UNITED NATIONS
NATIONS UNIES
POPULATION DIVISION
Department of Economic and Social Affairs
World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision
CLASSIFICATION OF COUNTRIES BY MAJOR AREA
AND REGION OF THE WORLD
Africa
Eastern Africa
Middle Africa
Northern Africa
Western Africa
Burundi
Comoros
Djibouti
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Kenya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mauritius 1
Mayotte
Mozambique
Réunion
Rwanda
Seychelles
Somalia
South Sudan
Uganda
United Republic of Tanzania3
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Angola
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
Congo
Democratic Republic of the
Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Gabon
São Tomé and Príncipe
Algeria
Egypt
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Morocco
Sudan
Tunisia
Western Sahara
Benin
Burkina Faso
Cabo Verde
Côte d’Ivoire
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Liberia
Mali
Mauritania
Niger
Nigeria
Saint Helena2 *
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Togo
Southern Africa
Botswana
Lesotho
Namibia
South Africa
Swaziland
1
2
3
Including Agalega, Rodrigues, and Saint Brandon.
Including Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha.
Including Zanzibar.
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Population Division
World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision
1 CLASSIFICATION OF COUNTRIES (continued)
Asia
Eastern Asia
South-Central Asia4
South-Eastern Asia
Western Asia
Brunei Darussalam
Cambodia
Indonesia
Lao People’s Democratic
Republic
Malaysia11
Myanmar
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Viet Nam
Armenia
Azerbaijan7
Bahrain
Cyprus9
Georgia10
Iraq
Israel
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
State of Palestine12
Syrian Arab Republic
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
Yemen
Central Asia
China5
China, Hong Kong SAR6
China, Macao SAR 8
Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea
Japan
Mongolia
Republic of Korea
Other non-specified areas
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan
Southern Asia
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Bhutan
India
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Maldives
Nepal
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
4
The regions Southern Asia and Central Asia are combined into South-Central Asia.
For statistical purposes, the data for China do not include Hong Kong and Macao, Special Administrative Regions (SAR) of China, and Taiwan
Province of China.
6
As of 1 July 1997, Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China.
7
Including Nagorno-Karabakh.
8
As of 20 December 1999, Macao became a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China.
9
Refers to the whole country. 10
Including Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
11
Including Sabah and Sarawak.
12
Including East Jerusalem.
5
2
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Population Division World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision
CLASSIFICATION OF COUNTRIES (continued)
Europe
Eastern Europe
Northern Europe
Southern Europe
Western Europe
Belarus
Bulgaria
Czech Republic
Hungary
Poland
Republic of Moldova15
Romania
Russian Federation
Slovakia
Ukraine17
Channel Islands13
Denmark
Estonia
Faeroe Islands*
Finland14
Iceland
Ireland
Isle of Man*
Latvia
Lithuania
Norway18
Sweden
United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern
Ireland20
Albania
Andorra*
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Croatia
Gibraltar*
Greece
Holy See16 *
Italy
Malta
Montenegro
Portugal
San Marino*
Serbia19
Slovenia
Spain21
The former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia22
Austria
Belgium
France
Germany
Liechtenstein*
Luxembourg
Monaco*
Netherlands
Switzerland
13
Refers to Guernsey, and Jersey.
Including Åland Islands.
Including Transnistria.
16
Refers to the Vatican City State.
17
Including Crimea.
18
Including Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands.
19
Including Kosovo.
20
Also referred to as United Kingdom.
21
Including Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla.
22
Also referred to as TFYR Macedonia.
14
15
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Population Division
World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision
3 CLASSIFICATION OF COUNTRIES (continued)
Latin America and the Caribbean
Caribbean
Central America
South America
Anguilla*
Antigua and Barbuda
Aruba
Bahamas
Barbados
British Virgin Islands*
Caribbean Netherlands*23
Cayman Islands*
Cuba
Curaçao
Dominica*
Dominican Republic
Grenada
Guadeloupe24
Haiti
Jamaica
Martinique
Montserrat*
Puerto Rico
Saint Kitts and Nevis*
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines
Sint Maarten (Dutch part)*
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks and Caicos Islands*
United States Virgin
Islands
Belize
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Falkland Islands (Malvinas)*
French Guiana
Guyana
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Uruguay
Venezuela (Bolivarian Rep. of)
23
24
4
Refers to Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius.
