Complete List of All 249 ISO 3166-1 Country Codes (2026)

The ISO 3166-1 standard defines codes for 249 countries and territories. This page lists every single one, organized by continent, with all three code formats.

Quick Summary

Total: 249 entries (including sovereign states, dependent territories, and special areas)

Why 249 and Not 195?

The United Nations recognizes 195 sovereign states. ISO 3166-1 includes 249 entries because it also covers:

• Dependent territories (e.g., Puerto Rico, Guam, French Polynesia)
• Special areas (e.g., Antarctica, Western Sahara)
• Regions with distinct codes (e.g., Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan)
• Uninhabited territories (e.g., Bouvet Island, Heard & McDonald Islands)

Africa (60)

Missing 2 territories from the 60 count due to space. See the African Countries blog post for the complete list with additional details.

Americas (57)

Asia (51)

Europe (52)

Oceania (29)

Other

Use This Data Programmatically

All 249 country codes are available through @koshmoney/countries:

import { country } from '@koshmoney/countries';
 
// Get all countries
const all = country.getAll();
console.log(all.length); // 249
 
// Look up by any format
country.getCountry('US');
// { name: 'United States', alpha2: 'US', alpha3: 'USA', numeric: '840' }
 
country.getCountryByAlpha3('GBR');
// { name: 'United Kingdom', alpha2: 'GB', alpha3: 'GBR', numeric: '826' }
 
country.getCountryByNumeric('276');
// { name: 'Germany', alpha2: 'DE', alpha3: 'DEU', numeric: '276' }

Convert Between Formats

import { country } from '@koshmoney/countries';
 
country.alpha2ToAlpha3('JP');    // 'JPN'
country.alpha3ToAlpha2('BRA');   // 'BR'
country.numericToAlpha2(840);    // 'US'
country.alpha2ToNumeric('FR');   // '250'

Validate Codes

import { country } from '@koshmoney/countries';
 
country.isAlpha2('US');     // true
country.isAlpha3('USA');    // true
country.isNumeric('840');   // true
country.isValid('XX');      // false

Install

npm install @koshmoney/countries

FAQ

Why are there 249 codes and not 195 countries?

ISO 3166-1 is not a list of sovereign states. It includes dependent territories (like Puerto Rico, Guam, Hong Kong), uninhabited territories (like Antarctica, Bouvet Island), and regions with special status (like Taiwan, Palestine). The 195 number refers to UN member states (193) plus observer states (Vatican City and Palestine).

Are country codes case-sensitive?

By convention, alpha-2 and alpha-3 codes are uppercase (US, not us). However, many systems treat them case-insensitively. The @koshmoney/countries package accepts any case.

What is the difference between alpha-2 and alpha-3?

Alpha-2 uses two letters (e.g., US), alpha-3 uses three (e.g., USA). Alpha-2 is the most commonly used format for web and APIs. Alpha-3 is used in passports and travel documents. See Country Code Formats Explained for a detailed comparison.

Do country codes ever change?

Rarely. When countries are renamed, their codes may be updated. When countries split or merge, new codes are assigned and old ones are retired. ISO maintains a list of formerly used codes.

Related Resources

• Country Code Formats: Alpha-2 vs Alpha-3 vs Numeric
• Country Code FAQ
• Country Code Converter Tool
• Country API Reference
• ISO 3166 Country Codes Guide