List of members of the United Nations Security Council - wikipedia List of members of the United Nations Security Council Membership of the United Nations Security Council is held by the five permanent members and ten elected, non-permanent members. Prior to 1966, there were six elected members, while the permanent members have in essence not changed since the creation of the United Nations in 1945, apart from the representation of China. Elected members hold their place on the Council for a two - year term, and half of these places are contested each year. To ensure geographical continuity, a certain number of members is allocated for each of the five UN regional groupings. Contents 1 Current membership 2 Regional Groups 3 Previous and future Security Council composition 4 Membership by year 4.1 Permanent 4.2 Non-permanent ( 1946 -- 1965 ) 4.3 Non-permanent ( 1966 -- present ) 5 List by number of years as Security Council member 6 Future candidacies 7 Non-members 8 See also 9 Notes 10 References Current membership Permanent members Country Regional Group Member Since People 's Republic of China Asia - Pacific Group 1971, replaced the Republic of China France Western European and Others Group 1946 Russian Federation Eastern European Group 1991, replaced the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics United Kingdom Western European and Others Group 1946 United States Western European and Others Group 1946 Non-permanent members Country Regional Group Term Began Term Ends Bolivia Latin American and Caribbean Group ( GRULAC ) 2017 2018 Egypt African Group 2016 2017 Ethiopia African Group 2017 2018 Italy Western European and Others Group 2017 2017 * Japan Asia - Pacific Group 2016 2017 Kazakhstan Asia - Pacific Group 2017 2018 Senegal African Group 2016 2017 Sweden Western European and Others Group 2017 2018 Ukraine Eastern European Group 2016 2017 Uruguay Latin American and Caribbean Group ( GRULAC ) 2016 2017 * During the 2016 Security Council elections, Italy and the Netherlands agreed to split a two - year term, in which Italy would serve from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2017 and the Netherlands would subsequently serve from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2018. Members of the current UNSC on the map of the world Permanent members Non-permanent members Regional groups African Group Asia - Pacific Group Eastern European Group Latin American and Caribbean Group ( GRULAC ) Western European and Others Group UN member not in any voting group Non-UN state or territory African Group : 3 members Asia - Pacific Group : 2 members Eastern European Group ( CEIT, or Countries with Economies in Transition ) : 1 member Latin American and Caribbean Group ( GRULAC ) : 2 members Western European and Others Group ( WEOG ) : 2 members ; at least one of these must be from Western Europe In addition, one of the non-permanent members of the council is an Arab country, alternately from the African or Asia - Pacific groups. This rule was added to the system in 1967 for it to be applied beginning with 1968. Each year the UN General Assembly elects five new members for a two - year term ; these elections always begin in October of the year, and continue until the two - thirds majority for the number of countries for each region has been reached. Re-election is allowed, but the term must not be consecutive. Electoral timetable Term beginning in years that are : odd even African Group one member two members * Asia - Pacific Group one member one member * Eastern European Group none one member Latin American and Caribbean Group ( GRULAC ) one member one member Western European and Others Group two members none * The representative of Arab nations alternates between these two elected spaces. Previous and Future Security Council composition From 1946 to 1965, the security council included six non-permanent members. The regional grouping at that time was : Latin America : 2 members Commonwealth of Nations : 1 member Eastern Europe : 1 member Middle East : 1 member Western Europe : 1 member There were some exceptions to this grouping : Liberia took the place of a Western European country in 1961 ; the Ivory Coast substituted a member of the Commonwealth in 1964 -- 