Member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an international alliance that consists of 10 member states and 2 observers from Eurasia. It was established on 26 April 1996 as the Shanghai Five. In addition to the 10 member states and 2 observer, the SCO currently has 14 dialogue partners and 4 guest attendance entries.

  Members   Observers   Dialogue Partners   Observer applicants   Disputed territories

Member states

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Flag Country
Capital
Largest city
Area
(km2)
Population
(2024)
Density
(/km2)
GDP per cap.
(PPP)
[1]
HDI[2] Currency
Official languages Leaders Accession
  China[a]
People's Republic of China
Beijing Shanghai (metropolitan area)
Chongqing (city proper)
9,640,011[b] a1,374,820,000 139.6 13,224 0.727 Renminbi (Chinese yuan, ¥)
(CNY)
Standard Chinese[3]
written in simplified characters[3]
see also languages of China
Head of State: Xi Jinping


Head of Government: Li Qiang

1996-04-26
  Kazakhstan
Republic of Kazakhstan
Astana Almaty 2,724,900 d17,670,900 5.94 24,108 0.788 Kazakhstani tenge (₸)
(KZT)
Kazakh (National)
Russian
Head of State: Kassym Jomart Tokayev


Head of Government: Ojlas Bektenov

1996-04-26
  Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyz Republic
Bishkek 199,900 f6,008,600 27.4 3,262 0.655 Kyrgyzstani som (som)
(KGS)
Kyrgyz (National)
Russian
Head of State and Government: Sadyr Japarov 1996-04-26
  Russia
Russian Federation
Moscow 17,075,400 b146,519,759 8.3 24,449 0.798 Russian rouble (₽)
(RUB)
Russian
also see Languages of Russia
Head of State: Vladimir Putin


Head of Government: Mikhail Mishustin

1996-04-26
  Tajikistan
Republic of Tajikistan
Dushanbe 143,100 e8,352,000 48.6 2,698 0.624 Tajikistani somoni (SM)
(TJS)
Tajik Persian Head of State: Emomali Rahmon


Prime Minister: Kokhir Rasulzoda

1996-04-26
  Uzbekistan
Republic of Uzbekistan
Tashkent 447,400 c31,022,500 61.4 5,630 0.675 Uzbekistani soum (soum)
(UZS)
Uzbek Head of State: Shavkat Mirziyoyev


Head of Government: Abdulla Aripov

2001-06-15
  India
Republic of India
New Delhi Mumbai 3,287,240 a1,284,480,000 364.4 8,484 0.640 Indian rupee ()
(INR)
Hindi (Devanagari script)&, English .
Also see Languages of India
Head of State: Droupadi Murmu


Head of Government: Narendra Modi

2017-06-09[4]
  Pakistan
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Islamabad Karachi 881,913 b 241,499,431 273.8 $6,955 0.540 Pakistani rupee (Rs)
(PKR)
Urdu (National)
English
Head of State: Asif Ali Zardari


Head of Government: Shehbaz Sharif

2017-06-09[4]
  Iran
Islamic Republic of Iran
Tehran 1,648,195 c79,011,700 48.0 17,443 0.766 Iranian rial (Rl)
(IRR)
Persian Head of State:
Ali Khamenei


Head of Government: Masoud Pezeshkian

2023-07-04[5]
  Belarus
Republic of Belarus
Minsk 207,595 c9,498,700 45.8 18,246 0.798 Belarusian rubel (Rbl)
(BYR)
Belarusian
Russian
Head of State and Government: Alexander Lukashenko