Including Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin (French part). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Population Division World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision
CLASSIFICATION OF COUNTRIES (continued)
Northern America
Bermuda*
Canada
Greenland*
Saint Pierre and Miquelon*
United States of America
Oceania
Australia/New Zealand
Melanesia
Micronesia
Polynesia25
Australia26
New Zealand
Fiji
New Caledonia
Papua New Guinea
Solomon Islands
Vanuatu
Guam
Kiribati
Marshall Islands*
Micronesia
(Federated States of)
Nauru*
Northern Mariana Islands*
Palau*
American Samoa*
Cook Islands*
French Polynesia
Niue*
Samoa
Tokelau*
Tonga
Tuvalu*
Wallis and Futuna Islands*
Sub-Saharan Africa
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Congo
Côte d'Ivoire
Democratic Republic
of the Congo
Djibouti
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Réunion
Rwanda
Saint Helena
São Tomé and Príncipe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Swaziland
Togo
Uganda
United Republic
of Tanzania
Zambia
Zimbabwe
25
26
Including Pitcairn.
Including Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Norfolk Island.
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Population Division
World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision
5 CLASSIFICATION OF COUNTRIES (continued)
Least developed countries
Afghanistan
Angola
Bangladesh
Benin
Bhutan
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gambia
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Haiti
Kiribati
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Lesotho
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mozambique
Myanmar
Nepal
Niger
Rwanda
São Tomé and Príncipe
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Sudan
Sudan
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tuvalu
Uganda
United Republic of Tanzania
Vanuatu
Yemen
Zambia
NOTE: Countries with a population of less than 90,000 in 2015 are indicated by an asterisk (*).
6
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Population Division World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision
CLASSIFICATION OF COUNTRIES (continued)
High-income countries
Andorra
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Aruba
Australia
Austria
Bahamas
Bahrain
Barbados
Belgium
Bermuda
Brunei Darussalam
Canada
Cayman Islands
Channel Islands
Chile
China, Hong Kong SAR
China, Macao SAR
Croatia
Curaçao
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Equatorial Guinea
Estonia
Faroe Islands
Finland
France
French Polynesia
Germany
Greece
Greenland
Guam
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Isle of Man
Israel
Italy
Japan
Kuwait
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Monaco
Netherlands
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Northern Mariana Islands
Norway
Oman
Poland
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Population Division
World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Republic of Korea
Russian Federation
Saint Kitts and Nevis
San Marino
Saudi Arabia
Seychelles
Singapore
Sint Maarten (Dutch part)
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks and Caicos Islands
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States of America
United States Virgin Islands
Uruguay
Venezuela (Bolivarian Rep. of)
Other non-specified areas
7 CLASSIFICATION OF COUNTRIES (continued)
Upper-middle-income countries
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Angola
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belize
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
China
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Fiji
Gabon
Grenada
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Iraq
Jamaica
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Lebanon
Libya
Malaysia
Maldives
Marshall Islands
Mauritius
Mexico
Mongolia
Montenegro
Namibia
Palau
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Romania
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Serbia
South Africa
Suriname
The former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia
Thailand
Tonga
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Lower-middle-income countries
Armenia
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
Cabo Verde
Cameroon
Congo
Côte d'Ivoire
Djibouti
Egypt
El Salvador
Georgia
Ghana
Guatemala
Guyana
Honduras
India
8
Indonesia
Kenya
Kiribati
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Lesotho
Mauritania
Micronesia (Fed. States of)
Morocco
Myanmar
Nicaragua
Nigeria
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Republic of Moldova
Samoa
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Solomon Islands
Sri Lanka
State of Palestine
Sudan
Swaziland
Syrian Arab Republic
Tajikistan
Timor-Leste
Ukraine
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Viet Nam
Yemen
Zambia
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Population Division World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision
CLASSIFICATION OF COUNTRIES (continued)
Low-income countries
Afghanistan
Benin
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gambia
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Haiti
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mozambique
Nepal
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Population Division
World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision
Niger
Rwanda
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Sudan
Togo
Uganda
United Republic of Tanzania
Zimbabwe
9