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Organizations

Arab League

Which countries are in the Arab League? 25 countries in the Magna Factbook listing, ranked by Magna Power.

Last updated: October 2026

About Arab League

The Arab League — formally the League of Arab States — is the Arab world’s regional organization. It was founded on 22 March 1945 in Cairo, when seven Arab states signed the Alexandria Protocol’s successor pact. Its charter commits members to coordinate on politics, economics, culture and social affairs.

The League has 22 member states, stretching from Mauritania and Morocco in the west to Oman and Iraq in the east. Arabic is its official language, and its headquarters are in Cairo.

Its history tracks the region’s fractures: the League backed joint positions on Palestine, suspended Egypt after the 1979 peace treaty with Israel (moving its seat to Tunis until 1990), suspended Syria in 2011 and readmitted it in 2023.

Structure

The Council, made up of member foreign ministers, is the supreme body. Each state has one vote; decisions bind only the states that accept them. A Secretary-General runs the secretariat: Ahmed Aboul Gheit has held the post since 2016.

The League also runs specialized agencies covering education and culture (ALECSO), broadcasting, and economic cooperation, and it convenes regular Arab summits of heads of state.

What Arab League does

The League coordinates joint Arab positions on regional security, mediates between members, and promotes economic integration through the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA). It also runs cultural and educational programmes and speaks for Arab states in international forums.

Its record is mixed: it has rarely enforced its own resolutions, and its members often act through rival blocs. But as a table where all Arab states sit, it remains the region’s standing institution.

Member countries (25)

#CountryPower
1India78.13/100
2Saudi Arabia72.16/100
3Qatar69.29/100
4Brazil68.58/100
5United Arab Emirates68.28/100
6Egypt64.86/100
7Morocco63.03/100
8Libya60.75/100
9Oman60.32/100
10Kuwait59.93/100
11Algeria59.88/100
12Venezuela58.77/100
13Iraq55.28/100
14Tunisia53.22/100
15Bahrain52.55/100
16Jordan52.16/100
17Lebanon49.47/100
18Sudan38.64/100
19Eritrea37.0/100
20Yemen35.57/100
21Djibouti35.36/100
22Syria29.54/100
23Mauritania22.55/100
24Somalia16.58/100
25Comoros12.75/100

The League has 22 member states. The Factbook listing below shows 21 of them, plus four observer states (Brazil, Eritrea, India, Venezuela).

Sources

Other organizations

CICACPECOEITIFAOG-77IAEAIBRDICAOICCICCtICRM

Across the Bureau

ABEDA — Member CountriesACP — Member CountriesACS — Member CountriesAfghanistan — Country ProfileAlbania — Country ProfileAlgeria — Country Profile

The Arab League brings together 22 Arab states for political, economic and cultural cooperation. The Factbook listing below shows 21 member states plus four observers, ranked by power. Founded in Cairo in 1945, it coordinates joint Arab positions on regional questions.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Arab League?

The Arab League is the regional organization of the Arab states, founded in Cairo in 1945 to coordinate politics, economics, culture and social affairs.

Which countries are members of the Arab League?

The League has 22 member states. The Factbook listing below shows 21 of them, plus four observer states (Brazil, Eritrea, India, Venezuela), ranked by power.

What does the Arab League do?

It coordinates joint Arab positions on regional security, mediates between members, promotes economic integration through GAFTA, and runs cultural programmes.

How is the Arab League governed?

A Council of member foreign ministers is the supreme body, with one vote per state, and a Secretary-General runs the secretariat.