31 Countries that are Member States of NATO in 2024

What Does NATO Stand For?

Established during the Cold War, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a collective defense group meant to counter the Soviet Union. This security alliance of 31 countries, founded in 1949, has its headquarters in Brussels. It is a consensus-based alliance by individual states or subgroups that can initiate action outside of NATO auspices. However, members do not have to participate in every NATO action. Their military structure has two strategic commands: the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe near Mons, Belgium, and the Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, VA.

What is the Purpose of NATO?

Its purpose today is to promote security and defense cooperation among its members as well as to serve as a consultation and coordination forum on security and political issues. A crucial provision in the founding treaty is Article V, which states that an attack on one is an attack on all members. It was first invoked in the Afghanistan War after the September 11th, 2001, terrorist attack in the United States. However, provisions within NATO do not supersede the U.S. Constitution. Indeed, approval to go to war must be approved by U.S. Congress.

How do Countries Join NATO?

Any European state needs a unanimous invitation by NATO members to join. Twelve countries formed the original alliance in 1949, and it has since grown to 31. Lastly, Finland joined in 2023. In addition, an invitation is out to Sweden, the next country expected to join the organization. Continue reading to learn more about the 31 countries that are member states of NATO. All population statistics are from 2024.

Albania (2009)

Fun Fact: Mother Teresa is from Albania and a Nobel laureate recipient.

Joined NATO: 2009

Location/Border States: This southeastern European country on the Balkan Peninsula shares a border with Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Greece, in addition to the Adriatic and Ionian Seas.

Government type: Parliamentary republic

Population: About 2.8 million

Belgium (1949)

Fun Fact: Brussels is Europe’s NATO headquarters and is considered a world center for diplomacy and economy.

Joined NATO: A founding member of NATO since 1949

Location/Border States: Located in Western Europe, Belgium shares a border with Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and France, in addition to the North Sea.

Government type: Constitutional monarchy

Population: About 11.7 million

Bulgaria (2004)

Fun Fact: The discovery of Bacillus bulgaricus, one of the main bacteria in yogurt, was in Bulgaria.

Joined NATO: 2004

Location/Border States: Located on the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe, Bulgaria borders Turkey, Greece, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Romania, in addition to the Black Sea.

Government type: Parliamentary representative democratic republic

Population: About 6.6 million

Canada (1949)

Fun Fact: Canada’s Great Trail stretches across the country from Newfoundland to Victoria in British Colombia.

Joined NATO: A founding member of NATO since 1949

Location/Border States: Canada spans more than half of the Northern Hemisphere and shares a border with the United States in addition to maritime borders with France and Denmark.

Government type: Constitutional monarchy

Population: About 38.9 million

Croatia (2009)

Fun Fact: Croatian currency, “kuna,” is named after a rodent, the marten.

Joined NATO: 2009

Location/Border States: Located in southeast Europe, Croatia borders Montenegro, Serbia, Herzegovina, Bosnia, and Hungary, in addition to the Adriatic Sea.

Government type: Parliamentary democracy

Population: About 4 million

Czechia (1999)

Fun Fact: The word “robot,” first coined in 1921 in the Čapek play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots,) is a derivative of the Czech word “robota.”

Joined NATO: 1999

Location/Border States: This landlocked nation in central Europe is bordered by Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and Poland.

Government type: Parliamentary democracy

Population:  About 10.5 million

Denmark (1949)

Fun Fact: In 1932, carpenter Ole Kirk Kristiansen founded LEGO; it is an abbreviation for the Danish words “leg and godt,” which means “play well.”

Joined NATO: A founding member of NATO since 1949

Location/Border States: Denmark, in northern Europe, shares a border with Germany and the North and Baltic Seas, in addition to maritime borders with Sweden, Norway, and Canada.

Government type: Constitutional monarchy

Population: About 5.9 million

Estonia (2004)

Fun Fact: Skype video-calling originated in Estonia in a start-up founded by Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu, Jaan Tallinn, and Toivo Annus.

Joined NATO: 2004

Location/Border States: Located in northeastern Europe, Estonia shares a border with Russia and Latvia, in addition to the Baltic Sea.

Government type: Parliamentary republic

Population: About 1.3 million

Finland (2023)

Fun Fact: Rovio Entertainment created Angry Birds, the mobile game sensation, in Finland.

