List of members of the United Nations Security Council


Membership of the United Nations Security Council is held by the five permanent members and ten elected, non-permanent members. Prior to 1966, there were six elected members, while the permanent members have in essence not changed since the creation of the United Nations in 1945, apart from the representation of China. Elected members hold their place on the Council for a two-year term, and half of these places are contested each year. To ensure geographical continuity, a certain number of members is allocated for each of the five UN regional groupings.

Current membership

;Permanent members
CountryRegional GroupMember since
Asia-Pacific Group1971, replaced the Republic of China
Western European and Others Group1945
Eastern European Group1991, replaced the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Western European and Others Group1945
Western European and Others Group1945

;Non-permanent members
CountryRegional GroupTerm beganTerm ends
Western European and Others Group 20192020
Latin American and Caribbean Group 20192020
Eastern European Group 20202021
Western European and Others Group20192020
Asia-Pacific Group20192020
African Group20202021
Latin American and Caribbean Group 20202021
African Group20192020
African Group20202021
Asia-Pacific Group20202021

Regional Groups

In addition, one of the non-permanent members of the council is an Arab country, alternately from the African or Asia-Pacific groups. This rule was added to the system in 1967 for it to be applied beginning with 1968.
Each year the UN General Assembly elects five new members for a two-year term; these elections always begin in October of the year, and continue until the two-thirds majority for the number of countries for each region has been reached. Re-election is allowed, but the term must not be consecutive.
;Electoral timetable
Term beginning in years that are:OddEven
African Groupone membertwo members *
Asia-Pacific Groupone memberone member *
Eastern European Groupnoneone member
Latin American and Caribbean Group one memberone member
Western European and Others Grouptwo membersnone

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

Previous and future Security Council composition

From 1946 to 1965, the security council included six non-permanent members. The regional grouping at that time was:
There were some exceptions to this grouping: Liberia took the place of a Western European country in 1961; the Ivory Coast substituted a member of the Commonwealth in 1964–1965; and the Eastern Europe group included Asian countries from 1956.
As part of a proposed expansion of the Security Council, Brazil, Germany, India and Japan, collectively the Group of 4 or G4 nations, are seeking permanent representation on this body. Italy opposed the expansion of the Security Council through the establishment of the group Uniting for Consensus.

Membership by year

Permanent

Non-permanent (1946–1965)

Non-permanent (1966–present)

