Oldest Countries

Last updated May 24, 2025

Date Sovereignty Was Acquired
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Date Sovereignty Was AcquiredQuestion Mark
1South SudanSouth Sudan9 July 2011
2MontenegroMontenegro3 June 2006
3Timor LesteTimor Leste20 May 2002
4PalauPalau1 October 1994
5EritreaEritrea27 April 1993
6Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina3 March 1992
7KazakhstanKazakhstan16 December 1991
8TurkmenistanTurkmenistan27 October 1991
9TajikistanTajikistan9 September 1991
10North MacedoniaNorth Macedonia8 September 1991
11UzbekistanUzbekistan31 August 1991
11KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan31 August 1991
13MoldovaMoldova27 August 1991
14EstoniaEstonia20 August 1991
15SloveniaSlovenia25 June 1991
16LatviaLatvia4 May 1990
17NamibiaNamibia21 March 1990
18PalestinePalestine15 November 1988
19MicronesiaMicronesia3 November 1986
20Marshall IslandsMarshall Islands21 October 1986
21BruneiBrunei1 January 1984
22Antigua and BarbudaAntigua and Barbuda1 November 1981
23VanuatuVanuatu30 July 1980
24KiribatiKiribati12 July 1979
25TuvaluTuvalu1 October 1978
26DjiboutiDjibouti27 June 1977
27SeychellesSeychelles29 June 1976
28Solomon IslandsSolomon Islands2 January 1976
29AngolaAngola11 November 1975
30Sao Tome and PrincipeSao Tome and Principe12 July 1975
31ComorosComoros6 July 1975
32Cape VerdeCape Verde5 July 1975
33MozambiqueMozambique25 June 1975
34Ivory CoastIvory Coast4 December 1973
35Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea1 December 1973
36Guinea BissauGuinea Bissau24 September 1973
37United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates2 December 1971
38BahrainBahrain15 August 1971
39BangladeshBangladesh26 March 1971
40FijiFiji10 October 1970
41TongaTonga4 July 1970
42Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesSaint Vincent and the Grenadines27 October 1969
43Equatorial GuineaEquatorial Guinea12 October 1968
44EswatiniEswatini6 September 1968
45MauritiusMauritius12 March 1968
46NauruNauru3 January 1968
47Saint Kitts and NevisSaint Kitts and Nevis27 February 1967
47Saint LuciaSaint Lucia27 February 1967
47GrenadaGrenada27 February 1967
47DominicaDominica27 February 1967
51BarbadosBarbados30 November 1966
52LesothoLesotho4 October 1966
53BotswanaBotswana30 September 1966
54GuyanaGuyana26 May 1966
55ZimbabweZimbabwe11 November 1965
56Cook IslandsCook Islands4 August 1965
57MaldivesMaldives26 July 1965
58SingaporeSingapore3 June 1965
59GambiaGambia18 February 1965
60ZambiaZambia24 October 1964
61MaltaMalta21 September 1964
62MalawiMalawi6 July 1964
63BahamasBahamas7 January 1964
64BelizeBelize1 January 1964
65KenyaKenya12 December 1963
66MalaysiaMalaysia16 September 1963
67Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago31 August 1962
68JamaicaJamaica6 August 1962
69RwandaRwanda1 July 1962
69BurundiBurundi1 July 1962
71SamoaSamoa1 June 1962
72UgandaUganda1 March 1962
73TanzaniaTanzania9 December 1961
74SyriaSyria28 September 1961
75Sierra LeoneSierra Leone27 April 1961
76MauritaniaMauritania28 November 1960
77NigeriaNigeria1 October 1960
78SenegalSenegal20 August 1960
79GabonGabon17 August 1960
80CyprusCyprus16 August 1960
81Republic of the CongoRepublic of the Congo15 August 1960
82Central African RepublicCentral African Republic13 August 1960
83ChadChad11 August 1960
84Burkina FasoBurkina Faso5 August 1960
85BeninBenin1 August 1960
86SomaliaSomalia1 July 1960
87DR CongoDR Congo30 June 1960
88CameroonCameroon1 January 1960
89NigerNiger4 December 1958
89NigerNiger4 December 1958
91MaliMali25 November 1958
92MadagascarMadagascar14 October 1958
93GuineaGuinea2 October 1958
94TogoTogo30 August 1958
95GhanaGhana6 March 1957
96TunisiaTunisia20 March 1956
97SudanSudan1 January 1956
98SurinameSuriname15 December 1954
99CambodiaCambodia9 November 1953
100LaosLaos22 October 1953
101IsraelIsrael14 May 1948
102Sri LankaSri Lanka4 February 1948
103MyanmarMyanmar4 January 1948
104PakistanPakistan14 August 1947
105JordanJordan25 May 1946
106VietnamVietnam2 September 1945
107IndonesiaIndonesia17 August 1945
108LuxembourgLuxembourg1945
109LebanonLebanon26 November 1941
110CanadaCanada11 December 1931
111Vatican CityVatican City7 June 1929
112EgyptEgypt28 February 1922
113IcelandIceland1 December 1918
114YemenYemen1 November 1918
115SlovakiaSlovakiaOctober 1918
115SlovakiaSlovakiaOctober 1918
115Czech RepublicCzech RepublicOctober 1918
118AzerbaijanAzerbaijan28 May 1918
118ArmeniaArmenia28 May 1918
120LithuaniaLithuania16 February 1918
120LithuaniaLithuania16 February 1918
122FinlandFinland6 December 1917
123South AfricaSouth Africa31 May 1910
124PanamaPanama3 Novemebr 1903
125Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia13 January 1902
126AustraliaAustralia1 January 1901
127CubaCuba10 October 1898
128PhilippinesPhilippines12 June 1896
129BhutanBhutan1885
130QatarQatar18 December 1878
131RomaniaRomania24 January 1859
132New ZealandNew Zealand17 January 1853
133LiberiaLiberia26 July 1847
134Dominican RepublicDominican Republic27 February 1844
135BelgiumBelgium4 October 1830
136UruguayUruguay25 August 1825
137BoliviaBolivia6 August 1825
138BrazilBrazil7 September 1822
139NicaraguaNicaragua15 September 1821
139Costa RicaCosta Rica15 September 1821
139El SalvadorEl Salvador15 September 1821
139HondurasHonduras15 September 1821
139GuatemalaGuatemala15 September 1821
144PeruPeru28 July 1821
145GreeceGreece1821
146LiechtensteinLiechtenstein19 October 1813
147ParaguayParaguay14 May 1811
148ChileChile18 September 1810
149MexicoMexico16 September 1810
150ColombiaColombia20 July 1810
151ArgentinaArgentina25 May 1810
152VenezuelaVenezuela19 April 1810
153EcuadorEcuador10 August 1809
154HaitiHaiti1 January 1804
155United StatesUnited States4 July 1776
156NepalNepal25 September 1768
157ThailandThailand6 November 1767
158KuwaitKuwait1752
159AfghanistanAfghanistan1747
160ItalyItaly1720
161OmanOman26 January 1650
162NetherlandsNetherlands26 July 1581
163IrelandIreland1542
164SpainSpain1479
165TurkeyTurkey1299
166MonacoMonaco1297
167SwitzerlandSwitzerland1291
168AndorraAndorra1278
169MongoliaMongolia1206
170AlbaniaAlbania1190
171AustriaAustria17 September 1156
172PortugalPortugal5 October 1143
173GeorgiaGeorgia1008
174SwedenSweden970
175PolandPoland966
175PolandPoland966
177DenmarkDenmark965
178United KingdomUnited Kingdom927
179South KoreaSouth Korea918
179North KoreaNorth Korea918
181EthiopiaEthiopia900
182HungaryHungary895
183RussiaRussia882
183BelarusBelarus882
183BelarusBelarus882
183UkraineUkraine882
183UkraineUkraine882
188ArmeniaArmenia880
189CroatiaCroatia879
189CroatiaCroatia879
191NorwayNorway872
192GermanyGermany843
193MoroccoMorocco788
194SerbiaSerbia780
195IraqIraq762
196BulgariaBulgaria681
197FranceFrance481
198San MarinoSan Marino3 September 0301
199AlgeriaAlgeria202 BC
200JapanJapan11 February 660 BC
201ChinaChina1600 BC
201TaiwanTaiwan1600 BC
203IndiaIndia2500 BC
204IranIran2600 BC
205IranIran2600 BC