1965 ; and the Eastern Europe group included Asian countries from 1956. As part of a proposed expansion of the Security Council, Brazil, Germany, India and Japan, collectively the Group of 4 or G4 nations, are seeking permanent representation on this body. Italy opposed the expansion of the Security Council through the establishment of the group Uniting for Consensus. Membership by year Permanent Year Permanent seats 1945 -- 1948 Republic of China France Soviet Union United Kingdom United States 1949 -- 1970 Republic of China ( Taiwan ) 1971 -- 1991 People 's Republic of China 1992 -- present Russian Federation Non-permanent ( 1946 -- 1965 ) Year Latin American Seats Commonwealth Seat Eastern European & Asian Seat Middle Eastern Seat Western European Seat 1946 Brazil Mexico Australia Poland Egypt Netherlands 1947 Colombia Syria Belgium 1948 Argentina Canada Ukraine 1949 Cuba Egypt Norway 1950 Ecuador India Yugoslavia 1951 Brazil Turkey Netherlands 1952 Chile Pakistan Greece 1953 Colombia Lebanon Denmark 1954 Brazil New Zealand Turkey 1955 Peru Iran Belgium 1956 Cuba Australia Yugoslavia 1957 Colombia Philippines Iraq Sweden 1958 Panama Canada Japan 1959 Argentina Tunisia Italy 1960 Ecuador Ceylon Poland 1961 Chile Turkey United Arab Republic Liberia 1962 Venezuela Ghana Romania Ireland 1963 Brazil Philippines Morocco Norway 1964 Bolivia Ivory Coast Czechoslovakia 1965 Uruguay Malaysia Jordan Netherlands Non-permanent ( 1966 -- present ) Year African Group Asia - Pacific Group Latin American and Caribbean Group ( GRULAC ) Western European and Others Group Eastern European Group * indicates Arab nations ' representative 1966 Mali Nigeria Uganda Japan Jordan * Argentina Uruguay Netherlands New Zealand Bulgaria 1967 Ethiopia India Brazil Canada Denmark 1968 Algeria * Senegal Pakistan Paraguay Hungary 1969 Zambia Nepal Colombia Finland Spain 1970 Burundi Sierra Leone Syria * Nicaragua Poland 1971 Somalia Japan Argentina Belgium Italy 1972 Guinea Sudan * India Panama Yugoslavia 1973 Kenya Indonesia Peru Australia Austria Cameroon Mauritania Iraq * Costa Rica Byelorussia Tanzania Japan Guyana Italy Sweden 1976 Benin Libya * Pakistan Panama Romania 1977 Mauritius India Venezuela Canada West Germany 1978 Gabon Nigeria Kuwait * Bolivia Czechoslovakia 1979 Zambia Bangladesh Jamaica Norway Portugal 1980 Niger Tunisia * Philippines Mexico East Germany 1981 Uganda Japan Panama Ireland Spain 1982 Togo Zaire Jordan * Guyana Poland Zimbabwe Pakistan Nicaragua Malta Netherlands 1984 Burkina Faso Egypt * India Peru Ukraine 1985 Madagascar Thailand Trinidad and Tobago Australia Denmark 1986 Congo Ghana United Arab Emirates * Venezuela Bulgaria Zambia Japan Argentina West Germany Italy 1988 Algeria * Senegal Nepal Brazil Yugoslavia 1989 Ethiopia Malaysia Colombia Canada Finland 1990 Ivory Coast Zaire Yemen * Cuba Romania 1991 Zimbabwe India Ecuador Austria Belgium 1992 Cape Verde Morocco * Japan Venezuela Hungary 1993 Djibouti Pakistan Brazil New Zealand Spain 1994 Nigeria Rwanda Oman * Argentina Czech Republic 1995 Botswana Indonesia Honduras Germany Italy Egypt * Guinea - Bissau South Korea Chile Poland 1997 Kenya Japan Costa Rica Portugal Sweden 1998 Gabon Gambia Bahrain * Brazil Slovenia 1999 Namibia Malaysia Argentina Canada Netherlands 2000 Mali Tunisia * Bangladesh Jamaica Ukraine 2001 Mauritius Singapore Colombia Ireland Norway 2002 Cameroon Guinea Syria * Mexico Bulgaria 2003 Angola Pakistan Chile Germany Spain Algeria * Benin Philippines Brazil Romania 2005 Tanzania Japan Argentina Denmark Greece 2006 Ghana Congo Qatar * Peru Slovakia 2007 South Africa Indonesia Panama Belgium Italy 2008 Burkina Faso Libya * Vietnam Costa Rica Croatia 2009 Uganda Japan Mexico Austria Turkey Gabon Nigeria Lebanon * Brazil Bosnia and Herzegovina 2011 South Africa India Colombia Germany Portugal 2012 Morocco * Togo Pakistan Guatemala Azerbaijan 2013 Rwanda South Korea Argentina Australia Luxembourg 2014 Chad Nigeria Jordan * Chile Lithuania 2015 Angola Malaysia Venezuela New Zealand Spain 2016 Egypt * Senegal Japan Uruguay Ukraine 2017 Ethiopia Kazakhstan Bolivia Italy Sweden 2018 Ivory Coast Equatorial Guinea Kuwait * Peru Netherlands Poland List by number of years as Security Council member This list contains the 130 