Member states of the International Labour Organization

ILO headquarters, Geneva

The International Labour Organization (ILO), a specialized agency of the United Nations that sets international standards related to work, presently has 187 member states. Created in 1919 as a result of the Versailles Treaty, the ILO is the fourth^[a] oldest existing multilateral organization and the only remaining organization with direct links to the League of Nations.

The ILO was founded 1919 with 42 member states. Of these, 29 states were signatories to the Versailles Treaty and are considered founder members, another 13 states, not signatories, were invited to be members and granted status as founder members.^[1]

Following the Second World War and the dissolution of the League of Nations, the ILO became the UN's first specialized agency. At present, all member states of the ILO are also member states of the United Nations, however there are seven UN member states which are not members of the ILO. The ILO's rules allow admission without membership in the UN, but the conditions to be satisfied in this case are more complex than for a UN member state.

Since establishment, 20 states have withdrawn from membership, although all were subsequently readmitted. Two states have indicated an intention to withdraw, but did not complete the process. While the membership rules admit only sovereign states, on three occasions states with non-sovereign status have been admitted, all, however, eventually became sovereign members. Six formerly-existing states have been members of the ILO, including two which were founding members.

Member states[]

Founding members appear with a blue background; states invited to be founding members appear with a khaki background.

Current member states

Flag	Member state[2]	Date of admission[3]	Notes
	Afghanistan	29 September 1934
	Albania	22 May 1991	Previously a member from 1920 to 1967, readmitted 1991.[4]
	Algeria	19 October 1962
	Angola	4 June 1976
	Antigua and Barbuda	16 February 1982
	Argentina	28 June 1919
	Armenia	26 November 1992	Prior participation as part of the Soviet Union.
	Australia	28 June 1919
	Austria	24 June 1947	Previously a member from 1919 to 1938, readmitted 1947.[5]
	Azerbaijan	19 May 1992	Prior participation as part of the Soviet Union.
	Bahamas	25 May 1976
	Bahrain	18 April 1977
	Bangladesh	22 June 1972
	Barbados	8 May 1967
	Belarus	12 May 1954	Admitted as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic.[6] Further information: former non-sovereign state members
	Belgium	28 June 1919
	Belize	7 November 1981
	Benin	14 December 1960
	Bolivia (Plurinational State of)	28 June 1919
	Bosnia and Herzegovina	2 June 1993	Prior participation as part of Yugoslavia.
	Botswana	27 February 1978
	Brazil	28 June 1919
	Brunei Darussalam	17 January 2007
	Bulgaria	16 December 1920
	Burkina Faso	21 November 1960
	Burundi	13 March 1963
	Cabo Verde	3 April 1979
	Cambodia	24 February 1969
	Cameroon	7 June 1960
	Canada	28 June 1919
	Central African Republic	27 October 1960
	Chad	10 November 1960
	Chile	28 June 1919
	China	28 June 1919	Admitted as the Republic of China. From the Chinese Revolution of 1949 through to 1971, China's membership in the ILO was held by the Republic of China (Taiwan). Following a resolution at the 184th meeting of the ILO Governing Body in 1971, the People's Republic of China (PRC) was recognized as the representative government of China for the purposes of membership. However, not until June 1983 did the PRC agree to participate in ILO activities.[7]
	Colombia	28 June 1919
	Comoros	23 October 1978
	Congo	10 November 1960
	Cook Islands	12 June 2015
