Maps

Ranked: Countries with the Most Embassies Around the World

Published

4 months ago

June 13, 2024

Marcus Lu

Graphics/Design:

Miranda Smith

See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.

Mapped: Countries with the Most Embassies Around the World

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

It’s easy to contextualize a country’s economic might (GDP) or military prowess (military budgets), but what about diplomatic influence?

The Global Diplomacy Index by the Lowy Institute is an attempt to measure and compare diplomatic networks worldwide to understand the foreign ties that influence geopolitics.

From their 2024 update, we visualize the top 25 countries with the most embassies worldwide. Data for this graphic is current up to November 2023, and does not reflect diplomatic consequences from the Israel-Hamas war.

Ranked: Countries by Worldwide Embassy Count

China leads with 173 embassies around the world, eclipsing the U.S. (168) by just five more foreign posts.

Former colonial powers, France (158) and the UK (156) rank third and fourth respectively. Japan (152) rounds out the top five.

Rank	Country	Embassies Overseas
1	🇨🇳 China	173
2	🇺🇸 U.S.	168
3	🇫🇷 France	158
4	🇬🇧 UK	156
5	🇯🇵 Japan	152
6	🇩🇪 Germany	148
7	🇹🇷 Türkiye	145
8	🇷🇺 Russia	143
9	🇧🇷 Brazil	135
10	🇮🇳 India	135
11	🇮🇹 Italy	124
12	🇪🇸 Spain	114
13	🇰🇷 South Korea	114
14	🇳🇱 Netherlands	106
15	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	104
16	🇨🇭 Switzerland	102
17	🇨🇦 Canada	98
18	🇿🇦 South Africa	98
19	🇮🇩 Indonesia	92
20	🇵🇱 Poland	91
21	🇨🇿 Czech Republic	91
22	🇵🇰 Pakistan	89
23	🇦🇷 Argentina	87
24	🇭🇺 Hungary	87
25	🇸🇪 Sweden	87

Note: As of November, 2023.

The index notes some key findings in the regional footprint of all these foreign posts as well.

For example, China has a larger diplomatic presence in Africa, East Asia, and the Pacific, while the U.S. leads in the Americas, Europe, and South Asia. This reflects the two superpowers’ trade and economic ties as well.

Meanwhile, Türkiye and India have grown their diplomatic networks the most in recent years. Interestingly, both countries prioritized Africa in their new outreach. In fact, India is a key export destination for many African countries.

Russia meanwhile had to close 14 foreign missions since it invaded Ukraine in 2022, slipping two ranking spots between 2017 and 2022.