Local power worldwide: who runs local government in every country

How power below the national government works in 193 countries: the tiers of regional and local government, whether their leaders are elected, which laws set them up, who they answer to, and the traditional and community bodies that sit alongside them.

Baltic states

Estonia Unitary republic
Latvia Unitary republic
Lithuania Unitary republic

Caribbean

Antigua and Barbuda Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Bahamas Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Barbados Unitary parliamentary republic (since 2021)
Cuba Unitary socialist republic (one-party state)
Dominica Unitary parliamentary republic
Dominican Republic Unitary presidential republic
Grenada Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Haiti Unitary semi-presidential republic (under transitional government)
Jamaica Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Saint Kitts and Nevis Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Saint Lucia Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Trinidad and Tobago Unitary parliamentary republic

Caucasus

Armenia Unitary republic (parliamentary)
Azerbaijan Unitary republic (presidential)
Georgia Unitary republic (parliamentary)

Central Africa

Cameroon Unitary presidential republic (decentralised)
Central African Republic Unitary presidential republic
Chad Unitary presidential republic
Democratic Republic of the Congo Unitary presidential republic with strong provinces ('regionalised' state)
Equatorial Guinea Unitary presidential republic
Gabon Unitary presidential republic
Republic of the Congo Unitary presidential republic
São Tomé and Príncipe Unitary semi-presidential republic

Central America

Belize Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Costa Rica Unitary presidential republic
El Salvador Unitary presidential republic
Guatemala Unitary presidential republic
Honduras Unitary presidential republic
Mexico Federal presidential republic
Nicaragua Unitary presidential republic
Panama Unitary presidential republic

Central Asia

Afghanistan Unitary state under de facto Taliban rule since August 2021; no constitution in force
Kazakhstan Unitary presidential republic
Kyrgyzstan Unitary presidential republic
Tajikistan Unitary presidential republic
Turkmenistan Unitary presidential republic
Uzbekistan Unitary presidential republic (with the autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan)

Eastern Africa

Burundi Unitary presidential republic
Comoros Presidential republic; union of autonomous islands
Djibouti Unitary presidential republic
Eritrea Unitary state; single-party (PFDJ) government without an implemented constitution
Ethiopia Federal parliamentary republic (ethnic-based federation)
Kenya Unitary presidential republic with devolved county governments
Madagascar Unitary semi-presidential republic (under a military-led transition since October 2025)
Mauritius Unitary parliamentary republic
Rwanda Unitary presidential republic
Seychelles Unitary presidential republic
Somalia Federal parliamentary republic (provisional constitution, 2012, amended 2024)
South Sudan Presidential republic with a decentralised (state) system under a transitional constitution
Tanzania Unitary presidential republic (with semi-autonomous Zanzibar)
Uganda Unitary presidential republic (decentralised)

Eastern Asia

China Unitary socialist republic led by the Communist Party of China
Japan Unitary constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system
Mongolia Unitary semi-presidential republic
North Korea Unitary socialist state led by the Workers' Party of Korea
South Korea Unitary presidential republic

Eastern Europe

Belarus Unitary republic (presidential)
Bulgaria Unitary republic
Czechia Unitary republic
Hungary Unitary republic
Moldova Unitary republic
Poland Unitary republic
Romania Unitary republic
Russia Federal republic (presidential)
Slovakia Unitary republic
Ukraine Unitary republic

Northern Africa

Algeria Unitary presidential republic
Egypt Unitary presidential republic
Libya Unitary state in a long political transition, with rival governments in the west and east
Morocco Unitary constitutional monarchy
Sudan Federal republic in law (18 states); in practice divided by war, with a military-led government and a rival RSF-led authority
Tunisia Unitary presidential republic (2022 Constitution)

Northern America

Canada Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
United States Federal presidential republic

Northern Europe

Denmark Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Finland Unitary parliamentary republic (with the autonomous Åland Islands)
Iceland Unitary parliamentary republic
Ireland Unitary parliamentary republic
Norway Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Sweden Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
United Kingdom Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy with devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Oceania

Australia Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Fiji Unitary parliamentary republic
Kiribati Unitary presidential republic
Marshall Islands Unitary parliamentary republic
Micronesia (Federated States of) Federal presidential republic
Nauru Unitary parliamentary republic
New Zealand Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Palau Unitary presidential republic with 16 states
Papua New Guinea Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy with provincial governments
Samoa Unitary parliamentary republic
Solomon Islands Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Tonga Unitary constitutional monarchy
Tuvalu Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Vanuatu Unitary parliamentary republic

