A number of polities have declared independence and sought diplomatic recognition from the international community as sovereign states, but have not been universally recognised as such. These entities often have de facto control of their territory. A number of such entities have existed in the past.

There are two traditional theories used to indicate how a sovereign state comes into being. The declarative theory (codified in the 1933 Montevideo Convention) defines a state as a person in international law if it meets the following criteria:

a defined territory a permanent population a government, and a capacity to enter into relations with other states.

According to the declarative theory, an entity's statehood is independent of its recognition by other states. By contrast, the constitutive theory defines a state as a person of international law only if it is recognised as such by other states that are already a member of the international community.Grant, Thomas D., The recognition of states: law and practice in debate and evolution (Westport, Connecticut: Praeger, 1999), chapter 1.

Quasi-states often reference either or both doctrines in order to legitimise their claims to statehood. There are, for example, entities which meet the declarative criteria (with de facto partial or complete control over their claimed territory, a government and a permanent population), but whose statehood is not recognised by any other states. Non-recognition is often a result of conflicts with other countries that claim those entities as integral parts of their territory. In other cases, two or more partially recognised states may claim the same territorial area, with each of them de facto in control of a portion of it (for example, the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China, or historically North Korea and South Korea). Entities that are recognised by only a minority of the world's states usually reference the declarative doctrine to legitimise their claims.

In many situations, international non-recognition is influenced by the presence of a foreign military force in the territory of the contested entity, making the description of the country's de facto status problematic. The international community can judge this military presence too intrusive, reducing the entity to a puppet state where effective sovereignty is retained by the foreign power. Historical cases in this sense can be seen in Japanese-led Manchukuo or the German-created Slovak Republic and Independent State of Croatia before and during World War II. In the 1996 case Loizidou v. Turkey, the European Court of Human Rights judged Turkey for having exercised authority in the territory of Northern Cyprus.

There are also entities that do not have control over any territory or do not unequivocally meet the declarative criteria for statehood but have been recognised to exist as sovereign entities by at least one other state. Historically, this has happened in the case of the Holy See (1870–1929); Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania (during Soviet occupation); and Palestine at the time of its declaration of independence in 1988. The Sovereign Military Order of Malta is in this position. See list of governments in exile for unrecognised governments without control over the territory claimed.

Criteria

State practice relating to the recognition of a country typically falls somewhere between the declarative theory and constitutive theory approaches.

The criteria for inclusion on this list are limited to polities that claim sovereignty, lack recognition from at least one UN member state, and either:

satisfy the declarative theory of statehood, or are recognised (constitutive theory) as a state by at least one UN member state.

Background

There are United Nations (UN) member states, while both the Holy See and Palestine have observer state status in the United Nations. However, some countries that fulfill the declarative criteria, are recognised by the large majority of other states and are members of the United Nations are still included in the list here because one or more other states do not recognise their statehood, due to territorial claims or other conflicts.

Some states maintain informal (officially non-diplomatic) relations with states that do not officially recognise them. Taiwan (the Republic of China) is one such state, as it maintains unofficial relations with many other states through its Economic and Cultural Offices, which allow regular consular services. This allows Taiwan to have economic relations even with states that do not formally recognise it. A total of 56 states, including Germany, Italy, the United States,U.S. Department of State Websites of U.S. Embassies, Consulates, and Diplomatic Missions Retrieved 3 February 2011 and the United Kingdom, maintain some form of unofficial mission in Taiwan. Kosovo, Northern Cyprus, Abkhazia, Transnistria, the Sahrawi Republic, Somaliland, and Palestine also host informal diplomatic missions, or maintain special delegations or other informal missions abroad.

