List of elected members of the United Nations Security Council

Membership of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...

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

China and the United Nations

China's seat in the United Nations and membership of the United Nations Security Council was originally occupied by the Republic of China since October 24, 1945. During the Chinese Civil War, the Communist Party of China repelled the government of the ROC from Mainland China to the island of...

. 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 unofficial UN regional groupings.

Current membership

Permanent members

Country	Regional Group	Member Since
People's Republic of China	Asian Group Asia Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...	1971, replaced the Republic of China Republic of China The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
Early Modern France	Western European and Others Group Western European and Others Group The Western European and Others Group is one of several unofficial Regional Groups in the United Nations that act as voting blocs and negotiation forums. Regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from regional groups...	1946
Russia	Eastern European Group Eastern European Group The Eastern European Group is one of the five unofficial Regional Groups in the United Nations that act as voting blocs and negotiation forums. Regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from regional groups...	1991, replaced the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Soviet Union The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
United Kingdom	Western European and Others Group Western European and Others Group The Western European and Others Group is one of several unofficial Regional Groups in the United Nations that act as voting blocs and negotiation forums. Regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from regional groups...	1946
United States	Western European and Others Group Western European and Others Group The Western European and Others Group is one of several unofficial Regional Groups in the United Nations that act as voting blocs and negotiation forums. Regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from regional groups...	1946

Non-permanent members

Country	Regional Group	Term Began	Term Ends
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Eastern European Group Eastern European Group The Eastern European Group is one of the five unofficial Regional Groups in the United Nations that act as voting blocs and negotiation forums. Regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from regional groups...	2010	2011
Brazil	Latin American Latin America Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area... & Caribbean Group Caribbean The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...	2010	2011
Colombia	Latin American Latin America Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area... & Caribbean Group Caribbean The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...	2011	2012
Gabon	African Group Africa Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...	2010	2011
Germany	Western European and Others Group Western European and Others Group The Western European and Others Group is one of several unofficial Regional Groups in the United Nations that act as voting blocs and negotiation forums. Regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from regional groups...	2011	2012
India	Asian Group Asia Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...	2011	2012
Lebanon	Asian Group (Arabic Representative) Asia Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...	2010	2011
Nigeria	African Group Africa Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...	2010	2011
Portugal	Western European and Others Group Western European and Others Group The Western European and Others Group is one of several unofficial Regional Groups in the United Nations that act as voting blocs and negotiation forums. Regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from regional groups...	2011	2012
South Africa	African Group Africa Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...	2011	2012

Regional Groups

Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

n Group: 3 members
Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

n Group: 2 members
Eastern European Group
Eastern European Group
The Eastern European Group is one of the five unofficial Regional Groups in the United Nations that act as voting blocs and negotiation forums. Regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from regional groups...

(CEIT, or Countries with Economies in Transition): 1 member
Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...

n and Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

Group (GRULAC): 2 members
Western European and Others Group
Western European and Others Group
The Western European and Others Group is one of several unofficial Regional Groups in the United Nations that act as voting blocs and negotiation forums. Regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from regional groups...

(WEOG): 2 members; at least one of these must be from Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...

In addition, one of the non-permanent members of the council is an Arab

Arab world

The Arab world refers to Arabic-speaking states, territories and populations in North Africa, Western Asia and elsewhere.The standard definition of the Arab world comprises the 22 states and territories of the Arab League stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the...

country, alternately from the African or Asian groups. This rule was added to the system in 1967 for it to be applied beginning with 1968, thus there was no such member elected for 1967. It should be noted that the allocation of Security Council members is unofficial and therefore subject to change.

Each year the UN General Assembly

United Nations General Assembly

For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...

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 Africa Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...	one member	two members *
Asian Group Asia Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...	one member	one member *
Eastern European Group Eastern European Group The Eastern European Group is one of the five unofficial Regional Groups in the United Nations that act as voting blocs and negotiation forums. Regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from regional groups...	none	one member
Latin America Latin America Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area... n & Caribbean Group Caribbean The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...	one member	one member
Western European and Others Group Western European and Others Group The Western European and Others Group is one of several unofficial Regional Groups in the United Nations that act as voting blocs and negotiation forums. Regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from regional groups...	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
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...