United Nations member states so far elected to the United Nations Security Council, including the five permanent members, all listed by number of years each country has so far spent on the UNSC. Of all the members, 6 have so far ceased to exist, leaving the list with 124 modern nations. These, combined with the 69 modern nations that have never been elected to the UNSC to date ( see Non-members, below ), make up the entirety of the 193 current members of the UN. Years on the Security Council, as of 2016, including current year where relevant : Indicates permanent member Indicates current elected member ( 2017 ) Indicates former United Nations member Years Country First Year Most Recent Year Regional Group Notes 71 France 1946 2017 WEOG Permanent member 71 United Kingdom 1946 2017 WEOG Permanent member 71 United States 1946 2017 WEOG Permanent member 46 Soviet Union 1946 1991 E. European Former permanent member, replaced by Russian Federation 45 People 's Republic of China 1971 2017 Asia - Pacific Permanent member 26 Republic of China 1946 1971 Asian Former permanent member, replaced by People 's Republic of China 25 Russian Federation 1991 2017 E. European Permanent member 21 Japan 1958 2017 Asia - Pacific Current membership of Security Council expires 31 December 2017 20 Brazil 1946 2011 GRULAC 18 Argentina 1948 2014 GRULAC 14 Colombia 1947 2012 GRULAC 14 India 1950 2012 Asia - Pacific 14 Pakistan 1952 2013 Asia - Pacific 12 Canada 1948 2000 WEOG 12 Italy 1959 2008 WEOG 10 Australia 1946 2014 WEOG 10 Belgium 1947 2008 WEOG 10 Chile 1952 2015 GRULAC 10 Egypt 1946 2017 African ( Arabic ) Includes 2 years with the seat held in the name of the United Arab Republic, of which for more than 15 months UAR served as the name of modern - day Egypt ; current membership of Security Council expires 31 December 2017 10 Germany 1977 2012 WEOG Includes 4 years when the Federal Republic of Germany consisted only of West Germany ( but does not include East Germany 's 2 years, listed separately below ) 10 Nigeria 1966 2015 African 10 Panama 1958 2008 GRULAC 10 Spain 1969 2016 WEOG 10 Venezuela 1962 2016 GRULAC 9 Netherlands 1946 2000 WEOG 9 Poland 1946 1997 E. European 8 Denmark 1953 2006 WEOG 8 Norway 1949 2002 WEOG 8 Peru 1955 2007 GRULAC 7 Malaysia 1965 2016 Asia - Pacific 7 Mexico 1946 GRULAC 7 New Zealand 1954 2016 WEOG 7 Romania 1962 2005 E. European 7 Syria 1947 2003 Asia - Pacific ( Arabic ) Includes one year ( 1961 ) during which the United Arab Republic was a member, for the greater part of which Syria was a member of that union 7 Turkey 1951 WEOG 7 Ukraine 1948 2016 E. European Includes 4 years of membership under the name of Ukrainian SSR ; Ukrainian SSR held its own seat in the General Assembly while being part of the Soviet Union during its 45 years of Security Council membership ; current membership of Security Council expires in December 2017 7 Yugoslavia 1950 1989 E. European Predecessor of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia 6 Algeria 1968 1989 African ( Arabic ) 6 Austria 1973 WEOG 6 Bulgaria 1966 2003 E. European 6 Costa Rica 2009 GRULAC 6 Cuba 1949 1991 GRULAC 6 Ecuador 1950 1992 GRULAC 6 Gabon 1978 2011 African 6 Ghana 1962 2007 African 6 Indonesia 1973 2008 Asia - Pacific 6 Jordan 1965 2015 Asia - Pacific ( Arabic ) 6 Morocco 1963 2013 African ( Arabic ) 6 Philippines 1957 Asia - Pacific 6 Portugal 1979 2012 WEOG 6 Sweden 1957 1998 WEOG 6 Tunisia 1959 2003 African ( Arabic ) 6 Zambia 1969 1988 African 5 Ireland 1962 2002 WEOG 5 Senegal 1968 2017 African Current membership of Security Council expires 31 December 2017 5 Uganda 1966 African Angola 2003 2016 African Bangladesh 1979 2001 Asia - Pacific Benin 1976 2005 African Bolivia 1964 1979 GRULAC Burkina Faso 1984 2009 African For first 7 months of membership of the Security council in 1984 was known as Upper Volta. Cameroon 2003 African Côte d'Ivoire 1964 1991 African Ethiopia 1967 1990 African Finland 1969 1990 WEOG Greece 1952 2006 WEOG Guinea 1972 2003 African Guyana GRULAC Hungary 1968 1993 E. European Iraq 1957 Asia - Pacific ( Arabic ) Jamaica 1979 2001 GRULAC Kenya 1973 1998 African Lebanon 1953 2011 Asia - Pacific ( Arabic ) Libya 1976 2009 African ( Arabic ) Mali 1966 2001 African Mauritius 1977 2002 