The permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (also known as the Permanent Five, Big Five, or P5) are the five sovereign states to whom the

UN Charter The Charter of the United Nations (UN) is the foundational treaty of the UN, an intergovernmental organization. It establishes the purposes, governing structure, and overall framework of the UN system, including its six principal organs: th ...

of 1945 grants a permanent seat on the

UN Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the Organs of the United Nations, six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international security, international peace and security, recommending the admi ...

: China,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The permanent members were all

allies in World War II The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed during the Second World War (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers, led by Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy ...

(and the victors of that war), and are all states with nuclear weapons. All have the power of veto which enables any one of them to prevent the adoption of any "substantive" draft Council resolution, regardless of its level of international support. The remaining 10 members of the UN Security Council are elected by the General Assembly, giving a total of 15 UN member states.

Permanent members

The following is a table of the current permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.

History

At the UN's founding in 1945, the five permanent members of the Security Council were the French Republic, the Republic of China, the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, the United Kingdom, and the United States. There have been two seat changes since then, although these have not been reflected in Article 23 of the

United Nations Charter The Charter of the United Nations (UN) is the foundational treaty of the UN, an intergovernmental organization. It establishes the purposes, governing structure, and overall framework of the UN system, including its six principal organs: the ...

, as it has not been accordingly amended: * China's seat was originally held by the Nationalist government of the Republic of China (ROC). However, it lost the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...

and retreated to the island of

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

in 1949. The

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...

won control of

mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...

and established the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

(PRC). In 1971, UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 recognised the PRC as the legal representative of China in the UN, and gave it the seat on the Security Council that had been held by the ROC, which was expelled from the UN altogether. Both the ROC and the PRC continue to claim ''de jure'' sovereignty over the entirety of China (including Taiwan). However, only 14 states continue to officially recognise the ROC as the sole legitimate government of China. * After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991,

was recognised as the legal successor state of the

and maintained the latter's position on the Security Council. Additionally, France reformed its provisional government into the

French Fourth Republic The French Fourth Republic (french: Quatrième république française) was the republican government of France from 27 October 1946 to 4 October 1958, governed by the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Third Re ...

in 1946 and later into the

French Fifth Republic The Fifth Republic (french: Cinquième République) is France's current republican system of government. It was established on 4 October 1958 by Charles de Gaulle under the Constitution of the Fifth Republic.. The Fifth Republic emerged from ...

in 1958, both under the leadership of Charles de Gaulle. France maintained its seat as there was no change in its international status or recognition, although many of its overseas possessions eventually became independent. The five permanent members of the Security Council were the victorious powers in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and have maintained the world's most powerful military forces ever since. They annually top the list of countries with the highest military expenditures along with India and Germany; in 2011, they spent over US$1 trillion combined on defence, accounting for over 60% of global military expenditures (the U.S. alone accounting for over 40%). They are also among the world's top 10 largest arms exporters and are the only nations officially recognised as "

nuclear-weapon states Eight sovereign states have publicly announced successful detonation of nuclear weapons. Five are considered to be nuclear-weapon states (NWS) under the terms of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). In order of acquisit ...

" under the

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation ...

(NPT), though there are other states known or believed to be in possession of nuclear weapons.

Veto power

The "power of veto" refers to the veto power wielded solely by the permanent members, enabling them to prevent the adoption of any "substantive" draft Council resolution, regardless of the level of international support for the draft. The veto does not apply to procedural votes, which is significant in that the Security Council's permanent membership can vote against a "procedural" draft resolution, without necessarily blocking its adoption by the council. The veto is exercised when any permanent member—the so-called "P5" casts a "negative" vote on a "substantive" draft resolution. Abstention or absence from the vote by a permanent member does ''not'' prevent a draft resolution from being adopted.

Expansion

There have been proposals suggesting the introduction of new permanent members. The candidates usually mentioned are

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, and Japan. They compose the group of four countries known as the

G4 nations The G4 nations, comprising Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan, are four countries which support each other's bids for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council. Unlike the G7, where the common denominator is the economy and long- ...

