Consider the following countries : I. Austria II. Bulgaria III. Croatia IV. Serbia V. Sweden VI. North Macedonia How many of the above are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization?
- (a) Only three
- (b) Only four ✓ UPSC's answer
- (c) Only five
- (d) All the six
Why the answer is (b)
• NATO has 32 members after Finland (2023) and Sweden (March 2024) joined in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
• Bulgaria joined in 2004, Croatia in 2009, North Macedonia in 2020 and Sweden in 2024 — four of the listed countries are members.
• Austria is constitutionally neutral since 1955 and is not a NATO member, though it is in the EU and NATO's Partnership for Peace.
• Serbia is militarily neutral, remembers NATO's 1999 bombing, and is not a member.
• Hence four, option (b).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) Only three
- Four countries qualify, not three: Bulgaria, Croatia, Sweden and North Macedonia.
- (c) Only five
- Austria and Serbia are not members, so the count is four.
- (d) All the six
- Austria and Serbia are outside NATO.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2025, held on 25 May 2025. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.