African Nepal 1969 1989 Asia - Pacific Nicaragua 1970 1984 GRULAC Republic of the Congo 1986 2007 African Republic of Korea 2014 Asia - Pacific Rwanda 1994 2014 African South Africa 2007 2012 African Tanzania 2006 African Togo 1982 2013 African Zaire 1982 1991 African Now known as Democratic Republic of the Congo Zimbabwe 1992 African Czechoslovakia 1964 1979 E. European Predecessor of Czech Republic and Slovakia Uruguay 1965 2016 GRULAC Current membership of Security Council expires in December 2017 Azerbaijan 2012 2013 E. European Was part of the Soviet Union during its 45 years of Security Council membership Bahrain 1998 1999 Asia - Pacific ( Arabic ) Bosnia and Herzegovina 2011 E. European Was also part of the SFR Yugoslavia during its 7 years of Security Council membership Botswana 1995 African Burundi 1970 1971 African Byelorussian SSR E. European Now known as Belarus ; Byelorussian SSR held its own seat in the General Assembly while being part of the Soviet Union during its 45 years of Security Council membership Cape Verde 1992 1993 African Ceylon 1960 1961 Asia - Pacific Now known as Sri Lanka Chad 2014 2015 African ( Arabic ) Was a colony of France from 1900 to 11 August 1960 ; 2 Croatia 2008 2009 E. European Was also part of the SFR Yugoslavia during its 7 years of Security Council membership Czech Republic 1994 1995 E. European Was also part of Czechoslovakia during its 3 years of Security Council membership Djibouti 1993 1994 African Gambia 1998 1999 African East Germany 1980 1981 E. European Now subsumed into Germany, which has 5 years of Security Council membership since it has included the former territory of East Germany Guatemala 2012 2013 GRULAC Guinea - Bissau 1997 African Honduras 1995 GRULAC Iran 1955 1956 Asia - Pacific Kuwait 1978 1979 Asia - Pacific ( Arabic ) Lithuania 2014 2015 E. European Was part of the Soviet Union from 3 August 1940 to 11 March 1990 ; Membership of Security Council expired in December 2015 Luxembourg 2013 2014 WEOG Madagascar 1985 1986 African Malta 1984 WEOG Mauritania African Namibia 1999 2000 African Niger 1980 1981 African Oman 1994 1995 Asia - Pacific ( Arabic ) Paraguay 1968 1969 GRULAC Sierra Leone 1970 1971 African Singapore 2001 2002 Asia - Pacific Was also part of Malaysia for several months of 1965 during its membership of the Security Council Slovakia 2006 2007 E. European Was also part of Czechoslovakia during its 3 years of Security Council membership Slovenia 1998 1999 E. European Was also part of the SFR Yugoslavia during its 7 years of Security Council membership Somalia 1971 1972 African Sudan 1972 1973 African ( Arabic ) Thailand 1985 1986 Asia - Pacific Trinidad and Tobago 1985 1986 GRULAC Qatar 2006 2007 Asia - Pacific ( Arabic ) United Arab Emirates 1986 Asia - Pacific ( Arabic ) United Arab Republic 1961 1962 African ( Arabic ) Predecessor of Syria and Egypt Vietnam 2008 2009 Asia - Pacific Yemen 1990 1991 Asia - Pacific ( Arabic ) The entity elected, and which held the Security Council seat for the first five months of membership, was South Yemen : unification with North Yemen occurred during the time of membership. Liberia 1961 1961 African Served only one year Kazakhstan 2017 2017 Asia - Pacific Was part of the Soviet Union from 26 April 1920 to 25 December 1991. Future CANDIDACIES Main articles : United Nations Security Council election, 2018 ; United Nations Security Council election, 2019 ; United Nations Security Council election, 2020 ; United Nations Security Council election, 2021 ; United Nations Security Council election, 2022 ; United Nations Security Council election, 2023 ; and United Nations Security Council election, 2024 The following countries have made known their applications for future United Nations Security Council membership : Africa Asia - Pacific Eastern Europe GRULAC WEOG 2018 South Africa Indonesia, Maldives -- Argentina, Dominican Republic Belgium, Germany, Israel 2019 ? India, Vietnam Estonia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines -- 2020 ? Afghanistan -- ? Ireland, Norway, San Marino, Canada 2021 ? Bahrain, United Arab Emirates Albania ? -- 2022 ? Mongolia -- ? Switzerland, Malta 2023 ? Tajikistan ? Guyana -- 2024 ? Pakistan -- ? Greece, Denmark 2025 ? ? Latvia, Montenegro ? -- 2026 ? The Philippines -- ? Portugal, Austria 2027 ? Republic of Korea ? ? -- 2028 ? Iran -- ? Australia, Finland 2029 ? ? Croatia ? -- 2031 ? ? Armenia ? -- Serbia as a member of the Eastern European Group has also expressed their wish to apply for United Nations Security Council membership in the future, but did not specify any term. Non-members As of July 2011, there are currently 193 members of the United Nations and five permanent members of the Security Council. The other ten seats are assigned amongst the remaining 188 members. As a result, many members have never been on the Security Council. The following list is a summary of all countries, currently 68 modern nations and three historical ones, that have never been a member of the United Nations Security Council. The three historical UN members listed are Tanganyika, Zanzibar, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Member states of the United Nations that have never been members of the United Nations Security Council as of January 2017. Indicates former United Nations member UN Member state Regional Group Security Council membership as part of another entity Afghanistan Asia - Pacific Albania E. European Andorra WEOG Antigua and Barbuda GRULAC Was a colony of the United Kingdom from 1632 to 1 November 1980 Armenia E. European Was part of the Soviet Union from 29 November 1920 to 25 December 1991 Bahamas GRULAC Was a colony of the United Kingdom from 1717 to 10 July 1973 Barbados GRULAC Was a colony of the United Kingdom from 1625 to 30 November 1966 Belize GRULAC Was a colony of the United Kingdom from 1862 to 21 September 1981 Bhutan Asia - Pacific Brunei Asia - Pacific Was a protectorate of the United Kingdom from 1888 to 1984, and was occupied by Japan from 1941 to 1945 Cambodia Asia - Pacific Was a colony of France from 1863 to 9 November 1953 Central African Republic African Was a colony of France from 1894 to 13 August 1960 Comoros African Was a colony of France from 1841 to 6 July 1975 Cyprus Asia - Pacific Was a colony of the United Kingdom from 5 November 1914 to 16 August 1960 Democratic People 's Republic of Korea Asia - Pacific Dominica GRULAC Was a colony of the United Kingdom from 1783 to 3 November 1978 Dominican Republic GRULAC El Salvador GRULAC Equatorial Guinea African Equatorial Guinea was a colony of Spain until 1968, but Spain 's first term on the UNSC was in 1969 Eritrea African Was under the administration of the United Kingdom from 1941 to 1947, then a United Nations Trust Territory from 1947 to 1952, then part of Ethiopia from 1952 to 24 May 1993 Estonia E. European Was part of the Soviet Union from 1944 to 20 August 1991 Fiji Asia - Pacific Was a colony of the United Kingdom from 1874 to 10 October 1970 Georgia E. European Was part of the Soviet Union from 25 February 1921 to 25 December 1991 Grenada GRULAC Was a colony of the United Kingdom from 1763 to 7 February 1974 Haiti GRULAC Iceland WEOG Israel None / WEOG Part of a League of Nations mandate under United Kingdom administration from 25 April 1920 to 14 May 1948 Kiribati Asian / None Was a colony of the United Kingdom from 1892 to 12 July 1979 Kyrgyzstan Asia - Pacific Was part of the Soviet Union from 1 February 1926 to 25 December 1991 Laos Asia - Pacific Was a colony of France from 1893 to 19 July 1949 Latvia E. European Was part of the Soviet Union from 5 August 1940 to 21 August 1991 Lesotho African Was a colony of the United Kingdom from 1884 to 4 October 1966 Liechtenstein WEOG Macedonia E. European Was part of Yugoslavia from 29 November 1943 to 3 April 1993 Malawi African Was a colony of the United Kingdom from 1891 to 6 July 1964 Maldives Asia - Pacific Was a colony of the United Kingdom from 1887 to 26 July 1965 Marshall Islands Asia - Pacific Was part of the League of Nations South Pacific Mandate under Japanese administration from 28 June 1919 to 17 July 1947, then part of the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands under the administration of the United States from 17 July 1947 to 21 October 1986 Federated States of Micronesia Asia - Pacific Was part of the League of Nations South Pacific Mandate under Japanese administration from 28 June 1919 to 17 July 1947, then part of