Stateless societies, where no centralized government exists, have appeared historically and in some modern contexts. Examples include:

- Medieval Iceland (9th-13th centuries): Relied on voluntary assemblies and private law enforcement.

- The San people of southern Africa: Hunter-gatherer groups with egalitarian, consensus-based decision-making.

- Zomia highlands in Southeast Asia: Upland communities evading state control through decentralized structures.

- Some pre-colonial Native American tribes, like the Iroquois Confederacy (more confederated than stateless).

- Somali clans under Xeer customary law: Traditional dispute resolution without a formal state.