In 1945, the UN had only 51 members including the five permanent member states. Over the years, there has been an increase in the number of members by four times. The UN now has 193 members. All the 193 members have a seat and equal representation in the General Assembly.
There are two reasons for the increase in the membership of the UN. Countries like the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia split up to form more independent states. The Soviet Union split to form fifteen independent countries. In addition to this, the end of the European colonial empires led to the formation of new countries.
The number of members increased as more countries were created. For instance, in 1960, when the European empires began to lose their power in Africa, many independent countries were formed like Cameroon, Congo, Madagascar, Mali, Nigeria, Benn and Gabon. All these countries joined the UN.
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