Like Kosovo and Taiwan, the State of Palestine is a non-member observer state at the United Nations but has some official recognition as a sovereign nation. 138 of the 193 members of the United Nations (and 1 observer) have recognized Palestine as of April 2022.
Palestinian territory consists of two separate areas, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and is found in the Mediterranean region of the Middle East. Israel, another partly recognized nation, separates these regions from one another.
While certain members of the United Nations question the statehood of Israel, it has achieved enough recognition (162 of 193) to join the U.N.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a political and military struggle between Palestine and Israel over land held sacred by both religions. Jerusalem is at the centre of the controversy, which both the Jews and the Arabs/Muslims of Israel claim as their own.
Palestine is still trying to be recognized by enough U.N. members to become a full member state.
However, the two are now mired in a politically difficult and, at times, deadly impasse. Following is a list of nations that have officially recognized Palestine, followed by the entire data set with accompanying dates.

The current list of countries that have recognized Palestine includes:
Afghanistan | Comoros | Indonesia | Nicaragua | South Sudan |
Albania | Costa Rica | Iran | Niger | Sri Lanka |
Algeria | Cuba | Iraq | Nigeria | Sudan |
Angola | Cyprus | Ivory Coast | North Korea | Suriname |
Antigua and Barbuda | Czech Republic | Jordan | Oman | Swaziland |
Argentina | Djibouti | Kazakhstan | Pakistan | Sweden |
Azerbaijan | Dominica | Kenya | Papua New Guinea | Syria |
Bahrain | Dominican Republic | Kuwait | Paraguay | Tajikistan |
Bangladesh | DR Congo | Kyrgyzstan | Peru | Tanzania |
Belarus | Ecuador | Laos | Philippines | Thailand |
Belize | Egypt | Lebanon | Poland | Timor-Leste |
Benin | El Salvador | Lesotho | Qatar | Togo |
Bhutan | Equatorial Guinea | Liberia | Republic of the Congo | Tunisia |
Bolivia | Ethiopia | Libya | Romania | Turkey |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Gabon | Madagascar | Russia | Turkmenistan |
Botswana | Gambia | Malawi | Rwanda | Uganda |
Brazil | Georgia | Malaysia | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Ukraine |
Brunei | Ghana | Maldives | Saint Lucia | United Arab Emirates |
Bulgaria | Grenada | Mali | St Vincent & Grenadines | Uruguay |
Burkina Faso | Guatemala | Malta | Sao Tome and Principe | Uzbekistan |
Burundi | Guinea | Mauritania | Saudi Arabia | Vanuatu |
Cambodia | Guinea-Bissau | Mauritius | Senegal | Vatican City (UN obs. state) |
Cape Verde | Guyana | Mongolia | Serbia | Venezuela |
Central African Republic | Haiti | Montenegro | Seychelles | Vietnam |
Chad | Honduras | Morocco | Sierra Leone | Yemen |
Chile | Hungary | Mozambique | Slovakia | Zambia |
China | Iceland | Namibia | Somalia | Zimbabwe |
Colombia | India | Nepal | South Africa |
A summary of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
At various points throughout its history, Greece, Rome, and the Ottoman Empire have all exercised control over the area now known as Palestine.
Part of modern-day Jordan, Israel, and Egypt was all a part of a British colony named Mandatory Palestine, which was established after World War I. But Jews and Arabs/Muslims claimed the land for a new, exclusive nation-state.

The United Nations presented the two-state solution in 1947, which called for Mandatory Palestine to be split in half to create a Jewish state and an Arab one. In this scenario, Jerusalem would be recognized as an international territory and shared by both states.
Arab leaders opposed the plan because they felt they should be granted greater area since they were most of the population in certain places, but Jewish leaders embraced the proposal.
The Arab-Israeli war began soon after Israel was created in May 1948, coinciding with the British departure from Palestine.
The conflict included Israel and the surrounding Arab countries of Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria. The fight has been ongoing for decades, with severe ebbs and flows.
The State of Palestine was officially declared to exist by the Palestinians in their 1988 Declaration of Independence. Almost immediately, the Declaration was acknowledged by several nations.
The Palestinian National Authority was established as an interim self-governing government in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as part of the Oslo Accords, signed by Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1993 and 1995 to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Currently, the majority of historic Palestine is occupied land, with the West Bank divided between Palestinians and Israeli invaders and the Gaza Strip held by Hamas, a fundamentalist Islamic organization with no ties to Israel or Palestine.
Also See: World Superpowers 2022
Over the years, several parties have tried to negotiate, but no compromise has been reached. Thus, the area continues to experience instability, population displacement, and violent conflict.
The United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, and Canada are just some nations that do not recognize Palestine as a state, but they all support a two-state solution.
However, direct discussions between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority are required before they would recognize a Palestinian state.