Joined NATO: The latest member since 2023

Location/Border States: Bordered by Norway, Russia, the Gulf of Finland, the Gulf of Bothnia, and Sweden

Government type: Parliamentary republic

Population: About 5.5 million

France (1949)

Fun Fact: Phillippe Kahn, inventor and entrepreneur, created the first camera phone in 1997.

Joined NATO: A founding member of NATO since 1949

Location/Border States: Bordered by Germany, Belgium, the Atlantic Ocean, and Spain, in addition to the Pyrenees Mountains

Government type: Semi-presidential republic

Population:  About 64.8 million

Germany (1955)

Fun Fact: Hans Riegel created Gummy Bears in 1920 inspired by Japanese rice candy and Turkish delight.

Joined NATO: 1955

Location/Border States: Located in central Europe, Germany is bordered by Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Poland, France, Switzerland, and Austria, in addition to the Baltic and North Seas.

Government type: Federal parliamentary republic

Population:  About 83.2 million

Greece (1952)

Fun Fact: The first depiction of the yo-yo was found in Greece in 500 B.C.

Joined NATO: 1952

Location/Border States: Located in southeast Europe, Greece borders Albania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and North Macedonia in addition to maritime borders with Libya, Italy, Egypt, and Cyprus.

Government type: Parliamentary republic

Population:  About 10.3 million

Hungary (1999)

Fun Fact: Erno Rubik, professor of architecture and sculpture, invented the 3-D combination puzzle Rubik’s Cube in 1974.

Joined NATO: 1999

Location/Border States: This landlocked country in southeastern Europe borders the Balkans, Slovenia, Ukraine, Serbia, Austria, Croatia, Romania, and Slovakia.

Government type: Parliamentary representative democratic republic

Population:  About 10 million

Iceland (1949)

Fun Fact: The Arctic fox, Iceland’s one native mammal, is thought to have originated from the Ice Age.

Joined NATO: A founding member of NATO since 1949

Location/Border States: Located south of the Arctic Circle, this island nation in the North Atlantic Ocean, located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, has a maritime border with Ireland, the United Kingdom, Greenland, and Norway.

Government type: Parliamentary republic

Population:  About 376,000

Italy (1949)

Fun Fact: Alessandro Volta, born in 1745, invented the battery. The word volt derives from his last name.

Joined NATO: A founding member of NATO since 1949

Location/Border States: This southeastern European nation borders Switzerland, Austria, France, and Slovenia. In addition, the Adriatic, the Sea of Sicily, the Ionian, Ligurian, Tyrrhenian, and Mediterranean Seas. Its maritime borders are with Tunisia, Spain, Montenegro, Malta, Libya, Greece, Croatia, Algeria, and Albania.

Government type: Parliamentary republic

Population:  About 58.7 million

Latvia (2004)

Fun Fact: Jacob W. Davis, a Latvian tailor, invented jeans in 1872. Levi Strauss was brought in to assist with funding and patenting the design.

Joined NATO: 2004

Location/Border States: This northeastern European country is bordered by Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, the Gulf of Riga, and the Baltic Sea in addition to a maritime boundary with Sweden.

Government type: Parliamentary republic

Population:  About 1.8 million

Lithuania (2004)

Fun Fact: The Baltic Sea coastline is abundant with amber, making this nation famous for its amber jewelry.

Joined NATO: 2004

Location/Border States: This northeastern European country borders the Baltic Sea, Belarus, Russia, Poland, and Latvia in addition to a maritime border with Sweden.

Government type: Parliamentary republic

Population:  About 2.7 million

Luxembourg (1949)

Fun Fact: Luxembourg offers free public transportation throughout the country whether by bus, train, or tram.

Joined NATO: A founding member of NATO since 1949

Location/Border States: This landlocked country in northwestern Europe borders France, Belgium, and Germany.

Government type: Parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Population:  About 658,000

Montenegro (2017)

Fun Fact: Lake Skadar is one of the largest bird reserves in Europe and home to over 270 bird species.

Joined NATO: 2017

Location/Border States: Montenegro, located in southeastern Europe, borders Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia, in addition to the Adriatic Sea.

Government type: Parliamentary republic

Population:  About 626,000

Netherlands (1949)

Fun Fact: Modern-day gin originates from an ancient Dutch liquor, “genever,” meaning juniper. In the 16^th century, this juniper tonic, thought to be medicinal, was used to ward off the Black Death or the plague.

