Not every country in the world has a UNESCO World Heritage Site, even though many have rich cultures, unique traditions, and beautiful landscapes. Having no listed site does not mean they lack heritage; it often means the nomination process has not been completed or recognized yet. Interestingly, a few nations still remain without a single UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The UNESCO World Heritage Programme started in 1972. It was created to identify and protect places of global importance. Today, there are more than 1,200 World Heritage Sites spread across over 170 countries.
To get listed, a country must:
There are several reasons why a country may not have a UNESCO-listed site:
Some nations around the world still have no UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This is often due to strict selection rules, lack of nominations, limited resources, or political challenges, though they may still hold rich cultural and natural treasures.
Here is the list of countries with no UNESCO World Heritage Sites:
| Rank | Country | No. of UNESCO World Heritage Sites |
| 1. | The Bahamas | 0 |
| 2. | Bhutan | 0 |
| 3. | Brunei Darussalam | 0 |
| 4. | Burundi | 0 |
| 5. | Comoros | 0 |
| 6. | Cook Islands | 0 |
| 7. | Dijibouti | 0 |
| 8. | Equatorial Guinea | 0 |
| 9. | Eswatini | 0 |
| 10. | Grenada | 0 |
| 11. | Guyana | 0 |
| 12. | Kuwait | 0 |
| 13. | Liberia | 0 |
| 14. | Maldives | 0 |
| 15. | Monaco | 0 |
| 16. | Nauru | 0 |
| 17. | Niue | 0 |
| 18. | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 0 |
| 19. | Samoa | 0 |
| 20. | Sierra Leone | 0 |
| 21. | São Tomé and Príncipe | 0 |
| 22. | Somalia | 0 |
| 23. | South Sudan | 0 |
| 24. | Timor-Leste | 0 |
| 25. | Tonga | 0 |
| 26. | Trinidad and Tobago | 0 |
| 27. | Tuvalu | 0 |
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