republic
1949	Republic of China (Taiwan)
1958		French Fifth Republic
1971	China
1991–present

Non-permanent (1966–present)

The African Group uses an internal rotation system to distribute seats based on its subregions:^{[1] [2]}

• 1 odd-year seat alternates between Eastern Africa and Southern Africa (only Eastern Africa prior to the creation of the Southern Africa subregion in 1979)
• 1 even-year seat is allocated to Western Africa
• 1 even-year seat alternates between Northern Africa (the Arab nation seat) and Central Africa (with one exception at the beginning in 1966)

Aside from the Asia-Pacific Group also allocating an Arab nation seat every four years (in even years not divisible by 4), other regional groups do not have their own subregional rotation systems.^[3] The Arab nation seat is starred below.

The Western European and Others Group in part contains three caucusing subgroups (Benelux, the Nordic countries, and CANZ), whose candidates informally coordinate with each other.^{[4] [3]} While this has not resulted in a stable rotation system, it effectively guarantees that both seats will never be occupied by a single subgroup at the same time.^[5]

Year	African Group			Asia-Pacific Group		Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)		Western European and Others Group		Eastern European Group
	Eastern/Southern	Western	Northern/Central
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018								[6]
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

List by number of years as Security Council member

This list contains the 138 United Nations member states so far elected to the United Nations Security Council, including the five permanent members, all listed by number of years each country has so far spent on the UNSC. Of all the members, 6 have so far ceased to exist, leaving the list with 132 modern nations. These, combined with the 61 modern nations that have never been elected to the UNSC to date (see Non-members, below), make up the 193 current members of the UN.

Years on the Security Council,, including current year where relevant :