	Costa Rica	21 February 1944	Previously a member from 1920 to 1927, readmitted 1944.[8]
	Côte d'Ivoire	21 September 1960
	Croatia	30 June 1992	Prior participation as part of Yugoslavia.
	Cuba	28 June 1919
	Cyprus	23 September 1960
	Czech Republic	3 February 1993	Prior participation as part of Czechoslovakia.
	Democratic Republic of the Congo	20 September 1960
	Denmark	28 June 1919
	Djibouti	3 April 1978
	Dominica	17 June 1982
	Dominican Republic	29 September 1924
	Ecuador	28 September 1934
	Egypt	19 June 1936
	El Salvador	21 June 1948	Previously a member from 1919 to 1939, readmitted 1948.[9]
	Equatorial Guinea	31 January 1981
	Eritrea	7 June 1993
	Estonia	13 January 1992	Member as Estonia 1921–1940 (departure recognized as definitive in 1946);[10] as part of the Soviet Union 1954–1991. Estonia was considered to have been readmitted (rather than admitted) to the ILO in 1992.[11]
	Eswatini	20 May 1975
	Ethiopia	28 September 1923
	Fiji	19 April 1974
	Finland	16 December 1920
	France	28 June 1919
	Gabon	14 October 1960
	Gambia	29 May 1995
	Georgia	22 June 1993	Prior participation as part of the Soviet Union.
	Germany	12 June 1951	Previously a member from 1919 to 1935, readmitted 1951.[12]
	Ghana	20 May 1957
	Greece	28 June 1919
	Grenada	9 July 1979
	Guatemala	19 October 1945	Previously a member from 1919 to 1938, readmitted in 1945.[13]
	Guinea	21 January 1959
	Guinea-Bissau	21 February 1977
	Guyana	8 June 1966
	Haiti	28 June 1919
	Honduras	1 January 1955	Member from 1919 to 1938, readmitted 1955.[14]
	Hungary	18 September 1922
	Iceland	19 October 1945
	India	28 June 1919
	Indonesia	12 May 1950	Indonesia communicated an intention to withdraw from the ILO in 1965, however, this was rescinded in 1966.[15] Further information: incomplete member withdrawals
	Iran (Islamic Republic of)	28 June 1919	Admitted as Persia.[1]
	Iraq	3 October 1932
	Ireland	10 September 1923
	Israel	10 May 1949
	Italy	19 October 1945	Previously a member from 1919 to 1940, readmitted 1945.[16]
	Jamaica	26 December 1962
	Japan	26 November 1951	Previously a member from 1919 to 1940, readmitted 1941.[17]
	Jordan	26 January 1956
	Kazakhstan	31 May 1993	Prior participation as part of the Soviet Union.
	Kenya	13 January 1964
	Kiribati	3 February 2000
	Kuwait	13 June 1961
	Kyrgyzstan	31 March 1992	Prior participation as part of the Soviet Union.
	Lao People's Democratic Republic	23 January 1964	Admitted as the Kingdom of Laos.[18]
	Latvia	3 December 1991	Member as Latvia 1921–1940 (departure recognized as definitive in 1946);[10] as part of the Soviet Union 1954–1991. Latvia was considered to have been readmitted (rather than admitted) to the ILO in 1991.[11]
	Lebanon	23 December 1948
	Lesotho	2 June 1980	Previously a member from 1966 to 1971, readmitted 1980.[19]
	Liberia	28 June 1919
	Libya	11 June 1952
	Lithuania	4 October 1991	Member as Lithuania 1921–1940 (departure recognized as definitive in 1946);[10] as part of the Soviet Union 1954–1991. Lithuania was considered to have been readmitted (rather than admitted) to the ILO in 1991.[11]
	Luxembourg	16 December 1920
	Madagascar	1 November 1960
	Malawi	22 March 1965
	Malaysia	11 November 1957
	Maldives	15 May 2009
	Mali	22 September 1960
	Malta	4 January 1965
	Marshall Islands	3 July 2007
	Mauritania	20 June 1961
	Mauritius	5 May 1969
	Mexico	12 September 1931
	Mongolia	24 May 1968
	Montenegro	14 July 2006	Prior participation as part of Yugoslavia.
	Morocco	13 June 1956
	Mozambique	28 May 1976
	Myanmar	18 May 1948
	Namibia	3 October 1978
	Nepal	30 August 1966
	Netherlands	28 June 1919
	New Zealand	28 June 1919
	Nicaragua	9 April 1957	Previously a member from 1919 to 1938, readmitted 1957.[20]
