Countries that are not members of the United Nations include:
- The Holy See (Vatican City) which has Permanent Observer status but is not a full member.
- Taiwan (Republic of China), excluded due to the One-China policy.
- Kosovo, which declared independence but is not universally recognized and thus not a member.
- The Cook Islands and Niue, which are associated states of New Zealand and are not UN members but participate in some UN specialized agencies.
- Western Sahara (disputed territory with sovereignty contested between the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Morocco).
Several territories and dependencies such as Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, and Puerto Rico are also not UN members but are represented by their parent countries. Membership in the UN requires a state to meet specific criteria and gain the approval of existing members, which some of these entities have not achieved due to political or recognition issues.