Years	Country	First Year	Most Recent Year	Regional Group	Notes
79		1945	2024	WEOG	Permanent member
79		1945	2024	WEOG	Permanent member
79		1945	2024	WEOG	Permanent member
53		1971	2024	Asia-Pacific	Permanent member
46		1945	1991	E. European	Former permanent member, replaced by the Russian Federation
33		1991	2024	E. European	Permanent member
26		1945	1971	Asian	Former permanent member, replaced by the People's Republic of China
24		1958	2024	Asia-Pacific
22		1946	2023	GRULAC
18		1948	2014	GRULAC
16		1950	2022	Asia-Pacific
14		1947	2012	GRULAC
14		1952	2013	Asia-Pacific	Elected to serve a two-year term from 2025–2026
13		1959	2017	WEOG
12		1947	2020	WEOG
12		1948	2000	WEOG
12		1977	2020	WEOG	Includes 4 years when the Federal Republic of Germany consisted only of West Germany (but does not include East Germany's 2 years, listed separately below).
11		1946	2019	E. European
10		1946	2014	WEOG
10		1952	2015	GRULAC
10		1946	2018	WEOG
10	Nigeria	1966	2015	African
10		1949	2022	WEOG
10		1958	2008	GRULAC	Elected to serve a two-year term from 2025–2026
10		1955	2019	GRULAC
10		1969	2016	WEOG
10		1962	2016	GRULAC
9		1946	2017	African (Arab)	Excludes 2 years with the seat held in the name of the United Arab Republic, of which for more than 15 months UAR served as the name of modern-day Egypt
9		1946	2022	GRULAC
8		1953	2006	WEOG	Elected to serve a two-year term from 2025–2026
8		1950	2024	GRULAC
8		1978	2023	African
8		1962	2023	African
8		1973	2020	Asia-Pacific
8		1957	2018	WEOG
8		1948	2017	E. European	Includes 4 years of membership under the name of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic; the Ukrainian SSR held its own seat in the General Assembly while being part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during its 46 years of Security Council membership
8		1959	2021	African (Arab)
7		1968	2024	African (Arab)
7		1962	2022	WEOG
7		1965	2016	Asia-Pacific
7		1954	2016	WEOG
7		1962	2005	E. European
7		1951	2010	WEOG
7		1950	1989	E. European	Predecessor of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia
6		1973	2010	WEOG
6		1966	2003	E. European
6		1974	2009	GRULAC
6		1964	2019	African
6		1949	1991	GRULAC
6		1967	2018	African
6		1965	2015	Asia-Pacific (Arab)
6		1973	2022	African
6		1963	2013	African (Arab)
6		1957	2005	Asia-Pacific
6		1979	2012	WEOG
6		1964	2018	GRULAC
6		1968	2017	African
6		2007	2020	African
6		1947	2003	Asia-Pacific (Arab)	Excludes one year (1961) during which the United Arab Republic was a member, for the greater part of which Syria was a member of that union
6		1969	1988	African
5		1975	2024	GRULAC
5		1996	2024	Asia-Pacific
5		1966	2010	African
4		2003	2016	African
4		1979	2001	Asia-Pacific
4		1976	2005	African
4		1984	2009	African	For the first 7 months of membership of the Security Council in 1984 was known as Upper Volta.
4		1974	2003	African
4		1986	2007	African
4		1969	1990	WEOG
4		1952	2006	WEOG	Elected to serve a two-year term from 2025–2026
4		1972	2003	African
4		1968	1993	E. European
4		1957	1975	Asia-Pacific (Arab)
4		1979	2001	GRULAC
4		1978	2019	Asia-Pacific (Arab)
4		1953	2011	Asia-Pacific (Arab)
4		1976	2009	African (Arab)
4		1966	2001	African
4		1983	2024	WEOG
4		1977	2002	African
4		1969	1989	Asia-Pacific
4		1970	1984	GRULAC
4		1980	2021	African
4		1994	2014	African
4		1982	2013	African
4		1986	2023	Asia-Pacific (Arab)
4		1975	2006	African
4		1965	2017	GRULAC
4		2008	2021	Asia-Pacific
4		1982	1991	African	Now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo
4		1983	1992	African
3		1964	1979	E. European	Predecessor of the Czech Republic and Slovakia
3		1970	2024	African
3		1998	2024	E. European	Was part of Yugoslavia during its 7 years of Security Council membership
2		2022	2023	E. European
2		2012	2013	E. European	Was part of the Soviet Union during its 46 years of Security Council membership
2		1998	1999	Asia-Pacific (Arab)
2		2010	2011	E. European	Was part of Yugoslavia during its 7 years of Security Council membership
2		1995	1996	African
2		1970	1971	African
2		1974	1975	E. European	Now known as Belarus; the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic held its own seat in the General Assembly while being part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during its 46 years of Security Council membership
2		1992	1993	African
2		1960	1961	Asia-Pacific	Now known as Sri Lanka
2		2014	2015	African
2		2008	2009	E. European	Was part of Yugoslavia during its 7 years of Security Council membership
2		1994	1995	E. European	Was part of Czechoslovakia during its 3 years of Security Council membership
2		1993	1994	African
2		2019	2020	GRULAC
2		1980	1981	E. European	Now subsumed into Germany, which has 8 years of Security Council membership since it has included the former territory of East Germany
2		2020	2021	E. European	Was part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during its 46 years of Security Council membership
2		2018	2019	African
2		2012	2013	GRULAC
2		1996	1997	African
2		1995	1996	GRULAC
2		1955	1956	Asia-Pacific
2		2017	2018	Asia-Pacific	Was part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during its 46 years of Security Council membership
2		2014	2015	E. European	Was part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during its 46 years of Security Council membership
2		2013	2014	WEOG
2	Madagascar	1985	1986	African
2		1974	1975	African
2		2023	2024	African
2		1999	2000	African
2		1994	1995	Asia-Pacific (Arab)
2	Paraguay	1968	1969	GRULAC
2		2006	2007	Asia-Pacific (Arab)
2		1998	1999	African
2		2020	2021	GRULAC	Smallest nation to have held a place on the Security Council[7]
2		2001	2002	Asia-Pacific	Was part of Malaysia for 8 months in 1965 during its membership of the Security Council
2		2006	2007	E. European	Was part of Czechoslovakia during its 3 years of Security Council membership
2		1971	1972	African	Elected to serve a two-year term from 2025–2026
2		1972	1973	African (Arab)
2		2023	2024	WEOG
2		1985	1986	Asia-Pacific
2		1985	1986	GRULAC
2		1961	1962	Middle East	Union of Syria and Egypt
1	Democratic Yemen	1990	1990	Asian (Arab)	Held the Security Council seat for the first five months of membership, then unified with Yemen (i.e., North Yemen) and passed the seat to Yemen.
1		1961	1961	African	Served only one year.
1		1990	1991	Asia-Pacific (Arab)	Inherited the seat from Democratic Yemen; served the remaining of the term, for one year and seven months.

Future membership

See main article: 2025 United Nations Security Council election and 2026 United Nations Security Council election. The following countries have made known their applications for future United Nations Security Council membership:

Year	Africa	Asia-Pacific	Eastern Europe	Latin America & Caribbean	Western Europe & Others
2026–27	[8]	[9]	[10] [11]	?	–
2027–28	?	[12] [13]	–	?	[14] [15] [16]
2028–29	?	[17] [18]	?	?	–
2029–30	?	[19]	–	?	[20]
2030–31	?	?	[21]	?	–
2031–32	?	?	–	[22]	?
2032–33	?	?	[23]	?	–
2033–34	?		–	?	?
2037–38	?	?	–	?	[24]
2042–43	?		?	?	–

Non-members

The United Nations Charter requires that elections to the Security Council take into account "the contribution of Members...to the maintenance of international peace and security". As a result, many nations, small or otherwise, have never been on the Security Council. The following list is a summary of all countries, currently 61 modern nations^[25] and three historical ones that have never been a member of the United Nations Security Council. The three historical UN members listed are Tanganyika, Zanzibar, and Serbia and Montenegro.

