12 coronavirus-free countries: places that claim to not have the virus

As global numbers of Covid-19 surpass 25 million, these 12 destinations remain reportedly virus-free

Port Vila, Efate Island, Vanuatu. The Pacific Ocean country was quick to implement travel restrictions and remains coronavirus-free. Getty Images

Rock Islands, Palau. The Pacific island nation has a population of fewer than 20,000 and no confirmed cases. Courtesy Charly W.Karl / Flickr

Samoa is coronavirus-free and has been on lockdown since March 25. Courtesy Pexels / Imeleta

Mango Island, Tonga. The country has reported no confirmed cases of the virus. Courtesy Scott Mills / Flickr

Fanning Island in Kiribati. The Pacific island nation is one of 12 countries in the world where no cases of the coronavirus have been reported. Pixabay

The Federated States of Micronesia implemented travel bans in February and have remained Covid-free since. Unsplash

Tuvalu is another country in the Pacific that has no cases of Covid-19. Torsten Blackwood / AFP

The Republic of Marshall Islands is inhabited by 71,000 people who live across 29 low-lying atolls and five elevated islands. No Covid-19 cases have been recorded in the country. Courtesy Masdar

Nauru is one of the least-visited countries in the world, which has helped keep the islands Covid-free. Unsplash

Covid-free on the island of Fenualoa, the Solomon Islands. Courtesy OceansWatch

Official figures from Turkmenistan show the central Asian country is Covid-free, but doubts linger over the legitimacy of these numbers. Unsplash

A state-released view over the Township of Samjiyon County in North Korea. The country says it has no cases of Covid-19. EPA

Confirmed coronavirus cases have now surpassed 25 million, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University.

Covid-19 has spread rapidly across the globe, reaching 188 countries and regions and prompting lockdown measures and movement restrictions in almost every destination in the world.

Daily life in several countries now requires compulsory face masks, negative test results and social distancing measures, while many other places remain in lockdown.

With such widespread case numbers, it’s hard to comprehend, but some countries are not currently battling the virus, There are a handful of nations that seem to have managed to escape the pandemic, at least for the moment.

Twelve countries have no confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Several of these destinations are small island nations in the Pacific Ocean where visitor numbers are already low so it’s a lot easier to keep the virus out.

Other countries where no cases have been recorded include destinations that raise question marks over the legitimacy of official statistics: countries where authorities might be unlikely to declare a virus outbreak, even if it did exist.

North Korea, a country of more than 20 million people and a close neighbour of China where the virus first originated, has said it has no cases of the virus.

A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows a general view over Township of Samjiyon County in North Korea. EPA

The country reported a suspected case in July, but then said this was a false alarm. Many question the veracity of the claims that it is virus-free. However, North Korea was the first country in the world to close its borders which would have helped to keep the virus out.

The country closed its borders in January and imposed lengthy quarantine periods of up to two months for any arriving passengers. Turkmenistan is another country where the official reporting is being questioned.

Other countries, like the tiny island nation of Nauru north-east of Australia, seem to have escaped the pandemic thanks to their wildly remote locations. With a population of fewer than 11,000, the island is one of the least visited countries in the world, which helps when it comes to keeping people out.

The tiny island of Nauru in the Pacfic Ocean lies between Australia and Hawaii. Courtesy World Geographic Locations

From Vanuatu to Turkmenistan, scroll through the above gallery to see the countries around the world where official coronavirus case numbers (at the time of writing) are zero.

12 coronavirus-free countries: 

1. Kiribati 

2. Federated States of Micronesia 

3. Marshall Islands 

4. Nauru 

5. North Korea

6. Palau 

7. Samoa 

8. Solomon Islands 

9. Turkmenistan 

10. Tuvalu 

11. Tonga 

12. Vanuatu 

A look back at the places with no coronavirus in May