South America

Argentina Federal republic
Bolivia Unitary republic (decentralised, with autonomies)
Brazil Federal republic
Chile Unitary republic
Colombia Unitary republic (decentralised)
Ecuador Unitary republic (decentralised)
Guyana Unitary republic
Paraguay Unitary republic
Peru Unitary republic (decentralised)
Suriname Unitary republic
Uruguay Unitary republic
Venezuela Federal republic (constitutionally), highly centralised in practice

South-eastern Asia

Brunei Unitary absolute monarchy (sultanate)
Cambodia Unitary constitutional monarchy
Indonesia Unitary presidential republic (highly decentralised)
Laos Unitary one-party socialist republic
Malaysia Federal constitutional monarchy
Myanmar Unitary state under military-led government (formally a parliamentary republic under the 2008 Constitution)
Philippines Unitary presidential republic
Singapore Unitary parliamentary republic (city-state)
Thailand Unitary constitutional monarchy
Timor-Leste Unitary semi-presidential republic
Vietnam Unitary one-party socialist republic

South-eastern Europe

Albania Unitary republic
Bosnia and Herzegovina Federal (decentralised) state with two entities
Croatia Unitary republic
Montenegro Unitary republic
North Macedonia Unitary republic
Serbia Unitary republic with an autonomous province
Slovenia Unitary republic

Southern Africa

Angola Unitary presidential republic
Botswana Unitary parliamentary republic (executive president elected by the National Assembly)
Eswatini Unitary monarchy with an executive king; 'tinkhundla-based' system of government
Lesotho Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Malawi Unitary presidential republic
Mozambique Unitary presidential republic
Namibia Unitary presidential republic
South Africa Unitary parliamentary republic with three 'spheres' of government (often called quasi-federal)
Zambia Unitary presidential republic
Zimbabwe Unitary presidential republic

Southern Asia

Bangladesh Unitary parliamentary republic
Bhutan Unitary constitutional monarchy (parliamentary democracy since 2008)
India Federal parliamentary republic (union of states and union territories)
Maldives Unitary presidential republic
Nepal Federal parliamentary republic
Pakistan Federal parliamentary republic
Sri Lanka Unitary republic with an executive presidency

Southern Europe

Andorra Unitary parliamentary co-principality
Cyprus Unitary presidential republic
Greece Unitary parliamentary republic
Italy Unitary parliamentary republic with strong regions ('regional state')
Malta Unitary parliamentary republic
Portugal Unitary semi-presidential republic with two autonomous regions
San Marino Unitary parliamentary republic (two Captains Regent as joint heads of state)
Spain Unitary parliamentary monarchy with highly decentralised autonomous communities

Western Africa

Benin Unitary presidential republic
Burkina Faso Unitary republic under a military-led transition
Cabo Verde Unitary semi-presidential republic
Côte d'Ivoire Unitary presidential republic
Ghana Unitary presidential republic
Guinea Unitary presidential republic (returning from military-led transition)
Guinea-Bissau Unitary semi-presidential republic (constitution suspended after November 2025 military takeover)
Liberia Unitary presidential republic
Mali Unitary republic under a military-led transition
Mauritania Unitary presidential Islamic republic
Niger Unitary republic under a military-led transition
Nigeria Federal presidential republic
Senegal Unitary presidential republic
Sierra Leone Unitary presidential republic
The Gambia Unitary presidential republic
Togo Unitary parliamentary republic (since the 2024 constitution)

Western Asia

Bahrain Unitary constitutional monarchy
Iran Unitary Islamic republic
Iraq Federal parliamentary republic
Israel Unitary parliamentary republic
Jordan Unitary constitutional monarchy
Kuwait Unitary constitutional monarchy (emirate)
Lebanon Unitary parliamentary republic with confessional power-sharing
Oman Unitary absolute monarchy (sultanate)
Qatar Unitary hereditary monarchy (emirate)
Saudi Arabia Unitary absolute monarchy
Syria Unitary republic under a transitional government since December 2024
Türkiye Unitary presidential republic
United Arab Emirates Federal monarchy of seven hereditary emirates
Yemen Unitary republic in law; in practice divided by war between rival authorities

Western Europe

Austria Federal parliamentary republic
Belgium Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
France Unitary semi-presidential republic, constitutionally 'decentralised'
Germany Federal parliamentary republic
Liechtenstein Unitary constitutional hereditary monarchy with direct democracy
Luxembourg Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Monaco Unitary constitutional hereditary monarchy
Netherlands Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy (decentralised unitary state)
Switzerland Federal directorial republic with direct democracy