It is based claim of historian Stuart Laycock from his book All the Countries We’ve Ever Invaded: And the Few We Never Got Round To, who states that: “Out of 193 countries that are currently UN member states, we’ve invaded or fought conflicts in the territory of 171.”
This means that only 22 countries have never been invaded by Britain, which Statista lists as:
- Andorra
- Belarus
- Bolivia
- Burundi
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Congo (Republic of)
- Guatemala
- Ivory Coast
- Kyrgyzstan
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Mali
- Marshall Islands
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Paraguay
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Sweden
- Tajikistan
- Uzbekistan
- Vatican City
Although Sweden is questionable as there was the Anglo-Swedish war of 1810–1812. Note that:
No acts of war occurred during the conflict and the UK was even allowed to station boats in Hanö, thus “occupying” the island. Sweden did not try to hinder this as the UK used the island to continue trading with Sweden.
From the map author:
Few nations have escaped British intervention, a testament to the empire’s global dominance from the 17th to the 20th century.
According to historians like Stuart Laycock, whose research suggests Britain has invaded nearly 90% of the world’s countries, this pattern reflects not only military conquest but also economic and political influence.
The exceptions, marked in yellow, are rare instances where British forces never formally intervened, a striking contrast to the widespread red, underscoring the unparalleled reach of British imperialism.
And their response to common criticism variations on this map always receive:
Many of you conflate “invasion” with “occupation” or “colonization,” but these are distinct terms in historical analysis.
An invasion refers to any military incursion, whether it led to temporary skirmishes, strategic interventions, or full-scale conquests.
Britain’s historical reach included not only long-term colonial rule but also short-term military actions, raids, and diplomatic pressure backed by force.
This map highlights instances of military presence rather than prolonged control. Understanding these nuances helps in interpreting history with accuracy rather than reducing it to simplistic narratives.
And a description of the book that created a 1,000 maps:
Out of 193 countries that are currently UN member states, we’ve invaded or fought conflicts in the territory of 171.
That’s not far off a massive, jaw-dropping 90 per cent.
Not too many Britons know that we invaded Iran in the Second World War with the Soviets. You can be fairly sure a lot more Iranians do.
Or what about the time we arrived with elephants to invade Ethiopia?
Every summer, hordes of British tourists now occupy Corfu and the other Ionian islands.
Find out how we first invaded them armed with cannon instead of camera and set up the United States of the Ionian Islands.
Think the Philippines have always been outside our zone of influence? Think again.
Read the surprising story of our eighteenth-century occupation of Manila and how we demanded a ransom of millions of dollars for the city.
This book takes a look at some of the truly awe-inspiring ways our country has been a force, for good and for bad, right across the world.
A lot of people are vaguely aware that a quarter of the globe was once pink, but that’s not even half the story.
We’re a stroppy, dynamic, irrepressible nation and this is how we changed the world, often when it didn’t ask to be changed!
You can buy a copy of Stuart Laycock from his book All the Countries We’ve Ever Invaded: And the Few We Never Got Round To here.
What do you think of this map?
Ignacio Junquera Galán says
Buenos días,
Inglaterra nunca invadió ni ocupó España.
Y.D. Robinson says
There was the Peninsular War in the early 19th century, in which British troops were deeply involved in both Spain and Portugal to overthrow Joseph Bonaparte’s regime.
cam says
Total bullshiit