How many countries are in NATO?

As of September 2023, NATO has 31 member countries - 29 European and two North American. The founding members (1949) include Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the UK, and the US. Other member countries include Greece, Turkey, Germany, Spain, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Finland.

What is the primary purpose of NATO?

NATO's primary purpose is to ensure the freedom and security of its members through political and military means. It provides a framework for cooperation and collective defence, where an attack on one member is considered an attack on all, invoking Article 5 of the NATO treaty.