Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations
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{{EngvarB|date=March 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
[[File:Carte des pays du Commonwealth.png|thumb|right|350px|
{{Legend|#000081|Current member states}}
{{Legend|lime|Partially suspended member state}}
{{Legend|#F57A00|Former member states}}
{{Legend|lightblue|British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies}}]]
The Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary association of 56 sovereign states, referred to as Commonwealth countries.{{Cite web |title=Member countries |url=https://thecommonwealth.org/our-member-countries |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=Commonwealth |language=en}} Most of them were British colonies or dependencies of those colonies.
No government in the Commonwealth exercises power over the others, as is the case in a political union. Rather, the Commonwealth is an international organisation in which countries with diverse social, political, and economic backgrounds are regarded as equal in status, and cooperate within a framework of common values and goals, as outlined in the Singapore Declaration issued in 1971.{{cite web|url=http://www.thecommonwealth.org/FAQs/20706/faqs|title=FAQs|access-date=16 June 2008|publisher=Commonwealth Secretariat|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514162902/http://www.thecommonwealth.org/FAQs/20706/faqs/|archive-date=14 May 2008}} Such common values and goals include the promotion of democracy, human rights, good governance, the rule of law, civil liberties, equality before the law, free trade, multilateralism, and world peace, which are promoted through multilateral projects and meetings, such as the Commonwealth Games, held once every four years.{{cite web|url=http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/20723/32987/singapore_declaration_of_commonwealth_principles|title=Singapore Declaration of Commonwealth Principles 1971|access-date=12 June 2008|publisher=Commonwealth Secretariat|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511174313/http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/20723/32987/singapore_declaration_of_commonwealth_principles/|archive-date=11 May 2008}}
The symbol of this free association is the Head of the Commonwealth, currently King Charles III. All heads of the Commonwealth to date have been monarchs of the United Kingdom. This position, however, does not imbue him with any political or executive power over any Commonwealth member states other than the Commonwealth realms and their dependencies; the position is purely symbolic and titular, and it is the Commonwealth Secretary-General who is the chief executive of the Commonwealth.{{cite web|url=http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/150757/head_of_the_commonwealth |title=Head of the Commonwealth |access-date=16 June 2008 |publisher=Commonwealth Secretariat |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060930063803/http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/150757/head_of_the_commonwealth/ |archive-date=30 September 2006 }}
The Commonwealth was first officially formed in 1926 when the Balfour Declaration of the Imperial Conference recognised the full sovereignty of Dominions. Known as the "British Commonwealth", the original and therefore earliest members were Australia, Canada, the Irish Free State, Newfoundland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. It was re-stated by the 1930 conference and incorporated in the Statute of Westminster the following year (although Australia and New Zealand did not adopt the statute until 1942 and 1947, respectively).{{cite web|url=http://www.commonwealth-of-nations.org/article.php?&id=4&subsection=3&page=3|title=The Commonwealth–History–Dominion Status|access-date=16 June 2008|publisher=Commonwealth of Nations}} In 1949, the London Declaration marked the birth of the modern Commonwealth and the adoption of its present name.{{cite web|url=http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/34493/38150/modern_commonwealth|title=The Commonwealth–History–Modern Commonwealth|access-date=16 June 2008|publisher=Commonwealth Secretariat|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511161917/http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/34493/38150/modern_commonwealth/|archive-date=11 May 2008}} The members have a combined population of 2.6 billion, almost a third of the world's population, of whom 1.21 billion live in India, and 95% live in Africa and Asia combined.{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html|title=Country Comparisons – Population|access-date=22 March 2009|date=19 March 2009|work=The World Factbook|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|archive-date=27 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927165947/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html|url-status=dead}}
The most recent members to join were the Francophone African nations of Gabon and Togo on 29 June 2022, who along with Mozambique and Rwanda are unique in not having a historical constitutional relationship with the United Kingdom or other Commonwealth states.
{{As of|2025}}, fifteen of the member states are Commonwealth realms, with the Head of the Commonwealth as their heads of state, five others are monarchies with their own individual monarchs (Brunei (since 1984), Eswatini (formerly Swaziland from 1968 to 2018), Lesotho (since 1966), Malaysia (since 1963), and Tonga (since 1970)), and the rest are republics.
The Republic of Ireland (as of 1949 according to the Commonwealth; 1936 according to the Irish government) and Zimbabwe (2003) are former members of the Commonwealth.
Zimbabwe is in the process of trying to return to its membership of the Commonwealth since Emmerson Mnangagwa became President of Zimbabwe when Robert Mugabe was overthrown in the 2017 Zimbabwean coup d'etat.
Current member states
All dates below are provided by the Commonwealth of Nations Secretariat members list,{{cite web|url=https://thecommonwealth.org/|title=The Commonwealth|publisher=Commonwealth Secretariat|access-date=7 November 2023}} and population figures are as of 1 February 2020.
{{note|1}}A. Unless otherwise noted, independence was gained from the United Kingdom on the date (shown in column 2) of joining the Commonwealth.
{{note|2}}B. Not a member of the Commonwealth Foundation.
{{note|3}}C. Though Pakistan celebrates 14 August 1947 as its independence day, independence was officially granted at midnight, 15 August 1947. Therefore, its date of joining the Commonwealth would be 15 August 1947.
{{note|4}}D. Geographically a part of Asia, considered a European country in political geography.
{{note|5}}E. Constitutional monarchy that operates under a Westminster system. The monarch is not the same individual as the British monarch, hence making it not a Commonwealth realm.