United Nations member and observer states +UN member states not recognised by at least one UN member state Name Declared Status Other claimants Further information (PRC) 1949 The People's Republic of China (PRC), proclaimed in 1949, is the more widely recognised of the two claimant governments of China, the other being Taiwan (the Republic of China). The United Nations recognised the ROC as the sole representative of China until 1971, when it decided to give this recognition to the PRC instead (see United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758). The PRC and the ROC do not recognise each other's statehood, and each enforces its own version of the One China policy meaning that no state can recognise both of them at the same time. The states that recognise the ROC () regard it as the sole legitimate government of China and therefore do not recognise the PRC. (the Republic of China) considers itself to be the sole legitimate government of all of China, and therefore claims exclusive sovereignty over all territory controlled by the PRC. See also: One China. Foreign relations, missions (of, to)PRC's diplomatic relations dates of establishment 1960 The Republic of Cyprus, independent since 1960, is not recognised by one UN member (Turkey) and one non-UN member (Northern Cyprus), due to the ongoing civil dispute over the island. Turkey does not accept the Republic's rule over the whole island and refers to it as the "Greek Administration of Southern Cyprus".European Parliament Directorate-General External Policies Policy Department "Turkey and the problem of the recognition of Cyprus" 20 January 2005 Retrieved 3 February 2011European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs "The influence of Turkish military forces on political agenda-setting in Turkey, analysed on the basis of the Cyprus question" 18 February 2008 Retrieved 3 February 2011 claims the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. Foreign relations, missions (of, to) 1948 Israel, founded in 1948, is not recognised by 23 UN members, mostly Arab and Muslim countries. The majority of these states view the State of Palestine as the sole legitimate government of the historic Palestinian territory. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which enjoys majority international recognition as sole representative of the Palestinian people, recognised Israel in 1993. In January 2018 and October 2018, the Palestinian Central Council voted to suspend recognition of Israel, but this position has yet to be acted upon by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. considers itself to be the legitimate government of the West Bank, which is regarded by the United Nations and many legal scholars as being under Israeli occupation, and of the Gaza Strip, whose status is disputed following Israel's 2005 withdrawal, with some legal scholars arguing that occupation persists due to Israel's control over borders, airspace, and maritime access, while others contend that it does not meet the classical definition of occupation.

considers itself to be the legitimate government of the Golan Heights, a territory occupied and later annexed by Israel, an action recognised by the United States and, since 10 August 2026, Colombia.

considers itself to be the legitimate government of the Shebaa Farms, a territory controlled by Israel and claimed by Lebanon, though its status is disputed internationally. Foreign relations, missions (of, to) International recognition (DPRK) 1948 North Korea (officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea), independent since 1948, is not recognised by two UN members, South Korea and Japan. considers itself to be the sole legitimate government of Korea, and claims all territory controlled by North Korea. Foreign relations, missions (of, to)

+UN General Assembly observer states not recognised by at least one UN member state Name Declared Status Other claimants Further information 1988 Israel took control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which were controlled by Jordan and Egypt respectively and are internationally recognised as occupied Palestinian territories as a result of the Six-Day War in 1967, but with the exception of East Jerusalem, has never formally annexed them. The State of Palestine (commonly known as Palestine) was declared in 1988 by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which is recognised by a majority of UN member states and the UN itself as the sole representative of the Palestinian people. Since the end of the first Palestinian Intifada against Israel the Israeli government has gradually moved its armed forces and settlers out of certain parts of Palestine's claimed territory, while still maintaining varying degrees of control over most of it.:"Saeb Erekat, disagreed arguing that the Palestine Liberation Organisation had already declared independence in 1988. "Now we need real independence, not a declaration. We need real independence by ending the occupation. We are not Kosovo. We are under Israeli occupation and for independence we need to acquire independence". The Palestinian National Authority (PNA), which performs limited internal government functions over certain areas of Palestine, was established in 1994. The 2007 split between the Fatah and Hamas political parties resulted in competing governments claiming to represent the PNA and Palestine, with Fatah exercising authority exclusively over the West Bank and enjoying majority recognition from UN member states, and a separate Hamas leadership exercising authority exclusively over the Gaza area (except for a short period from 2014 to 2016). Palestine is UN member states,. The PNA has publicly acknowledged recognition from 94 states, including the former Yugoslavia. the Holy See, and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. "... the SADR was one of the first countries to recognise the state of Palestine." The remaining UN member states, including Israel, do not recognise the State of Palestine. The United Nations designates the claimed Palestinian territories as "occupied" by Israel, and accorded Palestine non-member observer state status in 2012 (see United Nations General Assembly resolution 67/19). Palestine also has membership in the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and UNESCO. regards the area claimed by Palestine as "disputed" territory (that is, territory not legally belonging to any state). Foreign relations, missions (of, to) International recognition, Israeli–Palestinian peace process, History of the State of Palestine

United Nations non-member states