Politics
Mapped: Recognition of Palestine by Country
Mapped: Recognition of Palestine by Country
The recent conflict between Hamas and Israel has brought the Gaza Strip, and the partially recognized State of Palestine, prominently into the focus of the global news cycle.
In the graphic above, we use Wikipedia data to map the countries that currently recognize Palestine as a state and those that don’t.
This post is a companion piece to our map showing the recognition of Israel by country.
55 Countries Do Not Recognize Palestine
On November 15, 1988, the State of Palestine was officially proclaimed by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) coalition. The state claimed sovereignty of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.
As of November 2023, 138 of the 193 UN members (72%) recognize the State of Palestine.
Here are the 55 countries that don’t recognize Palestine:
State | Recognizes Palestine? |
---|---|
🇦🇩 Andorra | No |
🇦🇲 Armenia | No |
🇦🇺 Australia | No, informal relations |
🇦🇹 Austria | No, informal relations |
🇧🇸 Bahamas | No |
🇧🇧 Barbados | No |
🇧🇪 Belgium | No, informal relations |
🇨🇲 Cameroon | No, informal relations |
🇨🇦 Canada | No, informal relations |
🇭🇷 Croatia | No, informal relations |
🇩🇰 Denmark | No, informal relations |
🇪🇷 Eritrea | No, informal relations |
🇪🇪 Estonia | No, informal relations |
🇫🇲 Federated States of Micronesia | No |
🇫🇯 Fiji | No |
🇫🇮 Finland | No, informal relations |
🇫🇷 France | No, informal relations |
🇩🇪 Germany | No, informal relations |
🇬🇷 Greece | No, informal relations |
🇮🇪 Ireland | No, informal relations |
🇮🇱 Israel | No, informal relations |
🇮🇹 Italy | No, informal relations |
🇯🇲 Jamaica | No |
🇯🇵 Japan | No, informal relations |
🇰🇮 Kiribati | No |
🇱🇻 Latvia | No, informal relations |
🇱🇮 Liechtenstein | No |
🇱🇹 Lithuania | No, informal relations |
🇱🇺 Luxembourg | No, informal relations |
🇲🇭 Marshall Islands | No |
🇲🇽 Mexico | No, informal relations |
🇲🇩 Moldova | No, informal relations |
🇲🇨 Monaco | No |
🇲🇲 Myanmar | No |
🇳🇷 Nauru | No |
🇳🇱 Netherlands | No, informal relations |
🇳🇿 New Zealand | No, informal relations |
🇲🇰 North Macedonia | No |
🇳🇴 Norway | No, informal relations |
🇵🇼 Palau | No |
🇵🇦 Panama | No |
🇵🇹 Portugal | No, informal relations |
🇼🇸 Samoa | No |
🇸🇲 San Marino | No |
🇸🇬 Singapore | No |
🇸🇮 Slovenia | No, informal relations |
🇸🇧 Solomon Islands | No |
🇰🇷 South Korea | No, informal relations |
🇪🇸 Spain | No, informal relations |
🇨🇭 Switzerland | No, informal relations |
🇹🇴 Tonga | No |
🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | No |
🇹🇻 Tuvalu | No |
🇬🇧 United Kingdom | No, informal relations |
🇺🇸 United States | No, informal relations |
Many of the world’s Western countries, including the entire G7, do not recognize Palestine. Instead, many maintain informal diplomatic relations.
In contrast, emerging major economies like those within BRICS and other G20 nations, including Argentina, Indonesia, Türkiye, and Saudi Arabia, officially recognize the state.
In 2012, the State of Palestine was also upgraded by the UN to become a non-member observer state, a status shared only by the Holy See of Vatican City.
Hamas and the Gaza Strip
Officially, the United Nations recognizes the PLO as the governing entity in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip, both of which fell under Israeli control following the 1967 Six-Day War.
After the Oslo Accords were signed by Israel and the PLO in the mid 1990s, the PLO gained control over the Gaza Strip and 40% of the West Bank through the newly-created Palestinian Authority administration.
However, following a 2007 military conflict between rival Palestinian factions Fatah (the majority party of the PLO) and Hamas (a militant political party separate from the PLO), the Gaza Strip has been governed by Hamas.
As of November 2023, just under 72% of UN members recognized Palestine as a country, compared to 84% for the State of Israel.
Economy
The Bloc Effect: International Trade with Geopolitical Allies on the Rise
Rising geopolitical tensions are shaping the future of international trade, but what is the effect on trading among G7 and BRICS countries?
The Bloc Effect: International Trade with Allies on the Rise
International trade has become increasingly fragmented over the last five years as countries have shifted to trading more with their geopolitical allies.
This graphic from The Hinrich Foundation, the first in a three-part series covering the future of trade, provides visual context to the growing divide in trade in G7 and pre-expansion BRICS countries, which are used as proxies for geopolitical blocs.
