Politics
Charted: UN Member States Not Recognized by Other Members
See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.
Charted: UN Member States Not Recognized by Other Members
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.
There are currently 193 member states in the United Nations. And despite the UN granting membership by recognizing sovereignty, not all nations recognize each other individually.
This chart by creator Julie Peasley, breaks down the complex geopolitics at play. To read it: follow the arrow from one country to the other UN member that they do not recognize.
The creator chose to limit this visualization to UN member states only and not include:
- Observer states (i.e. Palestine)
- Partially recognized states (i.e. Kosovo, Cook Islands, Niue)
- Countries not recognized by the UN (i.e. Taiwan, Western Sahara)
The Murky Waters of International Relations
A brief glance at the chart shows two countries drawing the most diplomatic ire: China and Israel.
Briefly speaking, many Pacific and Atlantic islands do not recognize China, and most of the Muslim world doesn’t recognise Israel.
UN Member State | ❌ Does Not Recognize |
---|---|
🇵🇰 Pakistan | 🇦🇲 Armenia, 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇧🇿 Belize | 🇨🇳 China, 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇧🇹 Bhutan | 🇨🇳 China |
🇸🇿 Eswatini | 🇨🇳 China |
🇬🇹 Guatemala | 🇨🇳 China |
🇭🇹 Haiti | 🇨🇳 China |
🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis | 🇨🇳 China |
🇱🇨 Saint Lucia | 🇨🇳 China |
🇻🇨 Saint Vincent… | 🇨🇳 China |
🇲🇭 The Marshall Islands | 🇨🇳 China |
🇵🇼 Palau | 🇨🇳 China |
🇵🇾 Paraguay | 🇨🇳 China |
🇹🇻 Tuvalu | 🇨🇾 Cyprus |
🇹🇷 Türkiye | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇦🇫 Afghanistan | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇩🇿 Algeria | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇧🇩 Bangladesh | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇧🇴 Bolivia | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇧🇳 Brunei | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇰🇲 Comoros | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇨🇺 Cuba | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇩🇯 Djibouti | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇮🇩 Indonesia | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇮🇷 Iran | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇮🇶 Iraq | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇰🇼 Kuwait | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇱🇧 Lebanon | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇱🇾 Libya | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇲🇾 Malaysia | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇲🇻 Maldives | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇲🇱 Mali | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇲🇷 Mauritania | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇳🇮 Nicaragua | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇳🇪 Niger | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇰🇵 North Korea | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇴🇲 Oman | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇶🇦 Qatar | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇸🇴 Somalia | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇸🇾 Syria | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇹🇳 Tunisia | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇻🇪 Venezuela | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇾🇪 Yemen | 🇮🇱 Israel |
🇯🇵 Japan | 🇰🇵 North Korea |
Source: Wikipedia.
The China bloc is explained by Beijing’s stance: no state can recognize both the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan) at the same time.
As a result, all the countries here who don’t recognize China, currently see Taiwan as a sovereign country.
Finally, animosity around Israel’s recognition stems from the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Most Arab nations opposed the partition of the British Mandate of Palestine and invaded Israel, leading to the 1948 war.
At various times, different Arab countries have spoken in favor of normalizing relations, on the condition that Israel withdraw from Palestinian territories.
Learn More on the Voronoi App 
Julie Peasley is a prolific creator, and placed as runner-up in Voronoi’s Visual of the Year 2024. If you like big visualizations that can be dived into, check out: Political Leaning in the U.S. by Occupation.

This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.
Politics
Ranked: Countries With the Largest Declines in Freedom (2014-2024)
Democratic freedoms are backsliding in several nations worldwide as rulers rewrite constitutions and silence critics.

Countries With the Largest Declines in Freedom (2014-2024)
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.
Key Takeaways
- Nicaragua tops the list, where the Ortega regime has shuttered over 57 media outlets, violently suppressed protests, and removed presidential term limits.
- In Tunisia, President Kaïs Saïed has eroded judicial independence and intensified repression of political opponents—leaving the country on the verge of economic collapse.
- El Salvador also ranks among the top three, as President Nayib Bukele faces criticism for mass arrests and corruption.
Over the past decade, freedom has sharply declined in many countries.
Authoritarian leaders have expanded their power by rewriting constitutions, silencing the media, and suppressing opposition. As democratic institutions erode, waves of protest have erupted—often met with brutal crackdowns across several global regions.
This graphic shows the nations with the sharpest drop in democratic freedoms since 2014, based on analysis from Freedom House.
Democratic Freedoms in Retreat
Here are the top 20 countries in the world where freedom has fallen the most based on 25 indicators across civil liberties and political rights:
Country | Status | Decline in Score 2014-2024 | 2024 Score |
---|---|---|---|
🇳🇮 Nicaragua | Not Free | -40 | 14 |
🇹🇳 Tunisia | Partly Free | -35 | 44 |
🇸🇻 El Salvador | Partly Free | -28 | 47 |
🇹🇿 Tanzania | Not Free | -28 | 35 |
🇳🇪 Niger | Not Free | -26 | 30 |
🇭🇰 Hong Kong | Partly Free | -25 | 40 |
🇷🇸 Serbia | Partly Free | -24 | 56 |
🇹🇷 Türkiye | Not Free | -22 | 33 |
🇻🇪 Venezuela | Not Free | -22 | 13 |
🇧🇯 Benin | Partly Free | -21 | 60 |
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | Not Free | -20 | 25 |
🇲🇱 Mali | Not Free | -20 | 24 |
🇦🇫 Afghanistan | Not Free | -18 | 6 |
🇲🇲 Myanmar | Not Free | -18 | 7 |
🇧🇮 Burundi | Not Free | -17 | 15 |
Notably, Nicaragua has seen democratic freedoms backslide as autocratic leader Daniel Ortega has overhauled the constitution. In particular, Ortega enabled his wife, Rosaria Murillo, to become co-president under law.
Meanwhile, Ortega can now prosecute media that oppose his views. Even more strikingly, any resident who is considered a traitor can have their citizenship revoked.
Following Nicaragua are Tunisia and El Salvador, each which have seen considerable declines in civil liberties. With 1,700 prisoners per 100,000 population, El Salvador has the highest incarceration rate in the world.
Serbia and Türkiye stand as the top two in Europe, with Serbia seeing protests, rigged elections, and the arrest of activists in a deteriorating political climate.
Learn More on the Voronoi App 
To learn more about this topic from a global perspective, check out this graphic on law and order around the world.
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