In which state are most nonmetals?

There are 17 non-metallic elements, of which the majority are in a gaseous state under normal conditions. In total, 11 of the non-metals are gases, six are solids and one element, bromine, is a liquid.

The non-metallic elements make up less than 25 percent of the total known elements and include the noble gases and the halogens. However, some people classify those two groups separately and instead only list seven elements as true non-metals, including oxygen, sulfur, selenium and carbon. The other true non-metals are nitrogen, phosphorous and hydrogen, although hydrogen is sometimes grouped in with the alkali metals or put in a group of its own.