Political association of mostly former British Empire territories
Not to be confused with Commonwealth of Independent States or Commonwealth realm.
"The Commonwealth" redirects here. For other uses, see Commonwealth (disambiguation).
Commonwealth of Nations
Flag
Logo
Current member states
Partially suspended member state
Former member states
British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies
Headquarters
Marlborough House, London, United Kingdom
Working language
English
Type
Voluntary association[1]
Member states
56 states
Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
Bahamas
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belize
Botswana
Brunei
Cameroon
Canada
Cyprus
Dominica
Eswatini
Fiji
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Grenada
Guyana
India
Jamaica
Kenya
Kiribati
Lesotho
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Malta
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Nauru
New Zealand
Nigeria
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Solomon Islands
South Africa
Sri Lanka
Tanzania
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tuvalu
Uganda
United Kingdom
Vanuatu
Zambia
Leaders
• Head
Charles III[2]
• Secretary-General
The Baroness Scotland of Asthal
• Chair-in-Office
Paul Kagame
Establishment
• Balfour Declaration
19 November 1926
• Statute of Westminster
11 December 1931[3]
• London Declaration
28 April 1949
Area
• Total
29,958,050 km2 (11,566,870 sq mi)
Population
• 2016 estimate
2,418,964,000
• Density
75/km2 (194.2/sq mi)
Website thecommonwealth.org
The Commonwealth of Nations, often simply referred to as the Commonwealth,[4] is an international association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire from which it developed.[2] They are connected through their use of the English language and historical-cultural ties. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Commonwealth Secretariat, which focuses on intergovernmental relations, and the Commonwealth Foundation, which focuses on non-governmental relations between member nations.[5] Numerous organisations are associated with and operate within the Commonwealth.[6]
The Commonwealth dates back to the first half of the 20th century with the decolonisation of the British Empire through increased self-governance of its territories. It was originally created as the British Commonwealth of Nations[7] through the Balfour Declaration at the 1926 Imperial Conference, and formalised by the United Kingdom through the Statute of Westminster in 1931. The current Commonwealth of Nations was formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949, which modernised the community and established the member states as "free and equal".[8]
The Head of the Commonwealth is Charles III. He is king of 15 member states, known as the Commonwealth realms, whilst 36 other members are republics, and five others have different monarchs. Although he became head upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II, the position is not technically hereditary.[9]
Member states have no legal obligations to one another, though some have institutional links to other Commonwealth nations. Citizenship of a Commonwealth country affords benefits in some member countries, particularly in the United Kingdom, and Commonwealth countries are represented to one another by high commissions rather than embassies. The Commonwealth Charter defines their shared values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law,[10] as promoted by the quadrennial Commonwealth Games.
^"Commonwealth Charter". 6 June 2013. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2019. Recalling that the Commonwealth is a voluntary association of independent and equal sovereign states, each responsible for its own policies, consulting and co-operating in the common interests of our peoples and in the promotion of international understanding and world peace, and influencing international society to the benefit of all through the pursuit of common principles and values
^ ab"About Us". thecommonwealth.org. The Commonwealth. Archived from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
^"Annex B – Territories Forming Part of the Commonwealth" (PDF). Her Majesty's Civil Service. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 December 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
^"BBC News – Profile: The Commonwealth". news.bbc.co.uk. February 2012. Archived from the original on 6 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
^"The Commonwealth". The Commonwealth. Archived from the original on 19 June 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
^"Commonwealth Family". Commonwealth Secretariat. Archived from the original on 31 August 2007. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
^"Imperial Conference 1926 Inter-Imperial Relations Committee Report, Proceedings and Memoranda" (PDF). November 1926. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 July 2005. Retrieved 14 June 2018. Their position and mutual relation may be readily defined. They are autonomous Communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by a common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations.
^"The London Declaration". The Commonwealth. Archived from the original on 6 July 2010. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
^"The Commonwealth". The Victoria League for Commonwealth Friendship. 21 May 2019. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
^"Commonwealth Charter". The Commonwealth. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
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