the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands under the administration of the United States from 17 July 1947 to 3 November 1986 Moldova E. European Was part of the Soviet Union from 28 June 1940 to 25 December 1991 Monaco WEOG Mongolia Asia - Pacific Montenegro E. European Was part of Yugoslavia from 29 November 1943 to 28 April 1992 Mozambique African Mozambique was a colony of Portugal from 1498 to 25 June 1975, but Portugal 's first term on the UNSC was in 1979 Myanmar Asia - Pacific Was a colony of the United Kingdom from 1824 to 4 January 1948 Nauru Asia - Pacific Was a United Nations Trust Territory administered by the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand from 1 January 1946 to 31 January 1968 Palau Asia - Pacific Was part of the League of Nations South Pacific Mandate under Japanese administration from 28 June 1919 to 17 July 1947, then part of the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands under the administration of the United States from 17 July 1947 to 1 October 1994 Papua New Guinea Asia - Pacific Was administered by Australia in the case of the Territory of Papua from 1905, the Territory of New Guinea as a League of Nations mandate from 1919 and as a unified Territory of Papua and New Guinea from 1949 until 16 September 1975 Saint Kitts and Nevis GRULAC Was a colony of the United Kingdom from 1713 to 19 September 1983 Saint Lucia GRULAC Was a colony of the United Kingdom from 1803 to 22 February 1979 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines GRULAC Was a colony of the United Kingdom from 1783 to 27 October 1979 Samoa Asia - Pacific Was a League of Nations mandate under the administration of New Zealand from 17 December 1920 to 25 January 1947, then a United Nations Trust Territory under the administration of New Zealand from 25 January 1947 to 1 January 1962 San Marino WEOG São Tomé and Príncipe African São Tomé and Príncipe was a colony of Portugal from 1471 to 12 July 1975, but Portugal 's first term on the UNSC was in 1979 Saudi Arabia Asia - Pacific Saudi Arabia was elected in the 2013 election, but declined the seat. Serbia E. European Was part of Yugoslavia from 31 January 1946 to 27 April 1992 Seychelles African Was a colony of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 29 June 1976 Solomon Islands Asia - Pacific Was a colony of the United Kingdom from 1893 to 7 July 1978 South Sudan African Was part of Sudan from the country 's independence from the United Kingdom and Egypt on 1 January 1956 to 9 July 2011 Suriname GRULAC Was a colony of the Netherlands from 1667 to 25 November 1975 Swaziland African Was a colony of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 6 September 1968 Switzerland WEOG Tajikistan Asia - Pacific Was part of the Soviet Union from 14 October 1924 to 25 December 1991 Tanganyika Commonwealth Seat Was a League of Nations mandate under the administration of the United Kingdom from 20 July 1922 to 11 December 1946, then a United Nations Trust Territory under the administration of the United Kingdom until 9 December 1962, then independent until federation with Zanzibar to form Tanzania Timor - Leste Asia - Pacific During the existence of the United Nations, Timor Leste has been a colony of Portugal ( until 28 November 1975 ) and occupied by Indonesia ( until 1999 ) ; Indonesia was a Security Council member in 1995 - 6. Tonga Asia - Pacific Was a protectorate of the United Kingdom from 18 May 1900 to 4 June 1970 Turkmenistan Asia - Pacific Was part of the Soviet Union from 13 May 1925 to 8 December 1991 Tuvalu Asia - Pacific Was a colony of the United Kingdom from 1892 to 1 October 1978 Uzbekistan Asia - Pacific Was part of the Soviet Union from 13 May 1925 to 25 December 1991 Vanuatu Asia - Pacific Was a Condominium under joint sovereignty of the United Kingdom and France from 1906 to 30 July 1980 Zanzibar Commonwealth Seat Was a colony of the United Kingdom from 27 August 1896 to 10 December 1963, then independent until federation with Tanganyika to form Tanzania on 26 April 1964. FR Yugoslavia / Serbia and Montenegro E. European Was part of Yugoslavia from 29 November 1943 to 27 April 1992 See also United Nations portal United Nations Regional Groups Member states of the United Nations List