Prime Minister: Roman Golovchenko

2024-07-04

Military personnel

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The following list is sourced from the 2018 edition of "The Military Balance" published annually by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Flag Country Active military Reserve military Paramilitary Total Per 1000 capita
(total)
Per 1000 capita
(active)
  China[6] 2,035,000 510,000 1,500,000 4,045,000 2.9 1.5
  India[7] 1,440,000 2,096,000 1,585,950 5,121,950 4 1.1
  Iran[8] 610,000 350,000 40,000 1,000,000 11.4 7
  Kazakhstan[9] 39,000 0 31,500 70,500 3.8 2.1
  Kyrgyzstan[10] 10,900 0 9,500 20,400 3.5 1.9
  Pakistan[11] 653,000 0 0 653,000 3.1 3.1
  Russian Federation[12][Note 1] 1,013,628 2,572,500 2,310,859 5,896,987 41.5 7.1
  Tajikistan[13] 8,800 0 7,500 16,300 1.9 1
  Uzbekistan[14] 48,000 0 20,000 68,000 2.3 1.6
Notes
  1. ^ The potential reserve personnel of Russia may be as high as 20 million, depending on how the figures are counted. However, an est. 2 million have seen military service within the last 5 years.

Observer states

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Flag Country
Capital
Area
(km2)
Population
(2024)
Density
(/km2)
GDP per cap.
(PPP)
[1]
Currency
Official languages Leaders Status gained
 
Mongolia Ulaanbaatar 1,564,115 3,475,540 2 $16,504 Mongolian tögrög (₮)
(MNT)
Mongolian Head of State: Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh
Head of Government: Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene
2004-06-17
 
Afghanistan Kabul 652,857 41,128,771 48.08 $2,459 Afghan Afghani Kabul De facto Supreme Leadere: Hibatullah Akhundzada
De facto head of government: Hasan Akhund
2012

Dialogue partner entries

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Flag Country
Capital
Area
(km2)
Population
(2016)
Density
(/km2)
GDP per cap.
(PPP)
[1]
HDI[2] Currency
Official languages Leaders Status gained
  Sri Lanka
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (Administrative)
Colombo (Commercial)
65,610 c20,966,000 309.0 10,410 0.757 Sri Lankan rupee (Rs)
(LKR)
Sinhalese
Tamil
Head of State and Government: Ranil Wickremesinghe

(Prime Minister: Dinesh Gunawardena)

2009-06-16
  Turkey
Republic of Turkey
Ankara 783,562 c78,741,053 102.0 19,698 0.761 Turkish lira (₺)
(TRY)
Turkish Head of State and Government: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 2012-06-07
  Armenia
Republic of Armenia
Yerevan 29,743 c2,998,600 102.0 8,164 0.733 Armenian dram (֏)
(AMD)
Armenian Head of State: Vahagn Khachaturyan
Head of Government: Nikol Pashinyan
2015-07-10
  Azerbaijan
Republic of Azerbaijan
Baku 86,600 c9,696,800 109.0 17,761 0.751 Azerbaijani manat (₼)
(AZN)
Azeri Head of State: Ilham Aliyev
Head of Government: Ali Asadov
2015-07-10
  Cambodia
Kingdom of Cambodia
Phnom Penh 181,035 c15,626,444 84.0 3,276 0.555 Cambodian riel (CR)
(KHR)
Khmer Head of State: Norodom Sihamoni
Head of Government: Hun Manet
2015-07-10
  Nepal
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
Kathmandu 147,181 c28,431,500 180.0 2,388 0.548 Nepalese rupee (Rs)
(NPR)
Nepali Head of State: Ram Chandra Poudel
Head of Government: KP Sharma Oli
2015-07-10
  Egypt
Arab Republic of Egypt
Cairo 1,010,408 c94,798,827 103.56 16,980 0.731 Egyptian pound (LE)
(EGP)
Arabic Head of State: Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
Head of Government: Moustafa Madbouly
2022-09-14
  Qatar
State of Qatar
Doha 11,581 c1,699,435 176 113,675 0.855 Qatari riyal (QAR) Arabic Head of State: Tamim bin Hamad
Head of Government: Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani
2022-09-14
  Saudi Arabia
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Riyadh 2,149,690 c38,401,000 15 67,019 0.875 Saudi riyal (SR) (SAR) Arabic Head of State: Salman
Head of Government: Mohammed bin Salman
2022-09-14
  Kuwait
State of Kuwait
Kuwait City 17,818 c4,294,621 200.2 38,123 0.831 Kuwaiti dinar Arabic Head of State: Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Head of Government: Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah
2023-05-06
  Maldives
Republic of Maldives
Malé 300 c515,122 1,102.5 36,358 0.747 Maldivian rufiyaa (MVR) Maldivian Head of State and Government: Ibrahim Mohamed Solih 2023-05-06
  Myanmar
Republic of the Union of Myanmar
Naypyidaw 261,227 c57,526,449 196.8 5,132 0.585 Myanmar Kyat (K) (MMK) Burmese Head of State: Myint Swe (acting)
Head of Government: Min Aung Hlaing
2023-05-06
  United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi 83,600 4,106,427 121 78,255 0.911 UAE dirham (AED) Arabic Head of State: Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Head of Government: Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
2023-05-06
  Bahrain
Kingdom of Bahrain
Manama 780 1,504,365 1,864 60,596 0.875 Bahraini dinar (BHD) Arabic Head of State: Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
Head of Government: Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa
2023-07-15[15][16]

