Denominator: how many countries are there?
The most common reference is the 193 UN member states. The Holy See (Vatican) and Palestine are UN observer states and are not in that 193.
Then there are places with limited recognition such as Taiwan and Kosovo, and territories such as Hong Kong, Macau, Guam and Greenland. Depending on what you include, "the world" is 193 or well over 200.
| Standard | Count | Includes | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| UN member states | 193 | Members only | The usual "how many countries" answer |
| UN members + observers | 195 | Adds the Vatican and Palestine | Counting all sovereign states |
| Including territories | 200+ | Taiwan, Hong Kong, Guam and more | Varies by travel club and app |
Numerator: what counts as a visit?
There is no official rule. These are the common calls among travelers:
| Situation | Common call |
|---|---|
| Airport layover without passing immigration | Usually not counted |
| Passed immigration during a layover and went into town | Many people count it |
| Drove or rode through without stopping | Split: "touched the ground" vs "stayed a while" |
| Got off at a cruise port and explored | Usually counted |
| Stepped over a border at a tourist spot | Personal choice |
Two things matter more than the rule itself: apply the same rule to every country, and mark borderline visits instead of deleting them, so you can recount if you change your mind.
Six continents or seven?
"How many continents" has its own split. The seven-continent model (Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, Australia/Oceania) is common in English-speaking countries, while many other countries teach six inhabited continents without Antarctica. Leave out Antarctica and six means all of them.
Counting your way in the app
In the Android app "Travel Map" you mark transit visits once and include or exclude them whenever you look.
Mark transit-only countries
Turn on the Transit switch in a country’s record. As the app says, it is for when "you only changed planes". You can also choose Transit as the purpose.
For your home country, choose Living so it stays apart from places you traveled to.
View without transit visits
Turn on Exclude transit visits at the bottom of the map layers panel to hide countries marked as transit. Nothing is deleted, so you can switch back and forth.
Check the numbers in Stats
Overall progress shows visited, total and percent, and By continent shows how many countries you have covered on each continent. Highlights list your first, latest, most visited and top-rated countries.
The total is the number of countries on the app’s map.
Use achievements as next goals
Achievements include 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 countries, all six continents, a quarter and half of the world, and "Half of humanity": visiting countries that together hold half of the world’s population. Each shows how far along you are.
FAQ
Do I count my home country?
When people say "I have been to N countries" they usually mean abroad and leave their home country out. If you want it colored on the map, add it with the purpose set to Living.
Do Hong Kong or Taiwan count as countries?
Not under the UN member standard; yes under an "including territories" list. Whichever you pick, stick with it.
How is "Half of humanity" calculated?
It adds up the populations of the countries you have visited and compares that with the world population. A few very populous countries move the number a lot, even if your country count is small.
Travel Map: Visited Countries
No sign-up, and your records stay on your phone. Free on Android.