MENA stands for the Middle East and North Africa. It is a region of about 20 countries, from Morocco in the west to Iran in the east. Most MENA countries are Arabic-speaking, but not all of them. This page lists the MENA countries with flags, sub-regions and official languages, and explains how MENA differs from the GCC, the Arab world, MEA and EMEA.
What Is MENA?
MENA is a regional grouping used in business, economics and government. It joins the countries of the Middle East, in Western Asia, with the countries of North Africa. Companies use MENA to plan sales, marketing and operations for the region as one unit.
The MENA countries have long trade links, Islam is the main religion in most of them, and Arabic is the main language in all but a few. They also differ in dialect, income, media habits and regulation. That is why companies often plan MENA as one region and adapt the message for each market.
There is no official list of MENA countries. Each company or institution sets its own, so the number of countries changes from one source to another.
How Many Countries Are in MENA?
A common definition has 19 core countries: 6 in the Gulf, 5 in the Levant, 5 in North Africa, plus Iran, Iraq and Yemen. Some definitions add Djibouti, Mauritania, Somalia, Sudan or Turkey, which brings the total to 24.
MENA Countries List
The table shows the 19 core MENA countries with their sub-region and official language(s).
| Country | Sub-region | Official language(s) |
|---|---|---|
 Algeria | North Africa | Arabic, Tamazight |
 Bahrain | Gulf (GCC) | Arabic |
 Egypt | North Africa | Arabic |
 Iran | Other Middle East | Persian |
 Iraq | Other Middle East | Arabic, Kurdish |
 Israel | Levant | Hebrew |
 Jordan | Levant | Arabic |
 Kuwait | Gulf (GCC) | Arabic |
 Lebanon | Levant | Arabic |
 Libya | North Africa | Arabic |
 Morocco | North Africa | Arabic, Tamazight |
 Oman | Gulf (GCC) | Arabic |
 Palestine | Levant | Arabic |
 Qatar | Gulf (GCC) | Arabic |
 Saudi Arabia | Gulf (GCC) | Arabic |
 Syria | Levant | Arabic |
 Tunisia | North Africa | Arabic |
 United Arab Emirates (UAE) | Gulf (GCC) | Arabic |
 Yemen | Other Middle East | Arabic |
Countries Sometimes Included in MENA
Some companies and institutions add these five countries to MENA. When Turkey is added, the region is often called MENAT.
| Country | Sub-region | Official language(s) |
|---|---|---|
 Djibouti | Horn of Africa | Arabic, French |
 Mauritania | North Africa | Arabic |
 Somalia | Horn of Africa | Somali, Arabic |
 Sudan | North Africa | Arabic, English |
 Turkey (Türkiye) | Other Middle East | Turkish |
MENA Sub-Regions: the Gulf, the Levant and North Africa
The Gulf (GCC)
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a political and economic union of six states: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. For each market, see our guides to digital marketing in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.
The Levant
The Levant is the eastern Mediterranean part of MENA: Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria.
North Africa
North Africa in MENA usually means Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, together with Mauritania, are also called the Maghreb. French is widely used in business in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, so many campaigns there run in both Arabic and French. Egypt has the largest population in the Arab world. Read our guide to digital marketing in Egypt.
Do All MENA Countries Speak Arabic?
No. Arabic is an official language in 17 of the 19 core MENA countries. The two exceptions are Iran, where the official language is Persian, and Israel, where it is Hebrew. In Turkey, which some definitions add, the official language is Turkish.
Arabic also changes across the region. Modern Standard Arabic is used for formal writing, news and most websites in every Arab country. Spoken Arabic comes in regional dialects, such as Gulf, Levantine, Egyptian and Maghrebi Arabic. For marketing, this means one website in Modern Standard Arabic can often serve the whole region, while social media posts and video ads usually work better in the local dialect. Our Arabic localization guidelines explain how to choose.
MENA and Other Regional Acronyms
| Name | Meaning | Countries |
|---|---|---|
| MENA | Middle East and North Africa | The 19 core countries in the table above |
| MENAT | Middle East, North Africa and Turkey | MENA plus Turkey |
| MENAP | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan | MENA plus Afghanistan and Pakistan |
| MEA | Middle East and Africa | The Middle East plus all 54 African countries |
| GCC | Gulf Cooperation Council | Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates |
| Levant | The eastern Mediterranean | Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria |
| Maghreb | North-west Africa | Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia |
| Arab world | The 22 members of the Arab League | Includes Comoros, Djibouti, Mauritania, Somalia and Sudan; does not include Iran or Israel |
| EMEA | Europe, the Middle East and Africa | A larger region that includes all of MENA |
How Companies Use MENA in Marketing
For a brand entering the region, MENA is a practical planning unit. The Arab countries share a written language, so one Arabic website, one Arabic SEO strategy and one creative concept can serve the whole region. Local work then adapts that base for each market: the dialect in ads, the platforms people use, the payment methods and the holidays in the marketing calendar.
GOTOMENA is a native Arabic marketing agency based in Europe. We help global brands plan and run marketing across MENA, including Arabic SEO, Arabic social media marketing and market entry consultation. For a step-by-step view, read our guide on how to enter the MENA market.