Future participation

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The following countries have applied for a position in the organization:

Flag Country
Capital
Area
(km2)
Population
(2016)
Density
(/km2)
GDP per cap.
(PPP)
[1]
HDI[2] Currency
Official languages Leaders Status applied for Year applied
  Bangladesh
People's Republic of Bangladesh
Dhaka 148,460 c169,828,911 1,305 2,470 0.661 Bangladeshi taka (BDT) Bengali Head of State: Mohammed Shahabuddin

Chief Adviser: Muhammad Yunus

Observer 2012[17]
  Syria
Syrian Arab Republic
Damascus 185,180 c22,933,531 118.3 2,900 0.577 Syrian pound (SYP) Arabic Head of State: Bashar al-Assad

(Prime Minister: Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali)

Dialogue Partner 2015[c][18]
  Israel
State of Israel
Jerusalem[d] 20,770 c9,766,400 442 54,997 0.919 Israeli new shekel (ILS) Hebrew Head of State: Isaac Herzog

Head of Government: Benjamin Netanyahu

Dialogue Partner 2016[18]
  Iraq
Republic of Iraq
Baghdad 438,317 c43,500,000 82.7 12,141 0.686 Iraqi dinar (IQD) Arabic Head of State: Abdul Latif Rashid
Head of Government: Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani
Dialogue Partner 2019[19]
  Algeria
People's Democratic Republic of Algeria
Algiers 2,381,741 c44,700,000 17.7 13,324 0.745 Algerian dinar (DZD) Arabic Head of State: Abdelmadjid Tebboune
Head of Government: Aymen Benabderrahmane
Observer 2023[20][21]
  Laos
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Vientiane 236,800 7,749,595 26.7 9,787 0.620 Lao kip (LAK) Lao Head of State: Thongloun Sisoulith Dialogue Partner 2024[22]

In 2012, Ukraine expressed interest in obtaining observer status. However, since the deposition of President Viktor Yanukovych and increased tensions with Russia, no application has been submitted and there are no current plans to incorporate Ukraine into the organization.[23][24]

In 2011, Vietnam expressed interest in obtaining observer or dialogue partner status. However, it is unknown whether or not, Vietnam has submitted an application.[25]

Guest attendance entries

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Inactive

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Flag Country
Capital
Area
(km2)
Population
(2024)
Density
(/km2)
GDP per cap.
(PPP)
[1]
HDI[2] Currency
Official languages Leaders Status gained
  Afghanistan[26] Kabul 652,867 41,128,771 48.08 $2,459 0.462 Afghan afghani (Af)
(AFN)
Pashto
Dari
De facto Supreme Leadere: Hibatullah Akhundzada
De facto head of government: Hasan Akhund
2012-06-07 (Observer)

Membership declined

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The United States applied for observer status in the SCO, but was rejected in 2005.[27]