UN Member state	Regional Group	Security Council membership as part of another entity
	Asia-Pacific
	WEOG
	GRULAC	Was a crown colony, then an associated state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 36 years of Security Council membership until
	E. European	Was a union republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during its 45 years of Security Council membership until
	GRULAC	Was a crown colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 27 years of Security Council membership until
	GRULAC	Was a crown colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 21 years of Security Council membership until
	GRULAC	Was a crown colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 35 years of Security Council membership until
	Asia-Pacific	Was a protected state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 1 year of Security Council membership until 1947
	Asia-Pacific	Was a protectorate of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 38 years of Security Council membership until
	Asia-Pacific	Was a protectorate of France during its 8 years of Security Council membership until
	African	Was a colony of France during its 14 years of Security Council membership until
	African	Was an overseas territory of France during its 29 years of Security Council membership until
	Asia-Pacific	Was a crown colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 14 years of Security Council membership until
	GRULAC	Was a crown colony, then an associated state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 33 years of Security Council membership until
	Asia-Pacific	Was a province of Indonesia (de facto) during its 2 years of Security Council membership and an overseas province of Portugal (de jure) during its 4 years of Security Council membership until
	GRULAC
	African	Was under military administration of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland until, then an autonomous region and then a province of Ethiopia during its 10 years of Security Council membership until
	African	Was a protectorate of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 22 years of Security Council membership until
	Asia-Pacific	Was a crown colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 24 years of Security Council membership until
	E. European	Was a union republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during its 45 years of Security Council membership until
	GRULAC	Was a crown colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 28 years of Security Council membership until
Haiti	GRULAC
Iceland	WEOG
	None / WEOG	Part of a League of Nations mandate under administration of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 2 years of Security Council membership until
	Asia-Pacific / None	Was a crown colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 33 years of Security Council membership until
	Asia-Pacific	Was a union republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during its 46 years of Security Council membership until
	Asia-Pacific	Was a protectorate of France during its 7 years of Security Council membership until
	E. European	Was a union republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during its 44 years of Security Council membership until
	African	Was a crown colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 20 years of Security Council until
	WEOG
	African	Was a protectorate of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 18 years of Security Council membership until
	Asia-Pacific	Was a protected state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 19 years of Security Council membership until
	Asia-Pacific	Was a district of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands under the administration of the United States of America during its 40 years of Security Council membership until
	Asia-Pacific	Was a district of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands under the administration of the United States of America during its 41 years of Security Council membership until
	E. European	Was a union republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during its 45 years of Security Council membership until
	WEOG
	Asia-Pacific
	E. European	Was a republic of Yugoslavia during its 7 years of Security Council membership until
	Asia-Pacific	Was a crown colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 2 years of Security Council membership until
	Asia-Pacific	Was a United Nations trust territory administered by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 22 years of Security Council membership, Australia during its 4 years of Security Council membership, and New Zealand during its 3 years of Security Council membership until 31 January 1968
	Asia-Pacific	Was under military occupation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during its 2 years of Security Council membership until
	E. European	Was a republic of Yugoslavia during its 7 years of Security Council membership until
	Asia-Pacific	Was a district of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands under the administration of the United States of America during its 48 years of Security Council membership until
Papua New Guinea	Asia-Pacific	Was an external territory of Australia in the case of the Territory of Papua and a League of Nations mandate (later a United Nations trust territory during its union with Papua) in the case of the Territory of New Guinea during its 2 years of Security Council membership until , then the unified Territory of Papua and New Guinea in Australia during its 4 years of Security Council membership until
	GRULAC	Was a crown colony, then an associated state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 37 years of Security Council membership until
	GRULAC	Was a crown colony, then an associated state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 33 years of Security Council membership until
	Asia-Pacific	Was a League of Nations mandate, then a United Nations trust territory, under the administration of New Zealand during its 2 years of Security Council membership until
	WEOG
	African
	Asia-Pacific	Saudi Arabia was elected in the 2013 election, but declined the seat.[26]
	E. European	Was a republic of Yugoslavia during its 7 years of Security Council membership until
	E. European	Was part of Yugoslavia during its 7 years of Security Council membership until
	African	Was a crown colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 30 years of Security Council membership until
	Asia-Pacific	Was a protectorate of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 32 years of Security Council membership until
	African	Was a condominium of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Egypt during its 10 years and 3 years of Security Council membership until, then part of Sudan during its 2 years of Security Council membership until
	GRULAC	Was a colony, then a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands during its 5 years of Security Council membership until
	Asia-Pacific	Was a union republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during its 45 years of Security Council membership until
	Commonwealth Seat	Was a League of Nations mandate under the administration of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 1 year of Security Council membership until, then a United Nations trust territory under the administration of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland until, then independent until federation with Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania on
	Asia-Pacific	Was a protected state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 24 years of Security Council membership until
	Asia-Pacific	Was a union republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during its 46 years of Security Council membership until
	Asia-Pacific	Was a crown colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 32 years of Security Council membership until
	Asia-Pacific	Was a union republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during its 45 years of Security Council membership until
	Asia-Pacific	Was a condominium under joint sovereignty of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and France during its 34 years of Security Council membership until
Zanzibar	Commonwealth Seat	Was a protectorate of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during its 18 years of Security Council membership until, then independent until federation with Tanganyika to form the United Republic of Tanzania on