	Niger	27 February 1961
	Nigeria	17 October 1960
	North Macedonia	28 May 1993	Prior participation as part of Yugoslavia.
	Norway	28 June 1919
	Oman	31 January 1994
	Pakistan	31 October 1947
	Palau	29 May 2012
	Panama	28 June 1919
	Papua New Guinea	1 May 1976
	Paraguay	5 September 1956	Previously a member from 1919 to 1937, readmitted 1956.[21][22]
	Peru	28 June 1919
	Philippines	15 June 1948
	Poland	28 June 1919	Submitted notification of intention to withdraw on 17 November 1984,[23] extended that intention in November 1986 without withdrawing, and rescinded the intention to withdraw on 17 November 1987.[24] Further information: incomplete member withdrawals
	Portugal	28 June 1919
	Qatar	25 April 1972
	Republic of Korea	9 December 1991
	Republic of Moldova	8 June 1992	Prior participation as part of the Soviet Union.
	Romania	11 May 1956	Previously a member from 1919 to 1942, readmitted 1956.[25]
	Russian Federation	26 April 1954	Admitted to membership as the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1940, readmitted 1954.[26] Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation was confirmed as the successor state for the purposes of membership.[27]
	Rwanda	18 September 1962
	St. Kitts and Nevis	19 May 1996
	St. Lucia	9 April 1980
	St. Vincent and the Grenadines	31 May 1995
	Samoa	7 May 2005
	San Marino	18 June 1982
	São Tomé and Príncipe	1 June 1982
	Saudi Arabia	12 January 1976
	Senegal	4 November 1960
	Serbia	24 November 2000	Prior participation as part of Yugoslavia (1919-1992), admitted in 2000 as Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.[28]
	Seychelles	25 April 1977
	Sierra Leone	13 June 1961
	Singapore	25 October 1965
	Slovakia	22 January 1993	Prior participation as part of Czechoslovakia.
	Slovenia	29 May 1992	Prior participation as part of Yugoslavia.
	Solomon Islands	28 May 1984
	Somalia	18 November 1960
	South Africa	26 May 1994	Previously a member from 1919 to 1966, readmitted in 1994.[29]
	South Sudan	29 April 2012
	Spain	28 May 1956	Previously a member from 1919 to 1941, readmitted 1956.[30]
	Sri Lanka	28 June 1948
	Sudan	12 June 1956
	Suriname	24 February 1976
	Sweden	28 June 1919
	Switzerland	28 June 1919
	Syrian Arab Republic	4 December 1947
	Tajikistan	26 November 1993	Prior participation as part of the Soviet Union.
	Thailand	28 June 1919	Admitted as Siam.[1]
	Timor-Leste	19 August 2003
	Togo	7 June 1960
	Tonga	24 February 2016
	Trinidad and Tobago	24 May 1963
	Tunisia	12 June 1956
	Turkey	18 July 1932
	Turkmenistan	24 September 1993	Prior participation as part of the Soviet Union.
	Tuvalu	27 May 2008
	Uganda	25 March 1963
	Ukraine	12 May 1954	Admitted as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.[6] Further information: former non-sovereign state members
	United Arab Emirates	25 April 1972
	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	28 June 1919
	United Republic of Tanzania	30 January 1962
	United States of America	18 February 1980	Previously a member from 1934 to 1977, readmitted 1980.[31]
	Uruguay	28 June 1919
	Uzbekistan	13 July 1992	Prior participation as part of the Soviet Union.
	Vanuatu	22 May 2003
	Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	16 March 1958	Previously a member from 1919 to 1957, readmitted 1958.[32]
	Viet Nam	20 May 1992	Admitted as a member as the Republic of Vietnam from 1950 to 1976. Following the incorporation of the Republic of Vietnam into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in July 1976, the country ceased to be a member. Readmitted in 1980, withdrew in 1985 and readmitted 1992.[33][34]
	Yemen	20 May 1965
	Zambia	2 December 1964
	Zimbabwe	6 June 1980

