The growth in the number of states is a noticeable geopolitical process which leaves no-one indifferent and is often a cause of some worry. Firstly, this paper aims to describe this process, concentrating on the period since 1945. The particular situation of existing states deprived of any diplomatic recognition (and so far not registered by the United Nations) will be examined. Secondly, we will look at the causes of this process emphasising the principle of self-determination (or “the right of the peoples to choose the form of government under which they will live”), the question of political fragmentation specific to the periphery of the great powers and the economic dimension of this dynamic process. Finally, the notion of independence will be discussed. Indeed, among the 193 states, officially members of the UN, many are deprived of any substance – powerless failed states, artificial tax havens whose only aim is to be free zones in the globalised economy. Hence, the increase in the number of states does not necessarily imply their right to sovereignty.