How many countries are currently members of the EU?

The European Union is a political and economic alliance of European countries that was formed after the Second World War to foster cooperation and prevent future conflicts. It evolved from earlier agreements, most notably the European Economic Community established in 1957. The number of member states has changed over time as new countries joined and, in one notable instance, the UK left in 2020, a process known as Brexit. At its peak, the EU had 28 member states. Although it has expanded significantly since its inception, it has never reached the scale of 54 or 190 countries. The figure 15 is also incorrect, as the EU had more than 15 members for a considerable period. Therefore, the correct number of countries that were members of the EU before the UK left is 28.