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The International Labour Organization (ILO), a tripartite specialized agency of the United Nations that sets international standards related to work, has 187 member states, . Established in 1919 as a result of the Treaty of Versailles, the ILO was the first agency to be incorporated into the UN in 1946, is the third oldest pre-existing UN agency, the fourth oldest existing multilateral organization and the only remaining organization with direct links to the League of Nations.

The organization was established with 42 states, of which 29 states are considered founder members as signatories to the Versailles Treaty; another 13 states, not signatories, were invited to be members and granted status as founder members.

Following the Second World War and the dissolution of the League of Nations, the ILO became the UN's first specialized agency. All but one of the ILO's member states (the Cook Islands) are also member states of the United Nations. However, there are seven UN member states which have not joined the ILO. The ILO's constitution allows admission without membership in the UN, but the conditions to be satisfied in this case are more complex than for a UN member state.

Since establishment, 19 states have withdrawn from membership, although all subsequently rejoined. Two states have indicated an intention to withdraw, but did not complete the process. While the membership rules admit only sovereign states, on three occasions states with non-sovereign status have been admitted, all, however, eventually became sovereign members. Five states have been removed from membership, with all being readmitted. Six formerly-existing states have been members of the ILO, including two which were founding members.

Member states

Membership in the ILO is governed by Article 1, clauses 3 and 4, of the organization's constitution. Clause 3 indicates that any UN member state may become a member of the ILO by communicating to the Director-General "formal acceptance of the obligations of the Constitution." Clause 4 allows for membership for non-UN states, but this requires a two-thirds vote by delegates to the International Labour Conference, including two-thirds of government delegates. + FlagMember stateDate of admissionNotes Afghanistan Albania Previously a member from 1920 to 1967, admitted 1991. Further information: member withdrawals Algeria Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina * Armenia Prior participation as part of the Soviet Union Australia + Austria Previously a member from 1919 to 1938, readmitted 1947. Further information: member removals Azerbaijan Prior participation as part of the Soviet Union Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Admitted as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. Further information: former non-sovereign state members Belgium + Belize Benin Bolivia (Plurinational State of) + Bosnia and Herzegovina Prior participation as part of Yugoslavia Botswana Brazil + Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada + Central African Republic Chad Chile * China + Admitted as the Republic of China. From the Chinese Communist Revolution of 1949 through to 1971, China's membership in the ILO was held by the Republic of China (Taiwan). Following a resolution at the 184th meeting of the ILO Governing Body in 1971, the People's Republic of China (PRC) was recognized as the representative government of China for the purposes of membership. However, not until June 1983 did the PRC agree to participate in ILO activities when the International Labour Conference agreed to waive outstanding dues of over $38 million (equivalent to $ million in ). Colombia * Comoros Congo Cook Islands Not a United Nations member state, admitted to the ILO by resolution adopted at the 104th session of the International Labour Conference. Costa Rica Previously a member from 1920 to 1927, admitted 1944. Further information: member withdrawals Côte d'Ivoire Croatia Prior participation as part of Yugoslavia Cuba + Cyprus Czech Republic Prior participation as part of Czechoslovakia Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark * Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt Admitted without being a member of the League of Nations. El Salvador * Previously a member from 1919 to 1939, admitted 1948. Further information: member withdrawals Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Member as Estonia 1921–1940, as part of the Soviet Union 1954–1991, readmitted 1992. Further information: member removals Eswatini Ethiopia Between 1939 and 1942 Ethiopia was removed from the membership list due to annexation by Italy. Further information: member removals Fiji Finland France + Gabon Gambia Georgia Prior participation as part of the Soviet Union Germany Previously a member from 1919 to 1935, admitted 1951. Further information: member withdrawals Ghana Greece + Grenada Guatemala + Previously a member from 1919 to 1938, admitted in 1945. Further information: member withdrawals Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti + Honduras + Member from 1919 to 1938, admitted 1955. Further information: member withdrawals Hungary Iceland India + Indonesia Indonesia communicated an intention to withdraw from the ILO in 1965, however, this was rescinded in 1966. Further information: incomplete member withdrawals Iran (Islamic Republic of) * Admitted as Persia Iraq Ireland Israel Italy + Previously a member from 1919 to 1940, admitted 1945. Further information: member withdrawals Jamaica Japan Previously a member from 1919 to 1940, admitted 1951. Further information: member withdrawals Jordan Kazakhstan Prior participation as part of the Soviet Union Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Prior participation as part of the Soviet Union Lao People's Democratic Republic Admitted as the Kingdom of Laos Latvia Member as Latvia 1921–1940, as part of the Soviet Union 1954–1991, readmitted in 1991. Further information: member removals Lebanon Lesotho Previously a member from 1966 to 1971, admitted 1980. Further information: member withdrawals Liberia + Libya Lithuania Member as Lithuania 1921–1940, as part of the Soviet Union 1954–1991, readmitted as Lithuania in 1991. Further information: member removals Luxembourg Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Mongolia Montenegro Prior participation as part of Yugoslavia Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands * New Zealand + Nicaragua + Previously a member from 1919 to 1938, admitted 1957. Further information: member withdrawals Niger Nigeria North Macedonia Prior participation as part of Yugoslavia Norway * Oman Pakistan Palau Panama + Papua New Guinea Paraguay * Previously a member from 1919 to 1937, admitted 1956. Further information: member withdrawals Peru + Philippines Poland + Submitted notification of intention to withdraw on 17 November 1984, extended that intention in November 1986 without withdrawing, and rescinded the intention to withdraw on 17 November 1987. Further information: incomplete member withdrawals Portugal + Qatar Republic of Korea Republic of MoldovaPrior participation as part of the Soviet Union Romania + Previously a member from 1919 to 1942, admitted 1956. Further information: member withdrawals Russian Federation Admitted to membership as the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1940, admitted 1954. Further information: member withdrawals