of members of the United Nations Economic and Social Council List of members of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights Notes ^ `` Asian group of nations at UN changes its name to Asia - Pacific group '', Radio New Zealand International, 2011 - 08 - 31. ^ The Eastern Europe group included Asian countries from 1956 onwards. ^ Liberia took the place of the Western European country in 1961 ^ Morocco took the place of the Middle Eastern country in 1963 -- 1964. ^ Côte d'Ivoire took the place of a member of the Commonwealth in 1964 -- 1965. ^ At the time of election, and until August 1984, the country was known as Republic of Upper Volta. ^ The election was secured by South Yemen, and in May 1990, during its membership of the Security Council, it unified with North Yemen to form the single country of Yemen. ^ Table shows years completed or in progress. Each term on the Council consist of 2 years. Any odd number of years are countries currently serving the first year of a term, countries with terms between 1956 and 1967, when the order of the council changed, or the three countries ( Mexico, Egypt and the Netherlands ) who had the first terms in 1946 and changed in 1947. ^ Liberia retired after one year following an agreement reached on the 15th Session. Ireland was elected for the remainder of the two - year term. ^ Not a member of any regional group until joining the WEOG in 2000. Crossette, Barbara ( 3 December 1999 ). `` Membership in Key Group Within U.N. Eludes Israel ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 17 April 2011. ^ As of May 2006, Kiribati is not a member of any regional group. ^ Montenegro was also part of FR Yugoslavia and of Serbia and Montenegro from 27 April 1992 to 5 June 2006, but these entities were not members of the Security Council. ^ Serbia was also part of FR Yugoslavia and of Serbia and Montenegro from 27 April 1992 to 5 June 2006, but these entities were not members of the Security Council. References ^ `` Republic of Italy and Kingdom of the Netherlands agree to split membership of UN Security Council 2017 - 2018 ''. Government of the Netherlands. Retrieved January 1, 2017. ^ `` Italy, Netherlands ask to share Security Council seat ''. Al Jazeera. June 28, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2017. ^ The United Nations Security Council, The Green Papers Worldwide ^ Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics. Official Year Book of the Commonwealth of Australia No. 47 -- 1961. Aust. Bureau of Statistics. p. 1143. GGKEY : 5SX8QTW3P5T. Retrieved 21 August 2012. ^ https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2017-09-17-zuma-to-campaign-for-sas-third-turn-as-non-permanent-member-of-un-security-council/ ^ `` Candidature Chart of the Commonwealth Countries ''. Commonwealth of Nations. 20 February 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2015. ^ `` 46th ASEAN Foreign Ministers ' Meeting Joint Communiqué ''. VietnamPlus. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013. ^ `` India -- Maldives Relations '' ( PDF ). Ministry of External Affairs of India. January 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2013. ^ `` Violating Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Would Only Destroy Its Credibility, Undermine Global Confidence, Iran 's President Tells General Debate ''. United Nations. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017. ^ https://dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2017/08/30/dominican-candidacy-to-security-council-seat-gets-regional-push/ ^ http://www.diplomatie.be/newyorkun/default.asp?id=105&mnu=105 ^ `` Surprise UN attack : Germany v. Israel ''. New York Post. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2013. ^ `` Is Germany Preventing Israel from Joining the Security Council ? ''. Jewish Voice. 22 May 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013. ^ `` India 's troubled Security Council bid ''. The Daily Star. 22 October 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2014. ^ Ankit Kumar. `` CHOOSING BETWEEN ALLIES AND UNSC SEAT : INDIA 'S CATCH 22 SITUATION '' ( PDF ). Centre for Air Power studies. Retrieved 28 April 2014. ^ `` Viet Nam makes bilateral leap with Ukraine towards prosperity ''. Viet Nam News. 17 November 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2013. ^ `` Estonian Security Policy ''. Estonian Embassy in Stockholm. 