Country | Date recognized |
---|---|
Afghanistan | 16 November 1988 |
Albania | 17 November 1988 |
Algeria | 15 November 1988 |
Angola | 6 December 1988 |
Antigua and Barbuda | 22 September 2011 |
Argentina | 6 December 2010 |
Azerbaijan | 15 April 1992 |
Bahrain | 15 November 1988 |
Bangladesh | 16 November 1988 |
Belarus | 19 November 1988 |
Belize | 9 September 2011 |
Benin | May 1989 |
Bhutan | 25 December 1988 |
Bolivia | 17 December 2010 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 27 May 1992 |
Botswana | 19 December 1988 |
Brazil | 3 December 2011 |
Brunei | 17 November 1988 |
Bulgaria | 25 November 1988 |
Burkina Faso | 21 November 1988 |
Burundi | 22 December 1988 |
Cambodia | 21 November 1988 |
Cape Verde | 24 November 1988 |
Central African Republic | 23 December 1988 |
Chad | 1 December 1988 |
Chile | 7 January 2011 |
China | 20 November 1988 |
Colombia | 3 August 2018 |
Comoros | 21 November 1988 |
Costa Rica | 5 February 2008 |
Cuba | 16 November 1988 |
Cyprus | 18 November 1988 |
Czech Republic | 18 November 1988 |
Djibouti | 17 November 1988 |
Dominica | 19 September 2011 |
Dominican Republic | 15 July 2009 |
DR Congo | 18 December 1988 |
Ecuador | 27 December 2010 |
Egypt | 18 November 1988 |
El Salvador | 25 August 2011 |
Equatorial Guinea | May 1989 |
Ethiopia | 4 February 1989 |
Gabon | 12 December 1988 |
Gambia | 18 November 1988 |
Georgia | 25 April 1992 |
Ghana | 29 November 1988 |
Grenada | 25 September 2011 |
Guatemala | 9 April 2013 |
Guinea | 21 November 1988 |
Guinea-Bissau | 21 November 1988 |
Guyana | 13 January 2011 |
Haiti | 27 September 2013 |
Honduras | 26 August 2011 |
Hungary | 23 November 1988 |
Iceland | 15 December 2011 |
India | 18 November 1988 |
Indonesia | 15 November 1988 |
Iran | 4 February 1988 |
Iraq | 15 November 1988 |
Ivory Coast | |
Jordan | 16 November 1988 |
Kazakhstan | 6 April 1992 |
Kenya | May 1989 |
Kuwait | 15 November 1988 |
Kyrgyzstan | November 1995 |
Laos | 2 December 1988 |
Lebanon | 30 November 2008 |
Lesotho | 3 May 2011 |
Liberia | July 2011 |
Libya | 15 November 1988 |
Madagascar | 16 November 1988 |
Malawi | 23 October 1998 |
Malaysia | 15 November 1988 |
Maldives | 28 November 1988 |
Mali | 21 November 1988 |
Malta | 16 November 1988 |
Mauritania | 15 November 1988 |
Mauritius | 17 November 1988 |
Mongolia | 22 November 1988 |
Montenegro | 24 July 2006 |
Morocco | 15 November 1988 |
Mozambique | 8 December 1988 |
Namibia | 19 November 1988 |
Nepal | 19 December 1988 |
Nicaragua | 16 November 1988 |
Niger | 24 November 1988 |
Nigeria | 18 November 1988 |
North Korea | 24 November 1988 |
Oman | 13 December 1988 |
Pakistan | 16 November 1988 |
Papua New Guinea | 13 January 1995 |
Paraguay | 29 January 2011 |
Peru | 24 January 2011 |
Philippines | September 1989 |
Poland | 14 December 1988 |
Qatar | 16 November 1988 |
Republic of the Congo | 5 December 1988 |
Romania | 24 November 1988 |
Russia | 19 November 1988 |
Rwanda | 2 January 1989 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 29 July 2019 |
Saint Lucia | 14 September 2015 |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 29 August 2011 |
Sao Tome and Principe | 10 December 1988 |
Saudi Arabia | 16 November 1988 |
Senegal | 22 November 1988 |
Serbia | 16 November 1988 |
Seychelles | 18 November 1988 |
Sierra Leone | 3 December 1988 |
Slovakia | 18 November 1988 |
Somalia | 15 November 1988 |
South Africa | 15 February 1995 |
South Sudan | 14 July 2011 |
Sri Lanka | 18 November 1988 |
Sudan | 17 November 1988 |
Suriname | 26 January 2011 |
Sweden | 30 October 2014 |
Syria | 18 July 2011 |
Tajikistan | 2 April 1994 |
Tanzania | 24 November 1988 |
Thailand | 18 January 2012 |
Timor-Leste | 1 March 2004 |
Togo | 29 November 1988 |
Tunisia | 15 November 1988 |
Turkey | 15 November 1988 |
Turkmenistan | 17 April 1992 |
Uganda | 3 December 1988 |
Ukraine | 19 November 1988 |
United Arab Emirates | 16 November 1988 |
Uruguay | 16 March 2011 |
Uzbekistan | 25 September 1994 |
Vanuatu | 21 August 1989 |
Vatican City | 26 June 2015 |
Venezuela | 27 April 2009 |
Vietnam | 19 November 1988 |
Yemen | 15 November 1988 |
Zambia | 16 November 1988 |
Zimbabwe | 29 November 1988 |