List by number of years as Security Council member

This list contains the 133 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 127 modern nations. These, combined with the 66 modern nations that have never been elected to the UNSC to date, make up the entirety of the 193 current members of the UN.
Years on the Security Council, as of 2020, including current year where relevant :
YearsCountryFirst YearMost Recent YearRegional GroupNotes
7519452020WEOGPermanent member
7519452020WEOGPermanent member
7519452020WEOGPermanent member
4919712020Asia-PacificPermanent member
4619451991E. EuropeanFormer permanent member, replaced by Russian Federation
2919912020E. EuropeanPermanent member
2619451971AsianFormer permanent member, replaced by People's Republic of China
2219582017Asia-Pacific
2019462011GRULAC
1819482014GRULAC
1419472012GRULAC
1419502012Asia-Pacific
1419522013Asia-Pacific
1319592017WEOG
1219472020WEOG
1219482000WEOG
1219772020WEOGIncludes 4 years when the Federal Republic of Germany consisted only of West Germany.
1119462019E. European
1019462014WEOG
1019522015GRULAC
1019462018WEOG
1019662015African
1019582008GRULAC
1019552019GRULAC
1019692016WEOG
1019622016GRULAC
919462017African 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
819532006WEOG
819732020Asia-Pacific
819492002WEOG
819572018WEOG
819482017E. EuropeanIncludes 4 years of membership under the name of ; Ukrainian SSR held its own seat in the General Assembly while being part of the Soviet Union during its 46 years of Security Council membership
819592021African
719652016Asia-Pacific
719462010GRULAC
719542016WEOG
719622005E. European
719512010WEOG
719501989E. EuropeanPredecessor of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia
619682005African
619732010WEOG
619642018GRULAC
619662003E. European
619742009GRULAC
619642019African
619491991GRULAC
619501992GRULAC
619672018African
619782011African
619622007African
619652015Asia-Pacific
619632013African
619572005Asia-Pacific
619792012WEOG
619682017African
620072020African
619472003Asia-Pacific Exludes one year during which the United Arab Republic was a member, for the greater part of which Syria was a member of that union
619691988African
519622002WEOG
519662010African
420032016African
419792001Asia-Pacific
419762005African
419842009AfricanFor first 7 months of membership of the Security council in 1984 was known as Upper Volta.
419742003African
419691990WEOG
419522006WEOG
419722003African
419751983GRULAC
419681993E. European
419571975Asia-Pacific
419792001GRULAC
419731998African
419782019Asia-Pacific
419532011Asia-Pacific
4 Libya19762009African
419662001African
419772002African
419691989Asia-Pacific
419701984GRULAC
419802021African
419862007African
419962014Asia-Pacific
419942014African
419752006African
419822013African
419652017GRULAC
420082021Asia-Pacific
419821991AfricanNow known as Democratic Republic of the Congo
419831992African
319641979E. EuropeanPredecessor of Czech Republic and Slovakia
220122013E. EuropeanWas part of the Soviet Union during its 45 years of Security Council membership
219981999Asia-Pacific
220102011E. EuropeanWas also part of the SFR Yugoslavia during its 7 years of Security Council membership
219951996African
219701971African
219741975E. EuropeanNow known as Belarus; Byelorussian SSR held its own seat in the General Assembly while being part of the Soviet Union during its 45 years of Security Council membership
219921993African
219601961Asia-PacificNow known as Sri Lanka
220142015African Was a colony of France from 1900 to 11 August 1960;
220082009E. EuropeanWas also part of the SFR Yugoslavia during its 7 years of Security Council membership
219941995E. EuropeanWas also part of Czechoslovakia during its 3 years of Security Council membership
219931994African
220192020GRULAC
219801981E. EuropeanNow subsumed into Germany, which has 5 years of Security Council membership since it has included the former territory of East Germany
220202021E. EuropeanWas illegally occupied by the Soviet Union from 1944 to 20 August 1991
220182019African
219981999African
220122013GRULAC
219961997African
219951996GRULAC
219551956Asia-Pacific
220172018Asia-PacificWas part of the Soviet Union from 26 April 1920 to 25 December 1991
220142015E. EuropeanWas occupied by the Soviet Union from 3 August 1940 to 11 March 1990
220132014WEOG
219851986African
219831984WEOG
219741975African
219992000African
219941995Asia-Pacific
219681969GRULAC
220062007Asia-Pacific
220202021GRULACWas a colony of the United Kingdom from 1783 to 27 October 1979. Smallest nation to have held a place on the Security Council.
219701971African
220012002Asia-PacificWas also part of Malaysia for several months of 1965 during its membership of the Security Council
220062007E. EuropeanWas also part of Czechoslovakia during its 3 years of Security Council membership
219981999E. EuropeanWas also part of the SFR Yugoslavia during its 7 years of Security Council membership
219711972African
219721973African
219851986Asia-Pacific
219851986GRULAC
219861987Asia-Pacific
219611962African Predecessor of Syria and Egypt
219901991Asia-Pacific The entity elected, and which held the Security Council seat for the first five months of membership, was South Yemen: unification with North Yemen occurred during the time of membership.
119611961AfricanServed only one year

Candidates for future membership

The following countries have made known their applications for future United Nations Security Council membership:
YearAfricaAsia-PacificEastern EuropeGRULACWEOG
2021/2KenyaIndiaMexicoIreland,
2022/3?Bahrain, United Arab EmiratesAlbania?
2023/4?Mongolia?Switzerland, Malta
2024/5?Tajikistan?Guyana
2025/6?Pakistan?Greece, Denmark
2026/7??Latvia, Montenegro?
2027/8?Philippines Kyrgyz Republic?Portugal, Austria
2028/9?Republic of Korea??
2029/30?Iran?Australia, Finland
2030/1??Croatia?
2031/2????
2032/3??Armenia?

Serbia as a member of the Eastern European Group has also expressed their wish to apply for United Nations Security Council membership in the future, but did not specify any term.