, which mutually support one another's bids for permanent seats. This sort of reform has traditionally been opposed by the Uniting for Consensus group, which is composed primarily of nations that are regional rivals and economic competitors of the G4. The group is composed of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

(opposing

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, Colombia, and

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

(opposing

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

and China (opposing

), and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

(opposing Japan), in addition to

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

and others. Since 1992,

and other council members have instead proposed semi-permanent seats or expanding the number of temporary seats. Most of the leading candidates for permanent membership are regularly elected onto the Security Council by their respective groups. Japan was elected for eleven two-year terms, Brazil for ten terms, and Germany for three terms. India has been elected to the council eight times in total, with the most recent successful bid being in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

. In 2013, the P5 and G4 members of the UN Security Council accounted for eight of the world's ten largest defence budgets, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Leaders of the permanent members

The following are the

heads of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...

heads of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a ...

that represent the permanent members of the UN Security Council : File:Xi Jinping 2019.jpg,

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, ...

Paramount leader of the
People's Republic of China
since File:Emmanuel Macron (cropped).jpg, Emmanuel Macron
President of the
French Republic
since File:Vladimir Putin 17-11-2021 (cropped).jpg,

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

President of the
Russian Federation
since File:Chancellor Rishi Sunak (cropped).jpg, Rishi Sunak
Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
since File:Joe Biden presidential portrait (cropped).jpg, Joe Biden
President of the
United States of America
since

Historical leaders

ImageSize = width:1600 height:auto barincrement:40 PlotArea = left:80 right:20 bottom:80 top:5 DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Define $start = 24/10/1945 Define $end = 31/01/2023 Period = from:$start till:$end TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:01/01/1995 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:24/10/1945 Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom Colors = id:ccp value:coral legend:Communist_Party_of_China id:kmt value:blue legend:Kuomintang id:gaullist value:skyblue legend:Gaullist_(UNR/UDR) id:center-right value:rgb(0,0.8,0.8) legend:Centre-Right_(CNIP/CD/RI/PR) id:ps value:rgb(0.93,0.09,0.32) legend:Socialists_(SFIO/PS) id:neo-gaullist value:rgb(0,0.4,0.8) legend:Neo-Gaullist_(RPR/UMP/LR) id:lrem value:rgb(1,0.84,0) legend:La_République_En_Marche! id:cpsu value:red legend:Communist_Party_of_the_Soviet_Union id:uru value:blue legend:United_Russia id:con value:blue legend:Conservative_Party_(UK) id:lab value:rgb(0.79,0.0 ,0.21) legend:Labour_Party_(UK) id:dem value:skyblue legend:Democratic_Party_(United_States) id:gop value:pink legend:Republican_Party_(United_States) Legend = columns:3 left:200 top:60 columnwidth:480 BarData = bar:cn text:China bar:fr text:France bar:ru text:USSR/Russia bar:uk text:United Kingdom bar:us text:United States PlotData= align:center textcolor:black fontsize:8 mark:(line,black) width:25 bar:cn from: 15/11/2012 till: $end color:ccp text:"

" from: 15/11/2002 till: 15/11/2012 color:ccp text:" Hu Jintao" from: 09/11/1989 till: 15/11/2002 color:ccp text:"

Jiang Zemin Jiang Zemin (17 August 1926 – 30 November 2022) was a Chinese politician who served as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1989 to 2002, as chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2004, and as pr ...

" from: 22/12/1978 till: 09/11/1989 color:ccp text:"

Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping (22 August 1904 – 19 February 1997) was a Chinese revolutionary leader, military commander and statesman who served as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from December 1978 to November 1989. After CCP ...

" from: 09/09/1976 till: 22/12/1978 color:ccp text:" Hua G." from: 25/10/1971 till: 09/09/1976 color:ccp text:"

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

" from: 01/03/1950 till: 25/10/1971 color:kmt text:" Chiang Kai-shek" from: 21/01/1949 till: 01/03/1950 color:kmt text:" Li Z." from: $start till: 21/01/1949 color:kmt text:" Chiang" bar:fr from: 14/05/2017 till: $end color:lrem text:" Macron" from: 15/05/2012 till: 14/05/2017 color:ps text:" Hollande" from: 16/05/2007 till: 15/05/2012 color:neo-gaullist text:"

Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Sei ...

" from: 17/05/1995 till: 16/05/2007 color:neo-gaullist text:" Chirac" from: 21/05/1981 till: 17/05/1995 color:ps text:" Mitterrand" from: 27/05/1974 till: 21/05/1981 color:center-right text:" d'Estaing" from: 28/04/1969 till: 27/05/1974 color:gaullist text:" Pompidou" from: 08/01/1959 till: 28/04/1969 color:gaullist text:"

de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Governm ...