: 2 members
Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...

: 1 member
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...

: 1 member
Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

: 1 member
Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...

: 1 member

There were some exceptions to this grouping: Liberia

Liberia

Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...

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
G4 nations
The G4 is an alliance among Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan for the purpose of supporting each other’s bids for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council. Unlike the G8 , where the common denominator is the economy and long-term political motives, the G4's primary aim is the...

, are seeking permanent representation on this body.

2012 changes in membership

In the elections of October 2011

United Nations Security Council election, 2011

The 2011 United Nations Security Council election was held on 21 and 24 October 2011 during the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York City...

, the following replacements of sitting members were determined:

Grouping	Finishing term	Beginning term
Africa	Gabon	Morocco
Africa	Nigeria	Togo
Latin America and Caribbean	Brazil	Guatemala
Asia	Lebanon	Pakistan
Eastern Europe	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Azerbaijan

Morocco replaces Lebanon as the Arab representative.

Changes in membership to take effect from 1 January 2012

1946-1965

Year	Latin American Seats Latin America Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...		Commonwealth Seat Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...	Eastern Europe Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"... an & Asian Seat Asia Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...	Middle Eastern Seat Middle East The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...	Western European Seat Western Europe Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
1946	Brazil	Mexico	Australia	Poland	Egypt	Netherlands
1947		Colombia			Syria	Belgium
1948	Argentina		Canada	Ukrainian SSR
1949		Cuba			Egypt	Norway
1950	Ecuador		India	Kingdom of 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	Kingdom of Yugoslavia
1957		Colombia		Philippines	Iraq	Sweden
1958	Panama		Canada	Japan
1959		Argentina			Tunisia	Italy
1960	Ecuador			Poland
1961		Chile		Turkey	United Arab Republic	Liberia
1962	Venezuela		Ghana	Romania		Republic of Ireland
1963		Brazil		Philippines	Morocco	Norway
1964	Bolivia			Czechoslovakia
1965		Uruguay		Malaysia	Jordan	Netherlands

1966-2011

Year	African Group Africa Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area... * indicates Arab nations' representative			Asian Group Asia Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population... * indicates Arab nations' representative		Latin America Latin America Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area... n & Caribbean Group Caribbean The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...		Western European and Others Group Western European and Others Group The Western European and Others Group is one of several unofficial Regional Groups in the United Nations that act as voting blocs and negotiation forums. Regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from regional groups...		Eastern European Group Eastern European Group The Eastern European Group is one of the five unofficial Regional Groups in the United Nations that act as voting blocs and negotiation forums. Regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from regional groups...
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				Kingdom of Yugoslavia
1973			Kenya		Indonesia		Peru	Australia	Austria
1974	Cameroon	Mauritania		Iraq *		Costa Rica				Byelorussian SSR
1975			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				German Democratic Republic
1981			Uganda		Japan		Panama	Republic of Ireland	Spain
1982	Togo	Zaire		Jordan *		Guyana				Poland
1983			Zimbabwe		Pakistan		Nicaragua	Malta	Netherlands
1984	Burkina Faso	Egypt *		India		Peru				Ukrainian SSR
1985			Madagascar		Thailand		Trinidad and Tobago	Australia	Denmark
1986	Republic of the Congo	Ghana		United Arab Emirates *		Venezuela				Bulgaria
1987			Zambia		Japan		Argentina	West Germany	Italy
1988	Algeria *	Senegal		Nepal		Brazil				Kingdom of Yugoslavia
1989			Ethiopia		Malaysia		Colombia	Canada	Finland
1990	Côte d'Ivoire	Zaire		Yemen *		Cuba				Kingdom of 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
1996	Egypt *	Guinea-Bissau		South Korea		Chile				Poland
1997			Kenya		Japan		Costa Rica	Portugal	Sweden
1998	Gabon	The Gambia		Bahrain *		Brazil				Slovenia
1999			Namibia		Malaysia		Argentina	Canada	Netherlands
2000	Mali	Tunisia *		Bangladesh		Jamaica				Ukraine
2001			Mauritius		Singapore		Colombia	Republic of Ireland	Norway
2002	Cameroon	Guinea		Syria *		Mexico				Kingdom of Bulgaria
2003			Angola		Pakistan		Chile	Germany	Spain
2004	Algeria *	Benin		Philippines		Brazil				Kingdom of Romania
2005			Tanzania		Japan		Argentina	Denmark	Greece
2006	Ghana	Republic of the Congo		Qatar *		Peru				Slovakia
2007			South Africa		Indonesia		Panama	Belgium	Italy
2008	Burkina Faso	Libya *		Vietnam		Costa Rica				Independent State of Croatia
2009			Uganda		Japan		Mexico	Austria	Turkey
2010	Gabon	Nigeria		Lebanon *		Brazil				Bosnia and Herzegovina
2011			South Africa		India		Colombia	Germany	Portugal