Member withdrawals[]

According to the ILO's constitution, a member state may only withdraw after giving notice of two years and settling all outstanding financial dues; following withdrawal a former member state is still obliged to comply with the ILO conventions the country has ratified.^[35][36] Readmission of a former member state, that has remained a UN member, requires formal communication to the ILO Director-General of acceptance of the obligations of the ILO constitution. A former member state that is not a UN member can only be approved for readmission by a decision of the International Labour Conference.^[37] Since 1927, 20 member states have withdrawn from the ILO, all subsequently were readmitted.

Withdrawals by member states

Flag	State	Date of withdrawal	Date of readmission	Notes
	Albania	5 August 1967[38][39]	22 May 1991[40]	In 1965, Albania gave notification of withdrawal from the ILO, citing the organisation's lack of support to anti-colonial liberation movements and exclusion of communist countries.[41] Following the end of the Cold War, Albania was readmitted.
	Austria	13 March 1938[10]	24 June 1947[42]	Following the Anschluss on 12 March 1938, Austria was removed from membership of the ILO.[43] In July 1947 the International Labour Conference confirmed Austria's readmission to the ILO.[44][45]
	Costa Rica	1 January 1927[46]	21 April 1944[47]	In December 1924, Costa Rica gave notice of withdrawal from the League of Nations due to perceived ill-treatment for overdue membership contributions and dissatisfaction with the League's lack of action against the United States for pursuing the Monroe Doctrine.[48] Withdrawal from the League precipitated Costa Rica's withdrawal from the ILO. Starting in 1942, engagement with the ILO led to readmission in 1944.[46]
	El Salvador	1939[10]	21 June 1948[49]
	Ethiopia	1939	1943	Following the annexation of Ethiopia by Italy, the country was removed from the membership list of the ILO between 1939 and 1942,[50] however, the country is still considered to have held membership since first joining on 28 September 1923.[51]
	Germany	21 October 1935[52]	12 June 1951[53]
	Guatemala	26 May 1938[54]	19 October 1945[55]
	Italy	1939[56]	19 October 1945[57]
	Honduras	10 July 1938[54]	1 January 1955[58]
	Japan	November 1940[59]	26 November 1951[60]	Starting with the Mukden Incident, Japan came under increasing criticism and condemnation in the League of Nations, eventually leading to withdrawal from the League in 1933.[61][62] Although maintaining ILO membership, contradictions between government policy, a reversal of positive attitudes of the employers and the broader international deterioration of inter-state relations led to Japan giving notice of withdrawal in November 1938.[63] Following the Second World War, in March 1948 an ILO Committee in Japan was established and in 1951 the country was readmitted.[64]
	Lesotho	15 July 1971[65]	2 June 1980[19]	Between 1971 and 1980, Lesotho withdrew from the ILO due to an inability to meet the financial obligations of membership.[66]
	Nicaragua	26 June 1938[54]	9 April 1957[67]
	Paraguay	1937[21]	5 September 1956[22]
	Romania	10 July 1942[68]	11 May 1956[69]
	Spain	1941[10]	28 May 1956[70]
	Soviet Union	February 1940[71]	26 April 1954[72]	The Soviet Union was expelled from the League of Nations in December 1939 following the start of the Winter War.[73] However, this expulsion did not automatically invalidate membership in the ILO; not until the meeting of the ILO Administrative Council in February the following year was the membership rescinded.[74]
	South Africa	11 March 1966[75]	26 May 1994[76]	In March 1964, the South African foreign minister notified the ILO of the country's withdrawal.[75] From the late 1950s, the country's policy of institutionalized racial discrimination, officially known as Apartheid, had come under frequent condemnation; rather than be formally excluded from the ILO by a vote of the constituents, South Africa chose to withdraw.[77] Following the end of Apartheid and the conclusion of multi-racial elections, South Africa rejoined the ILO in 1994.[78]
	United States of America	1 November 1977[79]	18 February 1980[80]
	Venezuela	3 May 1957	15 March 1958	Between May 1957 and March 1958, Venezuela was not a member of the ILO. In April 1955, the government expelled a Dutch worker delegate of the ILO Governing Body who had voiced criticisms of freedom of association rights in the country during a meeting of the ILO's Petroleum Committee in Caracas. Officers of the Governing Body subsequently adjourned the meeting, to which the Venezuelan government immediately objected and shortly after notified their intention to withdraw from the ILO. On 15 March 1958, Venezuela formally accepted the obligations of membership and was readmitted.[81]
	Vietnam	1 June 1985[15]	20 May 1992[82]	In June 1983, Vietnam gave notification of an intention to withdraw temporarily. The reasons included an inability to pay the assessed membership fees due to extreme financial constraints, a lack of technical support and dissatisfaction with ILO investigations into claims of Vietnamese workers being subject to forced labour in the Soviet Union.[34][83] The withdrawal went into effect in 1985; Vietnam was readmitted in 1992.[82]
	Yugoslavia	16 June 1949	16 May 1951	In 1947, with the emergence of the Cold War, Yugoslavia gave notice of withdrawal, citing incompatibility between the structures of the ILO and the country's ongoing socialist development. The withdrawal came into effect in 1949, however, Yugoslavia was readmitted in 1951.[84][85]

Incomplete member withdrawals[]

Two member states have officially communicated an intention to withdraw, but prior to the ILO declaring their membership to have lapsed, subsequently communicated an intention to remain.

