PCGN works in conjunction with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) to determine the list of country names and official state titles for use by all government departments. Country names usually reflect current British usage. The official state title, (ie. the form used in formal, legal or diplomatic contexts), where different, is shown and reflects the name used by the state itself. It is translated into English where necessary.
The list is arranged alphabetically by country name.
Published 1 July 2014 Last updated 19 January 2023 +show all updates
Updated 'Micronesia' country name under 'Country names: The Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British official use'.
Changed Republic of Iceland to Iceland in 'Country names: The Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British official use' and 'Timeline of country name changes in HMG use: 1919 to 2022'.
Updated country names lists and 'Timeline of country name changes in HMG use: 1919 to 2020'.
Updated the names list.
'Timeline of country name changes in HMG use: 1919 to 2020' updated.
Changed Vietnam's state title to Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.
Removed previous name for Nepal ("Democratic Federal Republic of Nepal").
Added Timeline of country name changes in HMG use: 1919 to 2020.
Added Timeline of country name changes in the past 50 years: 1969 to 2019.
