how many countries are there in the world?

different sources give diff numbers. There are 192 members of the United Nations. Unfortunately, the number 192 is too often used to represent the number of countries in the world. Although this number represents almost all of the countries in the world, there is still one country (the Vatican City) that is independent and has chosen not to become a member of the U.N. so 192 is not the number of countries in the world. The United States' State Department recognizes 193 independent countries around the world. so its some where around here..

about 192 is the official number, but thats a hard question to answer because no one really knows, theres several countries out there that people don't recognise as their own country, other countries like England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Are they 4 seperarte countries or just 1, the UK?