Non-members

As of July 2011, there are currently 193 members of the United Nations and five permanent members of the Security Council. The other ten seats are assigned amongst the remaining 188 members. As a result, many members have never been on the Security Council. The following list is a summary of all countries, currently 66 modern nations 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 the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
UN Member stateRegional GroupSecurity Council membership as part of another entity
Asia-Pacific
E. European
WEOG
GRULACWas a colony of the United Kingdom from 1632 to 1 November 1981
E. EuropeanWas part of the Soviet Union from 29 November 1920 to 25 December 1991
GRULACWas a colony of the United Kingdom from 1717 to 10 July 1973
GRULACWas a colony of the United Kingdom from 1625 to 30 November 1966
GRULACWas a colony of the United Kingdom from 1862 to 21 September 1981
Asia-Pacific
Asia-PacificWas a protectorate of the United Kingdom from 1888 to 1984, and was occupied by Japan from 1941 to 1945
Asia-PacificWas a colony of France from 1863 to 9 November 1953
AfricanWas a colony of France from 1894 to 13 August 1960
AfricanWas a colony of France from 1841 to 6 July 1975
Asia-PacificWas a colony of the United Kingdom from 5 November 1914 to 16 August 1960
GRULACWas a colony of the United Kingdom from 1783 to 3 November 1978
GRULAC
AfricanWas under the administration of the United Kingdom from 1941 to 1947, then a United Nations Trust Territory from 1947 to 1952, then part of Ethiopia from 1952 to 24 May 1993
AfricanWas a colony of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 6 September 1968
Asia-PacificWas a colony of the United Kingdom from 1874 to 10 October 1970
E. EuropeanWas part of the Soviet Union from 25 February 1921 to 25 December 1991
GRULACWas a colony of the United Kingdom from 1763 to 7 February 1974
GRULAC
WEOG
None / WEOGPart of a League of Nations mandate under United Kingdom administration from 25 April 1920 to 14 May 1948
Asian / NoneWas a colony of the United Kingdom from 1892 to 12 July 1979
Asia-Pacific
Asia-PacificWas part of the Soviet Union from 1 February 1926 to 25 December 1991
Asia-PacificWas a colony of France from 1893 to 19 July 1949
E. EuropeanWas part of the Soviet Union from September 1944 to 21 August 1991
AfricanWas a colony of the United Kingdom from 1884 to 4 October 1966
WEOG
AfricanWas a colony of the United Kingdom from 1891 to 6 July 1964
Asia-PacificWas a colony of the United Kingdom from 1887 to 26 July 1965
Asia-PacificWas part of the League of Nations South Pacific Mandate under Japanese administration from 28 June 1919 to 17 July 1947, then part of the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands under the administration of the United States from 17 July 1947 to 21 October 1986
Asia-PacificWas part of the League of Nations South Pacific Mandate under Japanese administration from 28 June 1919 to 17 July 1947, then part of the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands under the administration of the United States from 17 July 1947 to 3 November 1986
E. EuropeanWas part of the Soviet Union from 28 June 1940 to 25 December 1991
WEOG
Asia-Pacific
E. EuropeanWas part of Yugoslavia from 29 November 1943 to 28 April 1992
AfricanMozambique was a colony of Portugal from 1498 to 25 June 1975, but Portugal's first term on the UNSC was in 1979
Asia-PacificWas a colony of the United Kingdom from 1824 to 4 January 1948
Asia-PacificWas a United Nations Trust Territory administered by the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand from 1 January 1946 to 31 January 1968
E. EuropeanWas part of Yugoslavia from 29 November 1943 to 3 April 1993
Asia-PacificWas part of the League of Nations South Pacific Mandate under Japanese administration from 28 June 1919 to 17 July 1947, then part of the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands under the administration of the United States from 17 July 1947 to 1 October 1994
Asia-PacificWas administered by Australia in the case of the Territory of Papua from 1905, the Territory of New Guinea as a League of Nations mandate from 1919 and as a unified Territory of Papua and New Guinea from 1949 until 16 September 1975
GRULACWas a colony of the United Kingdom from 1713 to 19 September 1983
GRULACWas a colony of the United Kingdom from 1803 to 22 February 1979
Asia-PacificWas a League of Nations mandate under the administration of New Zealand from 17 December 1920 to 25 January 1947, then a United Nations Trust Territory under the administration of New Zealand from 25 January 1947 to 1 January 1962
WEOG
AfricanSão Tomé and Príncipe was a colony of Portugal from 1471 to 12 July 1975, but Portugal's first term on the UNSC was in 1979
Asia-PacificSaudi Arabia was elected in the 2013 election, but declined the seat.
E. EuropeanWas part of Yugoslavia from 31 January 1946 to 27 April 1992
E. EuropeanWas part of Yugoslavia from 29 November 1943 to 27 April 1992
AfricanWas a colony of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 29 June 1976
Asia-PacificWas a colony of the United Kingdom from 1893 to 7 July 1978
AfricanWas part of Sudan from the country's independence from the United Kingdom and Egypt on 1 January 1956 to 9 July 2011
GRULACWas a colony of the Netherlands from 1667 to 25 November 1975
WEOG
Asia-PacificWas part of the Soviet Union from 14 October 1924 to 25 December 1991
Commonwealth SeatWas a League of Nations mandate under the administration of the United Kingdom from 20 July 1922 to 11 December 1946, then a United Nations Trust Territory under the administration of the United Kingdom until 9 December 1962, then independent until federation with Zanzibar to form Tanzania
Asia-PacificDuring the existence of the United Nations, Timor Leste has been a colony of Portugal and occupied by Indonesia ; Indonesia was a Security Council member in 1995–6.
Asia-PacificWas a protectorate of the United Kingdom from 18 May 1900 to 4 June 1970
Asia-PacificWas part of the Soviet Union from 13 May 1925 to 8 December 1991
Asia-PacificWas a colony of the United Kingdom from 1892 to 1 October 1978
Asia-PacificWas part of the Soviet Union from 13 May 1925 to 25 December 1991
Asia-PacificWas a Condominium under joint sovereignty of the United Kingdom and France from 1906 to 30 July 1980
Commonwealth SeatWas a colony of the United Kingdom from 27 August 1896 to 10 December 1963, then independent until federation with Tanganyika to form Tanzania on 26 April 1964.