Member states of the World Trade Organization


The original member states of the World Trade Organization are the parties to the GATT after ratifying the Uruguay Round Agreements, and the European Communities. They obtained this status at the entry into force on 1 January 1995 or upon their date of ratification. All other members have joined the organization as a result of negotiation, and membership consists of a balance of rights and obligations. The process of becoming a World Trade Organization member is unique to each applicant country, and the terms of accession are dependent upon the country's stage of economic development and the current trade regime.
An offer of accession is given once consensus is reached among members. The process takes about five years, on average, but it can take some countries almost a decade if the country is less than fully committed to the process, or if political issues interfere. The shortest accession negotiation was that of Kyrgyzstan, lasting 2 years and 10 months. The longest were that of Russia, lasting 19 years and 2 months, Vanuatu, lasting 17 years and 1 month, and China, lasting 15 years and 5 months.
As of 2007, WTO member states represented 96.4% of global trade and 96.7% of global GDP. Iran, followed by Algeria, are the economies with the largest GDP and trade outside the WTO, using 2005 data.

Accession process

A country wishing to accede to the WTO submits an application to the General Council. The government applying for membership has to describe all aspects of its trade and economic policies that have a bearing on WTO agreements. The application is submitted to the WTO in a memorandum which is examined by a working party open to all interested WTO Members, and dealing with the country's application. For large countries such as Russia, numerous countries participate in this process. For smaller countries, the Quadrilateral group of members—consisting of the United States, Canada, Japan, and the European Union—and an applicant's neighboring countries are typically most involved. The applicant then presents a detailed memorandum to the Working Party on its foreign trade regime, describing, among other things, its economy, economic policies, domestic and international trade regulations, and intellectual property policies. The Working Party Members submit written questions to the applicant to clarify aspects of its foreign trade regime with particular attention being paid to the degree of privatization in the economy and the extent to which government regulation is transparent. After all necessary background information has been acquired, the Working Party will begin meeting to focus on issues of discrepancy between the WTO rules and the Applicant's international and domestic trade policies and laws. The WP determines the terms and conditions of entry into the WTO for the applicant nation, and may consider transitional periods to allow countries some leeway in complying with the WTO rules.
The final phase of accession involves bilateral negotiations between the applicant nation and other Working Party members regarding the concessions and commitments on tariff levels and market access for goods and services. These talks cover tariff rates and specific market access commitments, and other policies in goods and services. The new member's commitments are to apply equally to all WTO members under normal non-discrimination rules, even though they are negotiated bilaterally. In other words, the talks determine the benefits other WTO members can expect when the new member joins. The talks can be highly complicated; it has been said that in some cases the negotiations are almost as large as an entire round of multilateral trade negotiations.
When the bilateral talks conclude, the working party finalizes the terms of accession, sends an accession package, which includes a summary of all the WP meetings, the Protocol of Accession, and lists of the member-to-be's commitments to the General Council or Ministerial Conference. Once the General Council or Ministerial Conference approves of the terms of accession, the applicant's parliament must ratify the Protocol of Accession before it can become a member. The documents used in the accession process which are embargoed during the accession process are released once the nation becomes a member.

Members and observers

As of December 2017, the WTO has 164 members. Of the 128 states party to the GATT at the end of 1994, all have since become WTO members except for the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which had dissolved in 1992 and was suspended from participating in GATT at the time. Four other states, China, Lebanon, Liberia, Syria, were parties to GATT but subsequently withdrew from the treaty prior to the establishment of the WTO. China and Liberia have since acceded to the WTO. The remaining WTO members acceded after first becoming WTO observers and negotiating membership.
The 27 states of the European Union are dually represented, as the EU is a full member of the organization. Non-sovereign autonomous entities of member states are eligible for full membership in the WTO provided that they have a separate customs territory with full autonomy in the conduct of their external commercial relations. Thus, Hong Kong became a GATT contracting party, by the now terminated "sponsorship" procedure of the United Kingdom, as did Macau. A new member of this type is the Republic of China, which acceded to the WTO in 2002, and carefully crafted its application by joining under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu " so that they were not rejected as a result of the People's Republic of China One-China policy.
The WTO also has 24 observer states, that with the exception of the Holy See must start their accession negotiations within five years of becoming observers. The last country admitted as observer-only before applying for full membership was Equatorial Guinea in 2002, but since 2007 it is also in full membership negotiations. In 2007 Liberia and Comoros applied directly for full membership. Some international intergovernmental organizations are also granted observer status to WTO bodies. The Palestinian Authority submitted a request for WTO observer status in October 2009 and again in April 2010.
Afghanistan is the newest member, joining effective 29 July 2016.
Russia was one of the only two large economies outside of the WTO after Saudi Arabia joined in 2005. It had begun negotiating to join the WTO's predecessor in 1993. The final major point of contention—related to the 2008 Russo-Georgian War—was solved through mediation by Switzerland, leading to Russian membership in 2012. The other is Iran, which is an observer state and begun negotiations in 1996.

