Oldest Sovereign States

Sovereign states ranked by founding date.

Last updated . Source: Wikidata.

As of 2026-07-29, San Marino tops the list with 301.

  1. #1 San Marino — 301

    sovereign state in southern Europe, enclaved within Italy

    San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino (RSM), is a landlocked country in Southern Europe, completely surrounded by Italy. Located on the northeastern slopes of the Apennine Mountains, it is the larger of two microstates within the Italian Peninsula, the other being Vatican City. San Marino is the fifth-smallest country in the world, with a land area of just over 61 square kilometres (24 sq mi) and a population of 34,042 as of 2025. Its capital, the City of San Marino, sits atop... Read more on Wikipedia.

    Wikidata
  2. #2 Morocco — 789

    sovereign state in North Africa

    Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to the east; the Spanish exclaves of Ceuta, Melilla and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera along the north, which it claims together with several small Spanish-controlled islands; and the disputed territory of Western Sahara to the south, partly occupied by Morocco since 1975.... Read more on Wikipedia.

    Wikidata
  3. #3 Sweden — 900

    country in Northern Europe

    Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east, and shares a maritime border with Denmark to the south. At 450,295 square kilometres (173,860 sq mi) and with a population of 10.6 million, Sweden is the largest and most populous Nordic country, and is the fifth-largest country in Europe. Its capital and largest city is Stockholm. The population density is 25.5... Read more on Wikipedia.

    Wikidata
  4. #4 Kingdom of Denmark — 965

    transcontinental sovereign state and constitutional monarchy

    The Danish Realm, officially the Kingdom of Denmark, often known as Denmark, is a sovereign state consisting of a collection of constituent territories united by the Constitutional Act, which applies to the entire territory. It consists of metropolitan Denmark —the kingdom's territory in continental Europe and its proximate islands—and the realm's two autonomous regions: the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic and Greenland in North America. The relationship between the three parts of the... Read more on Wikipedia.

    Wikidata
  5. #5 Hungary — 1000

    country in Central Europe

    Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, both Croatia and Slovenia to the southwest, and Austria to the west. Hungary lies within the Danube River's drainage basin, and is dominated by great lowland plains. It has a population of over 9.5 million, consisting mostly of ethnic Hungarians (Magyars) and a significant Romani... Read more on Wikipedia.

    Wikidata
  6. #6 Portugal — 1179

    country in Southwestern Europe

    Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country in Southwestern Europe. It is a unitary republic comprising mainland Portugal, located on the southwestern portion of the Iberian Peninsula and bordered by Spain to the north and east, and the archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean. The country has a population of over 11.4 million, and Lisbon, its capital, is the largest city. Portugal's internal waters and territorial sea together account for two-fifths of its... Read more on Wikipedia.

    Wikidata
  7. #7 Russia — 1263

    country in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia, the largest in the world by area

    Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country in Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the largest country in the world, spanning eleven time zones and sharing land borders with fourteen countries. With a population of over 140 million, Russia is the most populous country in Europe and the ninth-most populous in the world. It is a highly urbanised country, with sixteen of its urban areas having more than 1 million inhabitants. Moscow, the most populous metropolitan area in Europe, is the... Read more on Wikipedia.

    Wikidata
  8. #8 Monaco — 1297

    microstate in Western Europe

    Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a sovereign city-state and microstate in Western Europe. Situated on the French Riviera, it is a semi-enclave bordered by France to the north, east, and west, with the Mediterranean Sea to the south; the Italian region of Liguria is about 15 km (9.3 mi) east. With a population of 38,423 living in an area of 2.08 km2 (0.80 sq mi), Monaco is the second smallest sovereign state in the world, after Vatican City, as well as the most densely... Read more on Wikipedia.

    Wikidata
  9. #9 Saudi Arabia — 1727

    country in West Asia

    Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about 2,150,000 km2 (830,000 sq mi), making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the largest in the Middle East, and the twelfth-largest in the world. It is bordered by the Red Sea to the west; Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait to the north; the Arabian Gulf, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to... Read more on Wikipedia.

    Wikidata
  10. #10 Thailand — 1768

    country in Southeast Asia

    Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand, and formerly known as Siam, is a country located in Mainland Southeast Asia. It shares land borders with Myanmar to the west and northwest, Laos to the east and northeast, Cambodia to the southeast, and Malaysia to the south. Its maritime boundaries include the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea and shares maritime borders with Vietnam, Indonesia, and India. Thailand has a population of nearly 66 million people and covers an area of approximately... Read more on Wikipedia.

    Wikidata