Countries With a Monarchy — Complete List

Approximately 43 countries in the world are governed by a monarchy — a system where a single person, usually a king or queen, serves as head of state. Most modern monarchies are constitutional, meaning the monarch's powers are limited by a constitution and a parliament. Countries like the United Kingdom, Sweden, Japan, and Spain are well-known constitutional monarchies. Absolute monarchies, where the ruler has near-total power, are rare today and include Saudi Arabia, Brunei, and Eswatini. Many former British colonies retain the British monarch as head of state and are known as Commonwealth Realms.

Constitutional monarchies vary widely in practice. In the UK, the monarch's role is largely ceremonial — the real political power rests with the Prime Minister and Parliament. In contrast, the Kingdom of Morocco blends a constitutional framework with significant royal authority: King Mohammed VI directly shapes policy on major issues. The Gulf monarchies represent a spectrum from Qatar's more consultative governance to Kuwait's relatively pluralistic parliament. Bhutan transitioned from absolute to constitutional monarchy in 2008, when King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck introduced parliamentary democracy while maintaining the monarchy.

The 20th and 21st centuries have seen several countries abolish their monarchies and become republics. Greece held a referendum in 1974 and voted against restoring the monarchy after the fall of the military junta. Barbados became the most recent former monarchy to become a republic in November 2021, replacing Queen Elizabeth II with its own president. Several other Caribbean and Pacific nations that are currently Commonwealth Realms continue to debate the question of becoming republics, particularly after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.