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation was confirmed as the successor state for the purposes of membership. Rwanda St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino São Tomé and Príncipe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Prior participation as part of Yugoslavia (1919–1992), admitted in 2000 as Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Prior participation as part of Czechoslovakia Slovenia Prior participation as part of Yugoslavia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa + Previously a member from 1919 to 1966, admitted in 1994. Further information: member withdrawals South Sudan Spain * Previously a member from 1919 to 1941, admitted 1956. Further information: member withdrawals Sri Lanka Sudan Sudan's membership in the ILO preceded membership in the United Nations (12 November 1956), which was possible following a vote of unanimous support (with no abstentions) at the 1956 International Labour Conference. Suriname Sweden * Switzerland * Syrian Arab Republic Tajikistan Prior participation as part of the Soviet Union Thailand + Admitted as Siam Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Prior participation as part of the Soviet Union Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine Admitted as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. Further information: former non-sovereign state members United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland + United Republic of Tanzania United States of America Joined in 1934 without being a member of the League of Nations, withdrew in 1977, admitted 1980. Further information: member withdrawals Uruguay + Uzbekistan Prior participation as part of the Soviet Union Vanuatu Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) * Previously a member from 1919 to 1957, admitted 1958. Further information: member withdrawals Viet Nam Admitted as a member as the Republic of Vietnam from 1950 to 1976. Following the incorporation of the Republic of Vietnam into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in July 1976, the country ceased to be a member. Readmitted in 1980, withdrew in 1985 and readmitted 1992. Further information: member withdrawals Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe A "+" and a blue background indicates a founding member; an "*" and a khaki background indicates states invited to be founding members.

Observer states + FlagStateNotesState of PalestineUnited Nations General Assembly resolution 67/19 accorded non-member observer status to the state of Palestine, which gives the right of participation in the General Assembly and the other organs of the United Nations. The ILO conducts a technical cooperation programme and other initiatives in Palestine. In June 2025, Palestine was promoted from its "obsolete" liberation movement status to non-member state observer status.

Member withdrawals

According to the ILO's constitution, a member state may withdraw only after giving two years' notice and settling all outstanding financial dues; following withdrawal, a former member state is still obliged to comply with the ILO conventions the country has ratified.

Readmission of a former member state that has remained a UN member requires formal communication to the ILO Director-General of acceptance of the obligations of the ILO constitution. A former member state that is not a UN member can be approved for readmission only by a decision of the International Labour Conference.

Since 1927, 19 member states have withdrawn from the ILO; all subsequently rejoined.