List of members and accession dates

The following table lists all current members, their accession date and previous GATT membership.
StateDate of accessionGATT membership
29 July 2016
8 September 2000
23 November 19968 April 1994
1 January 199530 March 1987
1 January 199511 October 1967
5 February 2003
1 January 19951 January 1948
1 January 199519 October 1951
1 January 199513 December 1993
1 January 199516 December 1972
1 January 199515 February 1967
1 January 19951 January 1948
1 January 19957 October 1983
22 February 199612 September 1963
12 September 19958 September 1990
31 May 199528 August 1987
1 January 199530 July 1948
1 January 19959 December 1993
1 December 1996
3 June 19953 May 1963
23 July 199513 March 1965
13 October 2004
13 December 19953 May 1963
1 January 19951 January 1948
23 July 2008
31 May 19953 May 1963
19 October 199612 July 1963
1 January 199516 March 1949
11 December 2001
1 January 2002
30 April 19953 October 1981
27 March 19973 May 1963
1 January 199711 September 1971
1 January 199524 November 1990
1 January 199531 December 1963
30 November 2000
20 April 19951 January 1948
30 July 199515 July 1963
1 January 199515 April 1993
1 January 199528 May 1950
31 May 199516 December 1994
1 January 199520 April 1993
9 March 199519 May 1950
21 January 1996
30 June 19959 May 1970
7 May 199522 May 1991
13 November 1999
1 January 19958 February 1993
1 January 1995
14 January 199616 November 1993
1 January 199525 May 1950
1 January 19951 January 1948
1 January 19953 May 1963
23 October 199622 February 1965
14 June 2000
1 January 19951 October 1951
1 January 199517 October 1957
1 January 19951 March 1950
22 February 19969 February 1994
21 July 199510 October 1991
25 October 19958 December 1994
31 May 199517 March 1994
1 January 19955 July 1966
30 January 19961 January 1950
1 January 199510 April 1994
1 January 199523 April 1986
1 January 19959 September 1973
1 January 199521 April 1968
1 January 19958 July 1948
1 January 199524 February 1950
1 January 199522 December 1967
21 April 19955 July 1962
1 January 199530 May 1950
9 March 199531 December 1963
1 January 199510 September 1955
11 April 2000
30 November 2015
1 January 19955 February 1964
1 January 199514 April 1967
1 January 19953 May 1963
20 December 1998
2 February 2013
10 February 1999
31 May 19958 January 1988
14 July 2016
1 September 199529 March 1994
31 May 2001
1 January 19951 January 1948
17 November 199530 September 1963
31 May 199528 August 1964
1 January 199524 October 1957
31 May 199519 April 1983
31 May 199511 January 1993
1 January 199517 November 1964
1 January 199511 January 1991
31 May 199530 September 1963
1 January 19952 September 1970
1 January 199524 August 1986
26 July 2001
29 January 1997
29 April 2012
1 January 199517 June 1987
26 August 199527 July 1992
1 January 199529 July 1948
1 January 199515 September 1992
23 April 2004
1 January 19951 January 1948
1 January 199530 July 1948
3 September 199528 May 1950
13 December 199631 December 1963
1 January 199518 November 1960
4 April 2003
1 January 199510 July 1948
9 November 2000
1 January 199530 July 1948
6 September 1997
9 June 199616 December 1994
1 January 19956 January 1994
1 January 19957 October 1951
1 January 199527 December 1979
1 July 199518 October 1967
1 January 19956 May 1962
13 January 19967 April 1994
1 January 199514 November 1971
22 August 2012
22 May 19961 January 1966
21 February 199624 March 1994
1 January 199513 April 1993
1 January 199518 May 1993
10 May 2012
11 December 2005
1 January 199527 September 1963
26 April 2015
23 July 1995
1 January 1995
1 January 199515 April 1993
30 July 199530 October 1994
26 July 199628 December 1994
1 January 199513 June 1948
1 January 199529 August 1963
1 January 199529 July 1948
1 January 199522 March 1978
1 January 199530 April 1950
1 July 19951 August 1966
2 March 2013
1 January 19959 December 1961
1 January 199520 November 1982
31 May 199520 March 1964
27 July 2007
1 March 199523 October 1962
29 March 199529 August 1990
26 March 199517 October 1951
1 January 199523 October 1962
16 May 2008
10 April 19968 March 1994
1 January 19951 January 1948
1 January 19951 January 1948
1 January 19956 December 1953
24 August 2012
1 January 199531 August 1990
11 January 2007
26 June 2014
1 January 199510 February 1982
5 March 199511 July 1948

;Notes

List of observers

The following table lists all 25 WTO observers. Within five years of being granted observer status by the WTO, states are required to begin negotiating their accession to the organization.
StateDate of membership applicationStatus
3 June 1987Inactive since 2014
4 July 1997Inactive since 1999
30 June 1997Work in progress
10 May 2001Work in progress
23 September 1993Strategic focus
1 September 1999Inactive since 2008
11 May 1999Strategic focus
22 February 2007Strategic focus
31 October 2019
19 February 2007Reactivation
13 January 2003Reactivation
NoneObserver since 1997
19 July 1996Inactive since 2011
30 September 2004Reactivation
30 January 1999Reactivation
10 June 2004Inactive since 2004
14 January 2005Inactive
23 December 2004Reactivation
12 December 2015Activation
5 December 2017Work in progress
11 October 1994Work in progress
10 October 2001Inactive since 2010
9 April 2015Activation
None
8 December 1994Reactivation

;Notes

Neither members nor observers

The following table lists all the UN member states and UN observer states which are neither members nor observers of the WTO.
Additionally, has expressed an interest in joining the WTO.
;Notes