Argentina Australia Bangladesh Barbados Belgium Brazil Brunei Canada Chile China Colombia Denmark European Union Finland France Germany Greece Guatemala Holy See India Indonesia Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Lithuania Malaysia Malta New Zealand Nepal Norway Pakistan Poland Portugal Philippines Romania South Africa South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Singapore Sweden Switzerland Thailand Turkey United Kingdom An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of importance applied to individuals,[1] groups, or organizations.
A person's position in an order of precedence is not necessarily an indication of functional importance, but rather an indication of ceremonial or historical relevance; for instance, it may dictate where dignitaries are seated at formal dinners.
Within an institution, the officials of that institution are likely to rank much higher in the order than in a general order of precedence—the chancellor or president of a university may well precede anyone except a head of state, for example.
What follows are the general orders of precedence for different countries for state purposes, such as diplomatic dinners.
There may also be more specific and local orders of precedence, for particular occasions or within particular institutions.