See also

• United Nations Regional Groups
• Member states of the United Nations
• List of members of the United Nations Economic and Social Council
• List of members of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights

References

Notes and References

1. Book: Endeley, Isaac. 2009. Bloc Politics at the United Nations: The African Group. University Press of America. 978-0761845584.
2. Endeley. Isaac. 1998. Le Groupe africain à l'ONU dans l'après-guerre froide. PhD. Université de Montréal. 2024-03-30. French.
3. Web site: Special Research Report No. 1: UN Security Council Elections 2009 : Research Report : Security Council Report.
4. Web site: Special Research Report No. 4: Security Council Elections 2006 : Research Report : Security Council Report.
5. http://www.thegreenpapers.com/ww/UNSecurityCouncil.phtml The United Nations Security Council
6. Web site: Italy, Netherlands ask to share Security Council seat. Al Jazeera. 28 June 2016. .
7. https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/06/1040071 St. Vincent and the Grenadines breaks a record, as smallest ever Security Council seat holder
8. https://www.liberianobserver.com/liberia-ecowas-endorses-liberias-candidacy-un-security-council
9. Web site: India, Bahrain to back each other for UN seat. 6 October 2009. 25 July 2022. Hindustan Times.
10. Web site: Dombrovskis and UN secretary general discuss UN priorities and Latvia's interests. 16 May 2013. 28 September 2013. The Baltic Course.
11. Web site: Minister Describes Use of Force to Address Problems as 'Ineffective, Meaningless and Destructive', on Fourth Day of General Assembly's Annual Debate. 27 September 2013. 1 November 2015. United Nations.
12. Web site: Kyrgyzstan bids for non-permanent UN Security Council members. 2020-06-12. akipress.com.
13. Web site: 46th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting Joint Communiqué. 1 July 2013. 19 October 2013. VietnamPlus.
14. Web site: Switzerland's candidature for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2023–2024 term. 5 June 2015. 1 November 2015. Swiss Federal Council.
15. Web site: Federal Chancellor Scholz at the UN General Assembly 2022 . bundesregierung.de . German Federal Government . 16 March 2023.
16. Web site: Non-Permanent Member of the Security Council 2027–2028. Permanent Mission of Portugal to the United Nations. 1 November 2015.
17. Web site: India Declares Candidature For UN Security Council Membership For 2028–29 Term. 15 December 2022. 15 December 2022. NDTV.
18. Web site: OIC Candidacies. 27 June 2023. 1 June 2023. Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
19. Web site: RESOLUTION NO.6/42-ORG ON CANDIDACIES SUBMITTED BY OIC MEMBER STATES FOR POSTS IN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS. 28 May 2015. 23 September 2016. Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
20. Web site: General Debate Statement by The Hon Julie Bishop MP Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia. 29 September 2015. 1 November 2015. United Nations.
21. Web site: MVP RH . Un.mfa.hr .
22. Web site: India, Guatemala to support each other for UNSC membership. 8 May 2018. 19 July 2022. Thestatesman.com.
23. Web site: Uruguay and Armenia support each other at UN Security Council. 8 December 2014. 28 March 2015. News.am.
24. Web site: Belgium candidate for a new UN Security Council mandate. 3 February 2021.
25. Web site: Countries Never Elected Members. United Nations. 1 January 2020.
26. United Nations, General Assembly, Letter dated 12 November 2013 from the Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General, A/68/599 (14 November 2013), available from undocs.org/A/68/599