Wanderlust World Wanderlust World There is no definitive global count of "counties" because the term refers to vastly different administrative units depending on the country—and many nations don't use it at all.
Where counties exist: The UK (historic, ceremonial, and administrative counties), USA (3,143 counties/equivalents), China (xiàn, often translated as counties), Taiwan, Romania, Hungary, Lithuania, and a few others.
Where they don't: Most of Europe uses municipalities, districts, departments, provinces, or regions. France has departments; Germany has Landkreise; Japan has prefectures and municipalities.
Even within countries using "county," definitions vary: some are governmental, others purely ceremonial or geographic. A meaningful worldwide total is impossible to calculate. For a specific country, consult its statistical office.