List by number of years as Security Council member

This list contains the 125 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 119 modern nations. These, combined with the 74 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 2011, including current year where relevant :

      Indicates permanent member

      Indicates current elected member (2011)

      Indicates former United Nations member

Years	Country	First Year	Most Recent Year	Regional Group	Notes
66	Early Modern France	1946	2011	WEOG	Permanent member
66	United Kingdom	1946	2011	WEOG	Permanent member
66	United States	1946	2011	WEOG	Permanent member
45	Soviet Union	1946	1991	E. European	Former permanent member, replaced by Russian Federation
41	People's Republic of China	1971	2011	Asian	Permanent member
25	Republic of China	1946	1971	Asian	Former permanent member, replaced by People's Republic of China People's Republic of China China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
21		1991	2011	E. European	Permanent member
20	Brazil	1946	2011	GRULAC	Current membership of Security Council expires in December 2011
20	Japan	1958	2010	Asian
16	Argentina	1948	2006	GRULAC
13	Colombia	1947	2011	GRULAC	Current membership of Security Council expires in December 2012
13	India	1950	2011	Asian	Current membership of Security Council expires in December 2012
12	Canada	1948	2000	WEOG
12	Italy	1959	2008	WEOG
12	Pakistan	1952	2004	Asian	Elected to the Security Council for 2012-2013
10	Belgium	1947	2008	WEOG
10	Panama	1958	2008	GRULAC
9	Egypt	1946	1997	African (Arabic)	Includes 2 years with the seat held in the name of the United Arab Republic United Arab Republic The United Arab Republic , often abbreviated as the U.A.R., was a sovereign union between Egypt and Syria. The union began in 1958 and existed until 1961, when Syria seceded from the union. Egypt continued to be known officially as the "United Arab Republic" until 1971. The President was Gamal... , of which for more than 15 months UAR served as the name of modern day Egypt
9	Germany	1977	2011	WEOG	Current membership of Security Council expires in December 2012. Includes 4 years during which this country occupied a smaller area, and was informally known as West Germany
9	Netherlands	1946	2000	WEOG
9	Poland	1946	1997	E. European
8	Australia	1946	1986	WEOG
8	Chile	1952	2004	GRULAC
8	Denmark	1953	2006	WEOG
8	Nigeria	1966	2011	African	Current membership of Security Council expires in December 2011
8	Norway	1949	2002	WEOG
8	Peru	1955	2007	GRULAC
8	Spain	1969	2004	WEOG
8	Venezuela	1962	1993	GRULAC
7	Mexico	1946	2010	GRULAC
7	Kingdom of Romania	1962	2005	E. European
7	Syria	1947	2003	Asian (Arabic)	Includes one year (1961) during which the United Arab Republic United Arab Republic The United Arab Republic , often abbreviated as the U.A.R., was a sovereign union between Egypt and Syria. The union began in 1958 and existed until 1961, when Syria seceded from the union. Egypt continued to be known officially as the "United Arab Republic" until 1971. The President was Gamal... was a member, for the greater part of which Syria was a member of that union
7	Turkey	1951	2010	WEOG
7	Kingdom of Yugoslavia	1950	1989	E. European	Predecessor of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the... , Croatia Croatia Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ... , Macedonia Republic of Macedonia Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991... , Montenegro Montenegro Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the... , Serbia Serbia Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans... and Slovenia Slovenia Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
6	Algeria	1968	1989	African (Arabic)
6	Austria	1973	2010	WEOG
6	Kingdom of Bulgaria	1966	2003	E. European
6	Costa Rica	1974	2009	GRULAC
6	Cuba	1949	1991	GRULAC
6	Ecuador	1950	1992	GRULAC
6	Gabon	1978	2011	African	Current membership of Security Council expires in December 2011
6	Ghana	1962	2007	African
6	Indonesia	1973	2008	Asian
6	Philippines	1957	2004	Asian
6	Sweden	1957	1998	WEOG
6	Tunisia	1959	2003	African (Arabic)
6	Ukraine	1948	2001	E. European	Includes 4 years of membership under the name of Ukrainian SSR. Additionally, Ukraine was part of the USSR during its 45 years of Security Council membership
6	Zambia	1969	1988	African
5	Republic of Ireland	1962	2002	WEOG
5	Malaysia	1965	2000	Asian
5	New Zealand	1954	1994	WEOG
5	Portugal	1979	2011	WEOG	Current membership of Security Council expires in December 2012
