IUPAP was established in 1922 in Brussels with 13 member countries: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Holland, Japan, Norway, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America and the Union of South Africa. The need to create a Physics Union was decided at the 1922 General Assembly of the International Research Council (IRC) that had been established in 1919 to coordinate international efforts in the different branches of science. The first president of the IUPAP was sir William Henry Bragg, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1915. Edmond Van Aubel and Henri Abraham were elected Vice President and Secretary, respectively. Sir Bragg served a period of nine years from 1922 through 1931.

As part of the celebrations for its Centennial, the IUPAP Executive Council has launched the project entitled “One Hundred Years of IUPAP: A History”, under the direction of Roberto Lalli. The project involves the digitization of institutional archival documents of the Union. This implies an important effort given that the documents are currently spread in various archives. The digitized documents will be made available for historical research and will constitute the primary source of information for a scholarly process, which will be concluded by a two-day academic workshop on the history of IUPAP in the last hundred years and the publication of a book.

Read more about the first 70 years of IUPAP

History of Membership
Country Shares 2015 Votes Year of Joining Year of ceasing to be a member Rejoining Rejoining
1 Algeria 1 1 2009
2 Argentina 1 1 1951 1984
3 Australia 4 3 1925
4 Austria 2 2 1957
5 Belgium 4 3 1922
6 Bolivia 0 0 1963 1989
7 Brazil 8 4 1951
8 Bulgaria 0 0 1957
9 Cameroon 1 1 2009 2017
10 Canada 8 4 1922
11 Chile 1 1 1984
12 China – Beijing 15 5 1984
13 China – Taipei 5 3 1984
14 Colombia 1 1 2009 2017
15 Costa Rica 1 1 2009 2017
16 Croatia 1 1 1993
17 Cuba 1 1 1969 No voting rights
18 Cyprus 1 1 2003
19 Czech Republic 4 3 1993
20 Czecho-Slovakia 0 0 1923
21 Denmark 3 2 1922
22 Egypt 1 1 1948 2017 2021
23 Estonia 1 1 2002
24 Ethiopia 1 1 2009 No voting rights
25 Finland 3 2 1947
26 France 15 5 1922
27 Germany 15 5 1954
28 East Germany 1960 1990
29 Ghana 1 1 ?
30 Greece 1 1 2009
31 Holland 0 0 1922
32 Hungary 3 2 1948
33 India 8 4 1948
34 Iran 1 1 ?
35 Ireland 1 1 1966
36 Israel 2 2 1951
37 Italy 12 5 1923
38 Japan 15 5 1922
39 Jordan 2 1 2018
40 Kenya 1 1 1995 2017
41 Korea 10 5 1969
42 Latvia 1 1 2002
43 Lybia 1982
44 Lithuania 1 1 2002
45 Mexico 2 2 1925
46 Mongolia 1 1 2009 2017
47 Netherlands 4 3 1922
48 New Zealand 1 1 1954
49 Nigeria 0 0 1990
50 Norway 3 2 1922
51 Pakistan 0 0 1951 2017
52 Peru 1 1 2009
53 Philippines 1 1 2009
54 Poland 4 3 1922
55 Portugal 1 1 1984
56 Republic of China 1934 1984
57 Romania 1 1 1947 1960-1987 2009
58 Russia 18 6 1957
59 Saudi Arabia 1 1 1990
60 Senegal 1 1 ? No voting rights
61 Singapore 2 2 2009
62 Syria 1982 1989
63 Slovak Republic 1 1 1993
64 Slovenia 1 1 1993
65 South Africa 3 2 1922
66 Spain 8 4 1922
67 Sweden 8 4 1923
68 Switzerland 4 3 1922
69 Tunisia 1 1 2005
70 UK 15 5 1922
71 Ukraine 0 0 2023
72 USA 18 6 1922
73 Yugoslavia 0 0 1954 1992