Notes

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  1. ^ The sovereignty of China is disputed. Since the conclusion of the Chinese Civil War, the Republic of China (ROC), which was formally established on 1 January 1912 following the Xinhai Revolution, which succeeded the former Qing dynasty's territories on mainland China, while the islands of Taiwan and Penghu were under Japanese rule at the time. The ROC gained control over the latter after the surrender of Japan in 1945, but soon lost its control of mainland to the communists due to the Chinese Civil War. The ROC government was relocated to Taipei in 7th December 1949 as its provisional capital and retains actual rule over the islands of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, the Matsu, and other minor islands, all of which are collectively known as "Free Area" or Taiwan Area in contrast to Mainland China being under communist rule, thus making it a de facto island nation, and has become known colloquially as simply "Taiwan" due to the island of Taiwan forming the majority of the ROC-controlled territories; nonetheless, the ROC has not officially renounced its constitutional-defined territories which include areas effectively controlled by the People's Republic of China, Mongolia, Tuva (a Russian republic) etc. If claimed territories were taken into account, the ROC would not be a borderless country, nor a country centred around a major island. The ROC-controlled territories are also claimed by the People's Republic of China. Constitutionally, the ROC on Taiwan still views itself as the continuation of former Chinese republic, with legitimate sovereignty over mainland China despite no actual control. See: Political status of Taiwan, Retreat of the Republic of China to Taiwan, Four-Stage Theory of the Republic of China, Two Chinas, One-China policy, and Cross-strait relations.
  2. ^ The actual area under PRC control is 9,596,960.
  3. ^ Syria has initially applied for observer status, but "it was explained that first it is necessary to become a dialogue partner of the organization".[18]
  4. ^ Jerusalem is the capital under Israeli law with a number of governmental institutions located there and is only recognized by the United States, Kosovo, Guatemala and Honduras. While Israel has sovereignty of West Jerusalem, the international community considers East Jerusalem as part of the Palestinian territories under Israeli occupation since 1967. Consequently, most of the foreign embassies reside in Tel Aviv. See the status of Jerusalem for further details.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e at purchasing power parity, per capita, in international dollars (rounded IMF 2012)
  2. ^ a b c d at Human Development Index (New 2013 Estimates for 2012)
  3. ^ a b Law of the People's Republic of China on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language (Order of the President No.37)
  4. ^ a b Bhattacherjee, Kallol (9 June 2017). "India, Pakistan become full members of SCO". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Iran joins SCO, the China-founded regional security grouping". Al Arabiya English. 2023-07-04. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
  6. ^ IISS 2018, pp. 249-250
  7. ^ IISS 2018, pp. 260
  8. ^ IISS 2018, pp. 260
  9. ^ IISS 2018, pp. 188
  10. ^ IISS 2018, pp. 190
  11. ^ IISS 2018, pp. 291
  12. ^ IISS 2018, pp. 192
  13. ^ IISS 2018, pp. 207
  14. ^ IISS 2018, pp. 214
  15. ^ "Bahrain News Agency".
  16. ^ http://eng.sectsco.org/politics/20230718/951659/The-SCO-signs-a-memorandum-on-granting-the-Kingdom-of-Bahrain-the-status-of-dialogue-partner.html [bare URL]
  17. ^ |url=https://arab.news/5c83v
  18. ^ a b c "Syria, Israel, Egypt willing to join SCO's activity – president's special envoy". Interfax. 23 June 2016. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  19. ^ "'SCO family' widening? Many candidates share 'Shanghai spirit', but expansion not a goal". TASS. 5 September 2019. Archived from the original on 6 September 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  20. ^ "Algeria Submits an Application to Join the SCO". Echorouk. 21 June 2023.
  21. ^ "L'Algérie veut intégrer le capital de la banque des BRICS et l'organisation de Shanghai". L'Algérie Audjourd'hui. 21 June 2023.
  22. ^ "African state applies to join Shanghai Cooperation Organization". May 2024.
  23. ^ "Yanukovych Tells Putin Kyiv Wants SCO Observer Status". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 25 August 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  24. ^ Grigoryan, Gurgen (8 October 2012). "Why Ukraine wants to become SCO's partner". InfoSCO. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  25. ^ Radyuhin, Vladimir (2 December 2011). "Vietnam bids to join SCO". The Hindu. Moscow. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  26. ^ Seiwert, Eva (30 September 2021). "The Shanghai Cooperation Organization Will Not Fill Any Vacuum in Afghanistan". Foreign Policy Research Institute. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  27. ^ Hiro, Dilip (16 June 2006). "Shanghai surprise: The summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation reveals how power is shifting in the world". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 September 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2019.

Bibliography

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