Top Countries with Most Diplomatic Missions Worldwide

Diplomatic missions are a fundamental aspect of a country’s foreign policy, serving as key role for maintaining bilateral relations, protecting citizens, promoting economic interests, towards to global cooperation and understanding. Embassies, consulates, and missions are the places where government representatives serve in foreign countries and takes place with mutual consent between countries.

The Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations, aims is to facilitate “the development of friendly relations” among governments through a uniform set of practices and principles, most notably, it codifies the longstanding custom of diplomatic immunity, in which diplomatic missions are granted privileges that enable diplomats to perform their functions without fear of coercion or harassment by the host country.

According to Global Diplomacy Index by Lowy institute –  China, US and France are the top 3 countries in the World to have the most diplomatic posts/missions abroad, thus establishing biggest diplomatic footprint around the world.

Before we head below, let’s understand a bit about embassy and consulates and difference in their workings. The Embassies, Consulates and High commissions are established to extend diplomacy and assist their citizens during emergency.

So what are the differences?

• Embassy is a diplomatic mission generally located in the capital city of another country which offers a full range of services, including consular services. Embassy and diplomatic employees have full and absolute inviolability and immunities towards host state authorities including its judiciary
• High commission is an embassy of a Commonwealth country located in another Commonwealth country.
• Permanent mission is a diplomatic mission to a major international organization (eg UN). All missions to the United Nations are known simply as permanent missions, while EU member states’ missions to the European Union are known as permanent representations, and the head of such a mission is typically both a permanent representative and an ambassador.
• Consulate General is a diplomatic mission located usually other than the capital city, which provides a full range of consular services. consulate and consular employees only have limited inviolability and immunities
• Consulate is a diplomatic mission that is similar to a consulate general, but may not provide a full range of services ( only limited service).

Top Countries

These are  the list of top countries that have the most diplomatic missions abroad for 2021.

Source: Global Diplomacy Index 2021 

Source: Global Diplomacy Index 2021 / Lowy Institute