The World's Oldest Countries

One of the most captivating aspects of our world's history is the origin and evolution of nations. The etchings of human civilization date back millennia, and the deep historical roots of the world's oldest countries serve as a telling reminder of our collective past. History intertwines with culture, tradition, conflict, triumph, and knowledge passed down through generations to form the story of a country. As such, these ancient nations and their stories offer valuable insights into human civilization's progression and development. Using historical data, we can discern some key findings regarding the world's oldest nations:

  • Iran is the oldest country in the world, dating back to 3200 BC, followed closely by Egypt, established in 3100 BC.
  • Vietnam, founded in 2879 BC, Armenia in 2492 BC, and North Korea in 2333 BC, complete the list of the five oldest countries worldwide.
  • San Marino, established in 301 BC, is Europe's oldest country, while Japan, dating back to 400 AD, is acknowledged as the oldest country in East Asia.
  • Interestingly, over half of the top ten oldest countries, including Iran, Egypt, India, and Israel, are nestled in Asia - illustrating the continent's significant role in early human civilization.
  • The United States, by comparison, is a relatively young country, with its independence declared in 1776 AD. Understanding our global history and the origin of nations allows us to appreciate the diverse and complex tapestry of human civilization. As we turn the pages of history, we are privy to the rich, nuanced narratives of these ancient nations that continue to influence our world today.

10 Oldest Countries

Leading the list is Iran, its inception dating back to an incredible 3200 BC, making it the oldest known country in the world. It is followed closely by Egypt, which established its sovereignty in 3100 BC. Hieroglyphs, pyramids, and ancient artefacts bear witness to the rich history of these countries, which are the cradles of early human civilization. Claiming the third spot is Vietnam, tracing its origins back to 2879 BC. Armenia is the fourth oldest country, established in 2492 BC, and North Korea ranks fifth, having been founded in 2333 BC. India, another ancient civilization known for its contributions to mathematics, astronomy, and art, stands at sixth place, with its establishment traced back to 2000 BC. Georgia and Israel share the seventh spot, both having been founded in 1300 BC. Finally, Sudan, known for the ancient Nubian civilization, and Afghanistan, home to the Indus Valley Civilization, complete the list with their sovereignty established in 1070 BC and 678 BC, respectively.

10 Oldest Countries:

  1. Iran - 3200 BC
  2. Egypt - 3100 BC
  3. Vietnam - 2879 BC
  4. Armenia - 2492 BC
  5. North Korea - 2333 BC
  6. India - 2000 BC
  7. Georgia - 1300 BC
  8. Israel - 1300 BC
  9. Sudan - 1070 BC
  10. Afghanistan - 678 BC
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