5	Uganda	1966	2010	African
4	Bangladesh	1979	2001	Asian
4	Benin	1976	2005	African
4	Bolivia	1964	1979	GRULAC
4	Burkina Faso	1984	2009	African	For first 7 months of membership of the Security council in 1984 was known as Upper Volta.
4	Cameroon	1974	2003	African
4	Côte d'Ivoire	1964	1991	African
4	Ethiopia	1967	1990	African
4	Finland	1969	1990	WEOG
4	Greece	1952	2006	WEOG
4	Guinea	1972	2003	African
4	Guyana	1975	1983	GRULAC
4	Hungary	1968	1993	E. European
4	Iraq	1957	1975	Asian (Arabic)
4	Jamaica	1979	2001	GRULAC
4	Jordan	1965	1983	Asian (Arabic)
4	Kenya	1973	1998	African
4	Lebanon	1953	2011	Asian (Arabic)	Current membership of Security Council expires in December 2011
4	Libya Libya Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....	1976	2009	African (Arabic)
4	Mali	1966	2001	African
4	Mauritius	1977	2002	African
4	Morocco	1963	1993	African (Arabic)	Elected to the Security Council for 2012-2013
4	Nepal	1969	1989	Asian
4	Nicaragua	1970	1984	GRULAC
4	Republic of the Congo	1986	2007	African
4	Senegal	1968	1989	African
4	Tanzania	1975	2006	African
4	Zaire	1982	1991	African	Now known as Democratic Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
4	Zimbabwe	1983	1992	African
3	Czechoslovakia	1964	1979	E. European	Predecessor of Czech Republic Czech Republic The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest.... and Slovakia Slovakia The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
3	South Africa	2007	2011	African	Current membership of Security Council expires in December 2012
2	Angola	2003	2004	African
2	Bahrain	1998	1999	Asian (Arabic)
2	Bosnia and Herzegovina	2010	2011	E. European	Current membership of Security Council expires in December 2011. Was also part of the SFR Yugoslavia during its 7 years of Security Council membership
2	Botswana	1995	1996	African
2	Burundi	1970	1971	African
2	Byelorussian SSR	1974	1975	E. European	Now known as Belarus Belarus Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
2	Cape Verde	1992	1993	African
2		1960	1961	Asian	Now known as Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
2	Independent State of Croatia	2008	2009	E. European	Was also part of the SFR Yugoslavia during its 7 years of Security Council membership
2	Czech Republic	1994	1995	E. European	Was also part of Czechoslovakia during its 3 years of Security Council membership
2	Djibouti	1993	1994	African
2	The Gambia	1998	1999	African
2	German Democratic Republic	1980	1981	E. European	Now subsumed into Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... , which has 5 years of Security Council membership since it has included the former territory of East Germany
2	Guinea-Bissau	1996	1997	African
2	Honduras	1995	1996	GRULAC
2	Iran	1955	1956	Asian
2	Kuwait	1978	1979	Asian (Arabic)
2	Madagascar	1985	1986	African
2	Malta	1983	1984	WEOG
2	Mauritania	1974	1975	African
2	Namibia	1999	2000	African
2	Niger	1980	1981	African
2	Oman	1994	1995	Asian (Arabic)
2	Paraguay	1968	1969	GRULAC
2	South Korea	1996	1997	Asian
2	Rwanda	1994	1995	African
2	Sierra Leone	1970	1971	African
2	Singapore	2001	2002	Asian	Was also part of Malaysia for several months of 1965 during its membership of the Security Council
2	Slovakia	2006	2007	E. European	Was also part of Czechoslovakia during its 3 years of Security Council membership
2	Slovenia	1998	1998	E. European	Was also part of the SFR Yugoslavia during its 7 years of Security Council membership
2	Somalia	1971	1972	African
2	Sudan	1972	1973	African (Arabic)
2	Thailand	1985	1986	Asian
2	Togo	1982	1983	African	Elected to the Security Council for 2012-2013
2	Trinidad and Tobago	1985	1986	GRULAC
2	Qatar	2006	2007	Asian (Arabic)
2	United Arab Emirates	1986	1987	Asian (Arabic)
2	United Arab Republic	1961	1962	African (Arabic)	Predecessor of Syria Syria Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest.... and Egypt Egypt Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
2	Uruguay	1965	1966	GRULAC
2	Vietnam	2008	2009	Asian
2	Yemen	1990	1991	Asian (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 North Yemen North Yemen is a term currently used to designate the Yemen Arab Republic , its predecessor, the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen , and their predecessors that exercised sovereignty over the territory that is now the north-western part of the state of Yemen in southern Arabia.Neither state ever... occurred during the time of membership.
1	Liberia	1961	1961	African

