Where The UN Disagrees On Recognition [Infographic]

Exactly 15 years ago today, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia. While it has gained recognition from many United Nations members, the question whether Kosovo is indeed an independent nation or a renegade territory—as Serbia would define it—remains a dicey one. After a bloody war in 1998 and 1999 between ethnic Albanians and Serbs and a UN administration that lasted until the independence declaration in 2008, the current status of Kosovo is stable, yet unresolved.

There has been a lot of back and forth on which countries have recognized Kosovo, which ones have withdrawn their recognition and which have, in a possible third step, reaffirmed their favorable position on its independence. It is probably safe to say that around 100 countries are currently recognizing Kosovo. The website of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists 115 sovereign UN members that have recognized it, while Serbia has repeatedly claimed that due to withdrawals, this number has dropped to the low 90s. At times, both countries have presented conflicting evidence: For example, a verbal note from Sierra Leone presented by Serbia in 2020, stating a withdrawal of recognition, followed by a meeting between Kosovo’s and Sierra Leone’s ambassadors to the United Arab Emirates in 2022, seemingly reconfirming that the countries do recognize each other.

At very roughly 100 recognitions and 193 regular UN members, Kosovo occupies a middle point among countries and territories with partial recognition in the UN. Like in the case of Kosovo, the phenomenon of partial recognition often stems from a conflict between two countries or two governments over a territory.

This is the case for North Korea and South Korea as well as China and Taiwan. Despite their very different positions in international relations, all four are partially recognized within the UN. North Korea, for instance, does not recognize its neighbor to the South and vice versa, as both nations continue to see themselves as the rightful rulers over the entire Korean peninsular. Recognition from the North is the only one South Korea is lacking. North Korea has six additional UN members not recognizing it, among them Japan, Israel, France and the United States, but most countries around the world do recognize both nations.

Rival governments

It’s less well know that the situation is not too dissimilar for China and Taiwan, which are rival governments both laying claim to the entirety of Chinese territory. What is, however, obvious is the much more skewed power dynamic, at 13 countries recognizing Taiwan as the legitimate ruler, 180 doing the same for the People’s Republic and in this case, none attempting the diplomatic high-wire act that a recognition of both would entail.

In arguably the most protracted and longest-standing territorial conflict of them all, Israel stands at 165 recognitions—most are amiss from Muslim-majority countries. Palestine meanwhile counts 138 and lacks recognition mostly from the world’s developed nations. While Israel is a full UN member, Palestine is not and was granted observer status in 2012. Taiwan remains squarely outside of the UN.

The least recognized territories

Territories only very sparingly recognized by UN members are found in the Caucasus and Southeastern Europe. Northern Cyprus, a part of the Mediterranen island that Turkey tried to annex in 1974 but got the job just halfway done, is only recognized by it, while the country in turn is the only one not recognizing the Republic of Cyprus.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia—breakaway republics on the territory of Georgia—are recognized only by Russia and four of its allies, Syria, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Pacific island nation Nauru. None of Russia’s associates have so far followed the country in its now infamous recognition of Donetsk and Lugansk on Feb. 21, 2022, just three days before the invasion of Ukraine.

Curious cases?

One of the more curious cases of non-recognition is Armenia, which never got the nod from Pakistan. The country’s behavior has been read as a siding with its Muslim allies Turkey and Azerbaijan, which both have poor relations with Armenia. Yet, neither of these nations has itself gone as far as not recognizing their neighbor, making Pakistan the only country that doesn’t recognize Armenia.

Finally, Western Sahara or the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic has gained the recognition of 45 UN members in its bid for independence. Since Morocco occupied the territory in 1975 as the Spanish colonial administration withdrew, Western Sahara can even be seen as a not-yet-decolonialized place. Like Kosovo, Western Sahara has seen many recognitions withdrawn and announced at times by its adversary Morocco, showcasing the arduous and often downright futile process of winning recognition in the UN in the 21st century.

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Charted by Statista