{{note|6}}F. In geology, the Maltese Islands are located on the African Plate. The island group lies approx. {{convert|200|km|abbr=on}} south of the boundary between the African Plate and the Eurasian Plate.{{Cite journal|url=http://www.annalsofgeophysics.eu/index.php/annals/article/viewFile/3053/3096 |title=Seismic history of the Maltese Islands and considerations on seismic risk: Earthquakes in Malta |last=Galea |first=Pauline |year=2007 |journal=Annals of Geophysics |volume=50|issue=6|pages=725–740|access-date=5 June 2015}} In political geography, Malta is considered a European country.
Former member states
Dissolved member states
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col" | Former country ! scope="col" data-sort-type="date" | Joined ! scope="col" | UN Continental Region ! scope="col" | UN Geographical Subregion ! scope="col" data-sort-type="date" | Dissolved ! scope="col" | Rejoined as a part of ! scope="col" | Notes |
| scope="row" | {{sort|Malaya|{{flagicon|Malaya}} Malaya}}
| 31 August 1957 | Asia | {{sort|Malaysia|{{flagicon|Malaysia}} Malaysia}} | Reformed as the Federation of Malaysia with Singapore (became a separate member as an independent republic in 1965), Sabah, and Sarawak. |
|---|
| scope="row" | {{sort|Newfoundland|{{flagicon|Newfoundland}} Newfoundland}}
| 19 November 1926 | Americas | 31 March 1949 | {{flag|Canada|1921}} | One of the original Dominions at the time of the Balfour Declaration of 1926 and the Statute of Westminster 1931. Self-government suspended on 16 February 1934, merged into Canada on 31 March 1949. |
| scope="row" | {{sort|Tanganyika|{{flagcountry|Tanganyika (1961–1964)}}}}
| 9 December 1961 | rowspan="2"| Africa | rowspan="2"| Eastern Africa | rowspan="2"| 26 April 1964 | rowspan="2"| {{sort|Tanzania|{{flagicon|Tanzania}} Tanzania}} | rowspan="2"| Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the United Republic of Tanzania on 26 April 1964. |
| scope="row" | {{sort|Zanzibar|{{flagicon image|Flag_of_Zanzibar_(January-April_1964).svg}} Zanzibar}}
| 10 December 1963 |
Prospective member states
{{note|7}}G. The population figure is based on 2014 estimates.
Other candidates
File:Commonwealth of Nations prospective members (simple).png currently has 56 members. Current Commonwealth members (dark blue)
Overseas territories, associated states and crown dependencies (orange)
Suspended members (yellow)
Former members (pink)
Former members applying to rejoin (light blue)
Applicants without historical links to the UK (turquoise)
Other states with historical links to the UK (light green)
Applicants with historical links to the UK (dark green)]]
Other states which have expressed an interest in joining the Commonwealth over the years include:
Howard Henry, former Director of External Relations of the Cook Islands, stated that the Cook Islands could apply for Commonwealth membership as soon as the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa, following the United States recognition of the Cook Islands and Niue as sovereign states.{{cite news|url=https://pacificmedianetwork.com/articles/cook-islands-should-be-allowed-to-decide-to-join-united-nations-nanaia-mahuta|title=Cook Islands should be allowed to decide to join United Nations - Nanaia Mahuta|date=1 December 2022|work=Pacific Media Network|access-date=29 November 2023}}
The 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting agreed on the core criteria for membership. An applicant country should have historic constitutional association with an existing Commonwealth member, aside from exceptional circumstances which are only considered on a case-by-case basis.{{cite news|url=https://thecommonwealth.org/about/joining|title=Joining the Commonwealth|work=The Commonwealth|access-date=23 May 2023}}{{cite journal |last=McIntyre |first=W. David |author-link=W. David McIntyre |date=April 2008 |title=The Expansion of the Commonwealth and the Criteria for Membership |journal=Round Table |volume=97 |issue=395 |pages=273–85 |doi=10.1080/00358530801962089}}
Most Commonwealth member have constitutional links with the United Kingdom and the former British Empire.{{cite news|url=https://thecommonwealth.org/about/joining|title=The Commonwealth: Zimbabwe's return?|work=UK Parliament|date=9 January 2023}}{{primary source inline|date=May 2023}} Former British dependencies are eligible to join the Commonwealth providing they agree and commit to the Commonwealth principles, these were laid out in the Singapore Declaration and reaffirmed in the Lusaka Declaration, the Langkawi Declaration and the Harare Declaration.{{cite journal |date=January 1980 |title=The Lusaka Communique, Commonwealth Heads of Government, August 1979, on Rhodesia |journal=African Affairs |volume=79 |issue=314 |page=115 |doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a097167 |jstor=721635}}{{Cite web |title=Commonwealth Declarations |url=https://thecommonwealth.org/commonwealth-declarations |access-date=23 May 2023 |website=Commonwealth |language=en}}
See also
References
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
External links
{{commons category|Member countries of the Commonwealth of Nations}}
{{wikisource|Territories forming part of the Commonwealth|British Nationality Act (1981 c 61) Annex B – The territories forming part of the Commonwealth}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090425073548/http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/34493/140633/timeline/ Commonwealth timeline]
- {{cite web|url=https://thecommonwealth.org/our-member-countries|title=Members|publisher=Commonwealth Secretariat|access-date=2008-02-15}}
- {{cite web|url=http://www.commonwealth-of-nations.org/article.php|title=Commonwealth of Nations |publisher=Commonwealth of Nations |access-date=2008-02-15}}
- {{cite web|url=http://www.direct.gov.uk/Gtgl1/GuideToGovernment/InternationalBodies/InternationalBodiesArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4003092&chk=JXlogH|title=The Commonwealth|publisher=Directgov|access-date=2008-02-15}}
{{Commonwealth of Nations topics}}
{{The Commonwealth}}