Trade Shifts in G7 and BRICS Countries
This analysis uses IMF data to examine differences in shares of exports within and between trading blocs from 2018 to 2023. For example, we looked at the percentage of China’s exports with other BRICS members as well as with G7 members to see how these proportions shifted in percentage points (pp) over time.
Countries traded nearly $270 billion more with allies in 2023 compared to 2018. This shift came at the expense of trade with rival blocs, which saw a decline of $314 billion.
Country Change in Exports Within Bloc (pp) Change in Exports With Other Bloc (pp)
🇮🇳 India 0.0 3.9
🇷🇺 Russia 0.7 -3.8
🇮🇹 Italy 0.8 -0.7
🇨🇦 Canada 0.9 -0.7
🇫🇷 France 1.0 -1.1
🇪🇺 EU 1.1 -1.5
🇩🇪 Germany 1.4 -2.1
🇿🇦 South Africa 1.5 1.5
🇺🇸 U.S. 1.6 -0.4
🇯🇵 Japan 2.0 -1.7
🇨🇳 China 2.1 -5.2
🇧🇷 Brazil 3.7 -3.3
🇬🇧 UK 10.2 0.5
All shifts reported are in percentage points. For example, the EU saw its share of exports to G7 countries rise from 74.3% in 2018 to 75.4% in 2023, which equates to a 1.1 percentage point increase.
The UK saw the largest uptick in trading with other countries within the G7 (+10.2 percentage points), namely the EU, as the post-Brexit trade slump to the region recovered.
Meanwhile, the U.S.-China trade dispute caused China’s share of exports to the G7 to fall by 5.2 percentage points from 2018 to 2023, the largest decline in our sample set. In fact, partly as a result of the conflict, the U.S. has by far the highest number of harmful tariffs in place.
The Russia-Ukraine War and ensuing sanctions by the West contributed to Russia’s share of exports to the G7 falling by 3.8 percentage points over the same timeframe.
India, South Africa, and the UK bucked the trend and continued to witness advances in exports with the opposing bloc.
Average Trade Shifts of G7 and BRICS Blocs
Though results varied significantly on a country-by-country basis, the broader trend towards favoring geopolitical allies in international trade is clear.
Bloc Change in Exports Within Bloc (pp) Change in Exports With Other Bloc (pp)
Average 2.1 -1.1
BRICS 1.6 -1.4
G7 incl. EU 2.4 -1.0
Overall, BRICS countries saw a larger shift away from exports with the other bloc, while for G7 countries the shift within their own bloc was more pronounced. This implies that though BRICS countries are trading less with the G7, they are relying more on trade partners outside their bloc to make up for the lost G7 share.
A Global Shift in International Trade and Geopolitical Proximity
The movement towards strengthening trade relations based on geopolitical proximity is a global trend.
The United Nations categorizes countries along a scale of geopolitical proximity based on UN voting records.
According to the organization’s analysis, international trade between geopolitically close countries rose from the first quarter of 2022 (when Russia first invaded Ukraine) to the third quarter of 2023 by over 6%. Conversely, trade with geopolitically distant countries declined.
The second piece in this series will explore China’s gradual move away from using the U.S. dollar in trade settlements.
Visit the Hinrich Foundation to learn more about the future of geopolitical trade
-
Economy2 days ago
Economic Growth Forecasts for G7 and BRICS Countries in 2024
The IMF has released its economic growth forecasts for 2024. How do the G7 and BRICS countries compare?
-
United States2 weeks ago
Ranked: The Largest U.S. Corporations by Number of Employees
We visualized the top U.S. companies by employees, revealing the massive scale of retailers like Walmart, Target, and Home Depot.
-
United States2 weeks ago
Where U.S. Inflation Hit the Hardest in March 2024
We visualized product categories that saw the highest % increase in price due to U.S. inflation as of March 2024.
-
Economy1 month ago
G20 Inflation Rates: Feb 2024 vs COVID Peak
We visualize inflation rates across G20 countries as of Feb 2024, in the context of their COVID-19 pandemic peak.
-
Jobs1 month ago
Mapped: Unemployment Claims by State
This visual heatmap of unemployment claims by state highlights New York, California, and Alaska leading the country by a wide margin.
-
Economy2 months ago
Confidence in the Global Economy, by Country
Will the global economy be stronger in 2024 than in 2023?
-
Debt1 week ago
How Debt-to-GDP Ratios Have Changed Since 2000
-
Markets2 weeks ago
Ranked: The World’s Top Flight Routes, by Revenue
-
Demographics2 weeks ago
Population Projections: The World’s 6 Largest Countries in 2075
-
Markets2 weeks ago
The Top 10 States by Real GDP Growth in 2023
-
Demographics2 weeks ago
The Smallest Gender Wage Gaps in OECD Countries
-
United States2 weeks ago
Where U.S. Inflation Hit the Hardest in March 2024
-
Green2 weeks ago
Top Countries By Forest Growth Since 2001
-
United States2 weeks ago
Ranked: The Largest U.S. Corporations by Number of Employees