Joined NATO: A founding member of NATO since 1949

Location/Border States: This western European country is bordered by Germany, and Belgium, in addition to the North Sea.

Government type: Constitutional monarchy

Population:  About 17.6 million

North Macedonia (2020)

Fun Fact: Lake Ohrid is estimated to be around 4 million years old. It is, indeed, one of the oldest and deepest lakes in Europe with a maximum depth of 940 feet (288 m.)

Joined NATO: 2020

Location/Border States: Located in southeastern Europe, North Macedonia borders Greece, Serbia, Kosovo, Bulgaria, and Albania.

Government type: Parliamentary republic

Population: About 2 million

Norway (1949)

Fun Fact: Sondre Norheim is the father of modern skiing, in the late 19^th century he designed ski bindings that led to modern-day skis.

Joined NATO: A founding member of NATO since 1949

Location/Border States: This northern European country borders Russia, Finland, and Sweden, as well as the Skager Strait, and the North and Norwegian Seas.

Government type: Constitutional monarchy

Population: About 5.4 million

Poland (1999)

Fun Fact: Nicolaus Copernicus, born on February 19, 1473, established the heliocentric solar system concept, stating that the sun is the center of the universe.

Joined NATO: 1999

Location/Border States: Bordered by Russia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Germany in addition to the Baltic Sea

Government type: Parliamentary republic

Population:  About 40.5 million

Portugal (1949)

Fun Fact: The Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in 1494, gave half of the “New World” to Portugal, making it the first global empire.

Joined NATO: A founding member of NATO since 1949

Location/Border States: Located in southwestern Europe with the archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal borders Spain in addition to a maritime border with Morocco.

Government type: Semi-presidential republic

Population:  About 10.2 million

Romania (2004)

Fun Fact: Romania is halfway between the North Pole and the Equator.

Joined NATO: 2004

Location/Border States: Located in southeastern Europe, Romania borders Moldova, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, and Ukraine, in addition to the Black Sea.

Government type: Semi-presidential government

Population: About19.7 million

Slovakia (2004)

Fun Fact: American pop artist Andy Warhol’s parents Andrej and Julia Warhola were born in Slovakia

Joined NATO: 2004

Location/Border States: This landlocked country in central Europe shares its borders with Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Austria.

Government type: Parliamentary democratic republic

Population: About 5.7 million

Slovenia (2004)

Fun Fact: Lake Bled, surrounded by mountains with a medieval castle in its center, is one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.

Joined NATO: 2004

Location/Border States: This southeastern European country borders Italy, Hungary, Croatia, and Austria, in addition to the Adriatic Sea.

Government type: Parliamentary democratic republic

Population:  About 2.2 million

Spain (1982)

Fun Fact: For over 140 years, Antoni Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia Roman Catholic Basilica in Barcelona has been under construction.

Joined NATO: 1982

Location/Border States: Spain, located on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe, borders the Pyrenees Mountains, France, Andorra, Portugal, in addition to the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Bay of Biscay.

Government type: Parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy

Population:  About 47.4 million

Türkiye (1952)

Fun Fact: The ancient archaeological site and city of Troy is in Türkiye.

Joined NATO: 1952

Location/Border States: Located in southeastern Europe, Türkiye borders Bulgaria, Greece, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and the Black and Mediterranean Seas in addition to a maritime border with Cyprus.

Government type: Republican parliamentary democracy

Population:  About 86 million

United Kingdom (1949)

Fun Fact: William Shakespeare contributed around 1,700 words to the English language.

Joined NATO: A founding member of NATO since 1949

Location/Border States: Located in northwestern Europe on the archipelago called the British Isles, the United Kingdom is made up of Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England. Its one land border is with Ireland. Maritime borders are shared with Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Belgium in addition to the North Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, and the English Channel.

Government type: Constitutional monarchy

Population:  About 67.8 million

United States (1949)

Fun Fact: In 1969, Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first to walk on the moon.

Joined NATO: A founding member of NATO since 1949

Location/Border States: Located in North America, the United States borders Canada, Mexico, and the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, in addition to maritime borders with Russia, Cuba, and the Bahamas.

Government type: Constitutional federal republic

Population: About 341 million

Summary of 31 Countries that are Member States of NATO

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