China now has more diplomatic offices around the world than any other country. This was shared in a report by the Lowy Institute in 2024. The United States is just a bit behind China, making these two countries the top players in global diplomacy. China has 274 diplomatic sites, while the US has 271. China took the lead in 2019 and has stayed in front since then.
The report shows that China is especially strong in Africa, East Asia, the Pacific, and Central Asia. This is partly because the US pulled out of Afghanistan. However, the US has more diplomatic offices in Europe, North and Central America, and South Asia. In the Middle East and South America, China and the US have the same number of posts.
Other countries are also expanding their diplomatic networks. Türkiye, for example, moved up to the third spot this year from fifth last year. India made a jump too, now at rank 11 from 12 last year. These countries are adding more offices quickly, especially India, which has opened 11 new sites since 2021, with eight in Africa.
The 2024 Global Diplomacy Index looks at the diplomatic efforts of 66 countries and territories, including those in Asia, members of the G20, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This information helps us understand how countries connect and work with each other around the world. Diplomatic offices play a key role in these global relationships, and the number of offices a country has can show how active and influential it is on the world stage.
Chart: DIW
Embassies and Consulates
Read next: Global Freedom on the Decline, Report Finds
The report shows that China is especially strong in Africa, East Asia, the Pacific, and Central Asia. This is partly because the US pulled out of Afghanistan. However, the US has more diplomatic offices in Europe, North and Central America, and South Asia. In the Middle East and South America, China and the US have the same number of posts.
Other countries are also expanding their diplomatic networks. Türkiye, for example, moved up to the third spot this year from fifth last year. India made a jump too, now at rank 11 from 12 last year. These countries are adding more offices quickly, especially India, which has opened 11 new sites since 2021, with eight in Africa.
The 2024 Global Diplomacy Index looks at the diplomatic efforts of 66 countries and territories, including those in Asia, members of the G20, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This information helps us understand how countries connect and work with each other around the world. Diplomatic offices play a key role in these global relationships, and the number of offices a country has can show how active and influential it is on the world stage.
| Country / Territory | Embassies / High Commissions | Consulates / Consulates General | Permanent Missions | Other Representations | Total Posts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 173 | 91 | 8 | 2 | 274 |
| United States | 168 | 83 | 12 | 8 | 271 |
| Türkiye | 145 | 93 | 12 | 2 | 252 |
| Japan | 152 | 66 | 10 | 23 | 251 |
| France | 158 | 72 | 18 | 1 | 249 |
| Russia | 143 | 74 | 10 | 3 | 230 |
| United Kingdom | 156 | 51 | 11 | 7 | 225 |
| Germany | 148 | 56 | 11 | 2 | 217 |
| Italy | 124 | 74 | 8 | 0 | 206 |
| Brazil | 133 | 58 | 12 | 2 | 205 |
| India | 135 | 50 | 5 | 4 | 194 |
| Spain | 114 | 65 | 10 | 1 | 190 |
| South Korea | 114 | 60 | 5 | 8 | 187 |
| Mexico | 80 | 71 | 8 | 2 | 161 |
| Canada | 98 | 38 | 11 | 10 | 157 |
| Argentina | 87 | 54 | 7 | 2 | 150 |
| Netherlands | 106 | 28 | 10 | 5 | 149 |
| European Union* | 132 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 143 |
| Switzerland | 102 | 30 | 7 | 2 | 141 |
| Hungary | 87 | 43 | 7 | 3 | 140 |
| Poland | 91 | 33 | 9 | 2 | 135 |
| Greece | 85 | 39 | 9 | 1 | 134 |
| Indonesia | 92 | 34 | 3 | 1 | 130 |
| Saudi Arabia | 104 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 128 |
| Portugal | 75 | 42 | 9 | 1 | 127 |
| Australia | 85 | 33 | 4 | 2 | 124 |
| Pakistan | 89 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 121 |
| Chile | 73 | 41 | 6 | 1 | 121 |
| Czechia | 91 | 16 | 7 | 6 | 120 |
| Colombia | 63 | 49 | 5 | 0 | 117 |
| South Africa | 98 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 114 |
| Belgium | 83 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 113 |
| Taiwan** | 12 | 1 | 1 | 96 | 110 |
| Israel | 80 | 21 | 5 | 1 | 107 |
| Malaysia | 78 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 106 |
| Austria | 83 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 104 |
| Sweden | 87 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 102 |
| Ireland | 71 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 98 |
| Thailand | 65 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 97 |
| Vietnam | 67 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 94 |
| Philippines | 63 | 27 | 4 | 0 | 94 |
| Norway | 74 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 91 |
| Finland | 74 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 90 |
| Denmark | 66 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 90 |
| Slovakia | 63 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 82 |
| Bangladesh | 58 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 80 |
| New Zealand | 49 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 68 |
| Lithuania | 42 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 62 |
| Sri Lanka | 46 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 60 |
| Slovenia | 43 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 58 |
| Costa Rica | 42 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 52 |
| Mongolia | 33 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 50 |
| Singapore | 29 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 50 |
| Latvia | 38 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 46 |
| Estonia | 38 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 46 |
| Myanmar | 38 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 46 |
| Luxembourg | 35 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 46 |
| North Korea | 39 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 43 |
| Cambodia | 28 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 43 |
| Brunei | 35 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 42 |
| Nepal | 32 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 40 |
| Laos | 26 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 40 |
| Timor-Leste | 23 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 31 |
| Iceland | 17 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 26 |
| Papua New Guinea | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 21 |
| Bhutan | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
Read next: Global Freedom on the Decline, Report Finds