" from: 16/01/1954 till: 08/01/1959 color:center-right text:" Coty" from: 16/01/1947 till: 16/01/1954 color:ps text:" Auriol" from: $start till: 16/01/1947 color:tan1 text:"

" bar:ru from: 07/05/2012 till: $end color:uru text:

Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

from: 07/05/2008 till: 07/05/2012 color:uru text: Medvedev from: 31/12/1999 till: 07/05/2012 color:uru text:

from: 26/12/1991 till: 31/12/1999 color:tan1 text:

Yeltsin Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin ( rus, Борис Николаевич Ельцин, p=bɐˈrʲis nʲɪkɐˈla(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈjelʲtsɨn, a=Ru-Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin.ogg; 1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician wh ...

from: 10/03/1985 till: 26/12/1991 color:cpsu text:"

Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Comm ...

" from: 09/02/1984 till: 10/03/1985 color:cpsu text:" Chernenko" shift:(0,-10) from: 10/11/1982 till: 09/02/1984 color:cpsu text:" Andropov" from: 14/10/1964 till: 10/11/1982 color:cpsu text:"

Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev; uk, links= no, Леонід Ілліч Брежнєв, . (19 December 1906– 10 November 1982) was a Soviet politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between 1964 and 198 ...

" from: 08/02/1955 till: 14/10/1964 color:cpsu text:" Krushchev" from: 05/03/1953 till: 08/02/1955 color:cpsu text:"

Malenkov Georgy Maximilianovich Malenkov ( – 14 January 1988) was a Soviet politician who briefly succeeded Joseph Stalin as the leader of the Soviet Union. However, at the insistence of the rest of the Presidium, he relinquished control over the par ...

" from: $start till: 05/03/1953 color:cpsu text:"

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...

" bar:uk from: 25/10/2022 till: $end color:con text:" Sunak" from: 06/09/2022 till: 24/10/2022 color:con text:"

Truss A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembl ...

" shift:(0,-10) from: 24/07/2019 till: 05/09/2022 color:con text:"

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

" from: 13/07/2016 till: 24/07/2019 color:con text:" May" from: 11/05/2010 till: 13/07/2016 color:con text:" Cameron" from: 27/06/2007 till: 11/05/2010 color:lab text:"

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model us ...

" from: 02/05/1997 till: 27/06/2007 color:lab text:" Blair" from: 28/11/1990 till: 02/05/1997 color:con text:" Major" from: 04/05/1979 till: 28/11/1990 color:con text:" Thatcher" from: 05/04/1976 till: 04/05/1979 color:lab text:" Callaghan" from: 04/03/1974 till: 05/04/1976 color:lab text:" Wilson" from: 19/06/1970 till: 04/03/1974 color:con text:"

Heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler a ...

" from: 16/10/1964 till: 19/06/1970 color:lab text:" Wilson" from: 17/10/1963 till: 16/10/1964 color:con text:" Home" from: 09/01/1957 till: 17/10/1963 color:con text:" Macmillan" from: 05/04/1955 till: 09/01/1957 color:con text:" Eden" from: 26/10/1951 till: 05/04/1955 color:con text:" Churchill" from: $start till: 26/10/1951 color:lab text:" Attlee” bar:us from: 20/01/2021 till: $end color:dem text:" Biden" from: 20/01/2017 till: 20/01/2021 color:gop text:"

Trump Trump most commonly refers to: * Donald Trump (born 1946), 45th president of the United States (2017–2021) * Trump (card games), any playing card given an ad-hoc high rank Trump may also refer to: Businesses and organizations * Donald J. T ...

" from: 20/01/2009 till: 20/01/2017 color:dem text:"

Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

" from: 20/01/2001 till: 20/01/2009 color:gop text:" G.W.Bush" from: 20/01/1993 till: 20/01/2001 color:dem text:" Clinton" from: 20/01/1989 till: 20/01/1993 color:gop text:" Bush" from: 20/01/1981 till: 20/01/1989 color:gop text:"

Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

" from: 20/01/1977 till: 20/01/1981 color:dem text:"

Carter Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to: Geography United States * Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Carter, Montana, a census-designated place * Carter ...

" from: 09/08/1974 till: 20/01/1977 color:gop text:"

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

" from: 20/01/1969 till: 09/08/1974 color:gop text:"

Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

" from: 22/11/1963 till: 20/01/1969 color:dem text:"

" from: 20/01/1961 till: 22/11/1963 color:dem text:" Kennedy" from: 20/01/1953 till: 20/01/1961 color:gop text:"

Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

" from: $start till: 20/01/1953 color:dem text:" Truman"

Permanent members

History

Veto power

Expansion

Leaders of the permanent members

Historical leaders

See also

Notes

References

Further reading