How Many Countries Are in North America? (23)

23, and the whole story is one convention

The United Nations' own geographic classification, the M49 standard, treats North America as one continent made of three subregions: Northern America, Central America and the Caribbean. This is the convention this site uses, and it is the one behind the North America section of the Geography app. Add up the sovereign states in all three subregions and the total is 23, not 3. Some school atlases and casual usage draw the line differently, treating "North America" as just Canada, the US and Mexico and putting Central America and the Caribbean in their own regions, which is the main reason the same question gets answered so differently depending on where you look.

All 23, by subregion

The UN's M49 scheme splits North America into Northern America (2 sovereign states here, since Bermuda, Greenland and Saint Pierre and Miquelon are territories, not countries), Central America (8, and yes, Mexico is one of them under this scheme rather than part of Northern America), and the Caribbean (13, the largest group). Here is every country, sorted by subregion, with its capital.

Country	Capital	Subregion
Canada	Ottawa	Northern America
United States	Washington, D.C.	Northern America
Belize	Belmopan	Central America
Costa Rica	San Jose	Central America
El Salvador	San Salvador	Central America
Guatemala	Guatemala City	Central America
Honduras	Tegucigalpa	Central America
Mexico	Mexico City	Central America
Nicaragua	Managua	Central America
Panama	Panama City	Central America
Antigua and Barbuda	Saint John's	Caribbean
Bahamas	Nassau	Caribbean
Barbados	Bridgetown	Caribbean
Cuba	Havana	Caribbean
Dominica	Roseau	Caribbean
Dominican Republic	Santo Domingo	Caribbean
Grenada	Saint George's	Caribbean
Haiti	Port-au-Prince	Caribbean
Jamaica	Kingston	Caribbean
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Basseterre	Caribbean
Saint Lucia	Castries	Caribbean
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Kingstown	Caribbean
Trinidad and Tobago	Port of Spain	Caribbean

Why the count in your head might be 3, and why some say 41

Three is the answer if "North America" means only the mainland continental countries north of Panama's border with Colombia and south of the Caribbean, which is how many school curricula and general audiences use the term, treating "Central America" and "the Caribbean" as separate regions rather than parts of North America. Forty one or more shows up when a count includes non sovereign territories alongside the 23 countries: Greenland (an autonomous territory of Denmark), Puerto Rico (a US territory), Bermuda and the Cayman Islands (British Overseas Territories), and more than a dozen other islands and enclaves that are not independent states. See how big Greenland actually is for more on the largest of these. None of the 23 in the table above is a territory: every one is a UN member state.

Largest, smallest, and most populous

By total area, Canada is the largest country in North America and the second largest in the world after Russia, at 9.98 million square kilometers including its inland waters. The United States is the most populous, with about 342 million people in 2025 according to World Bank estimates. Saint Kitts and Nevis, a two island nation in the Eastern Caribbean, is both the smallest North American country by land area, at 260 square kilometers, and the smallest by population, at under 47,000 people.

Quick facts

North America has 23 countries under the UN's M49 convention: 2 in Northern America, 8 in Central America, and 13 in the Caribbean.
Mexico is classified as Central American, not Northern American, under this scheme.
Canada is the largest North American country by area; the United States is the most populous.
Saint Kitts and Nevis is the smallest North American country, by both area and population.
Greenland, Puerto Rico, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands are territories, not countries, and are not among the 23.

Common questions

How many countries are in North America?

23, following the UN's M49 geographic convention, which counts Central America and the Caribbean as part of North America alongside Canada, the United States and Mexico. A narrower, common usage limits "North America" to just those three, which is why some sources say 3.

Why do some sources say North America has only 3 countries?

Some school curricula and everyday usage treat Central America and the Caribbean as their own separate regions rather than as parts of North America, leaving just Canada, the United States and Mexico. The UN's own M49 standard, which this page follows, groups all three subregions under one continent.

Is Mexico in North America or Central America?

Both, depending on the scheme. The UN's M49 standard classifies Mexico under the Central America subregion, which itself sits inside the North America continent. Many general references simply describe Mexico as part of North America without the subregion distinction.

Why do some lists say North America has 41 or more entries?

Those broader lists add non sovereign territories to the 23 countries: Greenland, Puerto Rico, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and more than a dozen others that are not independent states. None of them is a UN member country.

What is the largest country in North America?

Canada is the largest country in North America, at 9.98 million square kilometers including its inland waters. It is the world's second largest country, after Russia.