This is a list of sovereign states in the 1940s, giving an overview of states around the world during the period between 1 January 1940 and 31 December 1949. It contains 106 entries, arranged alphabetically, with information on the status and recognition of their sovereignty. It includes 99 widely recognized sovereign states, six entities which were de facto sovereign but which were not widely recognized by other states, and one state which was initially unrecognized but then gained full recognition later in the decade.