Incomplete withdrawals by member states

Flag	State	Date intention to withdraw received	Date intention to withdraw rescinded	Notes
	Indonesia	25 March 1965[15]	6 September 1966[15]	In 1965, the Indonesian government under President Sukarno communicated an intention to withdraw from the ILO, which would have taken effect on 25 March 1967. Subsequently, in 1966, the government under President Suharto, indicated that Indonesia no longer wished to withdraw. The ILO considered that there had been no interruption to Indonesia's membership.[86][15]
	Poland	17 November 1984	17 November 1987	Submitted notification of intention to withdraw on 17 November 1984,[23] extended that intention in November 1986 without withdrawing, and rescinded the intention to withdraw on 17 November 1987.[24]

Visit of Haile Selaisse of Ethiopia to the ILO, August 1924

Former non-sovereign state members[]

Joseph Stalin (left) and Franklin Roosevelt (right), Yalta, February 1945

The ILO constitution indicates that members must be sovereign states (initially, members of the League of Nations or, after 1945, members of the United Nations).^[87][b] This provision was affirmed on 26 August 1930 when the Permanent Court of International Justice ruled that Danzig, whose external relations were under Poland's control, was inadmissible to the ILO.^[88] Despite this ruling, three non-sovereign states, prior to achieving sovereign status, were for various periods admitted as members of the ILO.^[89]

Non-sovereign state members

Flag	State	Period of non-sovereign state status	Notes
	Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic	28 April 1954 – 25 December 1991	During the Yalta Conference in February 1945, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin and US President Franklin Roosevelt agreed that the USA and the USSR would each be entitled to two extra seats in the soon to be established United Nations. The USSR nominated the Byelorussian SSR and the Ukrainian SSR to the UN, which resulted in these two non-sovereign state entities achieving ILO membership.[6] The USA never exercised the option for extra seats at the UN.[90] With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Belarus and Ukraine became the successor states for the purposes of membership.
	Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic	12 May 1954 – 25 December 1991
	Namibia	3 October 1978 – 21 March 1990	Namibia was admitted as the 136th full member in 1978 following a request from the United Nations Council for Namibia despite not being an independent state at the time.[91]

Former members[]

Former member states

Flag	State	Date of admission	Date membership ceased	Notes
	Czechoslovakia	28 June 1919	31 December 1992[92]	Following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the country ceased to be a member. Neither the Czech Republic nor Slovakia were considered to be a successor state for the purposes of membership and both were required to be admitted as new members.[92]
	German Democratic Republic	1 January 1974[93]	3 October 1990[94]	Following the reunification of Germany, the GDR ceased to be a member.[94]
	People's Democratic Republic of Yemen	1969[95]	22 May 1990	Following the reunification of Yemen, the PDRY ceased to be a member.
	Republic of Vietnam	1950[10]	July 1976[39]	Ceased to be a member following incorporation into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
	Soviet Union	18 September 1934[96]	25 December 1991	The Soviet Union was not a member between 1940 and 1954. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country ceased to be a member.
	Yugoslavia	28 June 1919	27 April 1992	Admitted as the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs.[1] Following the dissolution of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the country ceased to be a member.

A blue background indicates an ILO founding member.

UN member states not members of the ILO[]

Non-member states

Flag	State	Notes
	Andorra	In 2002, the Committee on the Rights of the Child sought clarification on Andorra's non-membership in the ILO.[97] The December 2020 report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council recommended that Andorra join the ILO;[98] in response the government indicated that it would consider the recommendation.[99]
	Bhutan	In August 2020, Labour Minister Ugyen Dorji indicated that although discussions had taken place for more than a decade, there was no plan to join ILO.[100]
	Democratic People’s Republic of Korea	The June 2019 report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council recommended that DPRK join the ILO;[101] in response, the government noted the recommendation.[102]
	Liechtenstein	In 2018, Liechtenstein indicated that in the future it did not intend to become a member of the ILO, claiming the country's labour standards exceeded the stipulations of ILO instruments.[103]
	Micronesia	The March 2021 report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council recommended that Micronesia join the ILO.[104]
	Monaco	The December 2018 report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council recommended that Monaco join the ILO;[105] the government stated that discussions remained ongoing since the last review in 2014 and that ILO's standards on trade union rights and Monaco's policy of priority employment for locals remained of concern.[106]
	Nauru	In 2011, the government of Nauru advised the United Nations Human Rights Council there was no intention to become party to the Conventions of the ILO.[107]
	Holy See	Based on an unofficial agreement reached in 1926, the Vatican nominates a special advisor to the ILO Director-General on social and religious matters.[108]

See also[]

• List of specialized agencies of the United Nations

References[]

Notes[]

Footnotes[]

Sources[]