Future candidacies

The following countries have made known their applications for future United Nations Security Council membership:

	Africa	Asia	Eastern Europe	GRULAC	WEOG
2012 United Nations Security Council election, 2012 The 2012 United Nations Security Council election will be held in October 2012 during the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York City...	?	Bhutan Bhutan Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China... , Cambodia Cambodia Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...	-	?	Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... , Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... , Luxembourg Luxembourg Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
2013 United Nations Security Council election, 2013 The 2013 United Nations Security Council election will be held in October 2013 during the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York City...	?	?	?	?	-
2014 United Nations Security Council election, 2014 The 2014 United Nations Security Council election will be held in October 2014 during the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York City...	?	?	-	?	New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... , Turkey Turkey Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
2015 United Nations Security Council election, 2015 The 2015 United Nations Security Council election will be held in October 2015 during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York City...	?	Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...	Ukraine Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...	?	-
2016	?	?	-	?	Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
2018	?	?	-	?	Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
2020	?	?	-	?	Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
2021	?	?	Albania Albania Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...	?	-
2022	?	?	-	?	Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
2024	?	?	-	?	Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
2029	?	?	Croatia Croatia Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...	?	-

Serbia

Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

, as member of the Eastern European Group

Eastern European Group

The Eastern European Group is one of the five unofficial Regional Groups in the United Nations that act as voting blocs and negotiation forums. Regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from regional groups...

has also expressed their wishes to apply for United Nations Security Council membership in the future, but did not specify any terms.

Non-members

As of July 2011, there are currently 193 members of the United Nations and only five permanent members of the Security Council. This means that 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 such countries, currently containing 74 modern nations and three historical ones. The three historical UN members listed are Tanganyika

Tanganyika

Tanganyika , later formally the Republic of Tanganyika, was a sovereign state in East Africa from 1961 to 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes of Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika...

, Zanzibar

Zanzibar

Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...

, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form Tanzania

Tanzania

The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...

in 1964, while the FR Yugoslavia eventually dissolved into Montenegro

Montenegro

Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...

and Serbia