1 March 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2013. ^ `` Department of Foreign Affairs ''. Irelandunnewyork.org. ^ `` Norway and the United Nations : Common Future, Common Solutions ''. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway. Retrieved 21 August 2013. ^ `` Switzerland 's candidature for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2023 - 2024 term '' ( PDF ). Swiss Federal Council. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015. ^ `` Trudeau unveils Canada 's plan to seek 2021 UN Security Council seat ''. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 16 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016. ^ `` Security Council Elections : Options after Saudi Arabia Rejects its Seat ''. What 's in Blue ?. 18 October 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2013. ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 2017 - 05 - 22. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) ^ `` Secretary - General, Opening Annual General Debate, Urges World Leaders to Tackle Global Challenges Decisively for Sake of Future Generations ''. United Nations. 21 September 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2013. ^ `` Swiss aim for UN Security Council in 2023 -- 24. -- swissinfo ''. Swissinfo.ch. 12 January 2011. ^ `` Speech of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan H.E. Mr. Sirodjidin Aslov at the 41st session of the Council of the OIC Member States Foreign Ministers ''. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2015. ^ ( 1 ) ^ `` Dombrovskis and UN secretary general discuss UN priorities and Latvia 's interests ''. The Baltic Course. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2013. ^ `` Minister Describes Use of Force to Address Problems as ' Ineffective, Meaningless and Destructive ', on Fourth Day of General Assembly 's Annual Debate ''. United Nations. 27 September 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2015. ^ `` Non-Permanent Member of the Security Council 2027 - 2028 ''. Permanent Mission of Portugal to the United Nations. Retrieved 1 November 2015. ^ `` Seoul to push to win nonpermanent UNSC seat for 2028 - 29 ''. Yonhap New Agency. 19 February 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2014. ^ `` RESOLUTION NO. 6 / 42 - ORG ON CANDIDACIES SUBMITTED BY OIC MEMBER STATES FOR POSTS IN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS ''. Organization of Islamic Cooperation. 28 May 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2016. ^ `` General Debate Statement by The Hon Julie Bishop MP Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia '' ( PDF ). United Nations. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015. ^ `` MVP RH ''. Un.mfa.hr. ^ `` Uruguay and Armenia support each other at UN Security Council ''. News.am. 8 December 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2015. ^ Tadić : Kandidovaćemo se za poziciju u Savetu bezbednosti Archived 6 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine. ^ `` Countries never elected members of the Security Council ''. United Nations. Retrieved 13 December 2013. ^ United Nations, General Assembly, Letter dated 12 November 2013 from the Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary - General, A / 68 / 599 ( 14 November 2013 ), available from undocs.org/A/68/599 United Nations Security Council elections 1940s 1946 ( Jan ) 1946 ( Nov ) 1947 1948 1949 1950s 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960s 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970s 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980s 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990s 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010s 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020s 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 General Assembly UNSC ( Members Reform ) Regional Groups ( EEG GRULAC WEOG ) United Nations António Guterres, Secretary - General Amina J. 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Question: how many countries are members of security council
Answer: five