List of Commonwealth Nations as on date

The ‘Commonwealth of Nations’ is a ‘Voluntary Association’ of  ‘Sovereign  Nations’. Almost all the ‘Member-Countries of the Common Wealth’ are the ‘Former British Colonies’ or the ‘Dependencies of the Colonies’. All the ‘Member Countries of the Commonwealth’ are all regarded as equal in status.

They cooperate within a framework of common values and goals, as outlined in the ‘Singapore Declaration’ – 1971, including the following:

• Promotion of Democracy,
• Human Rights,
• Good Governance,
• Rule of Law,
• Individual Liberty,
• Egalitarianism,
• Free Trade,
• Multilateralism and
• World Peace.

The above ‘Common Values and Goals’ of the ‘Commonwealth Nations’ have been promoted through ‘Multilateral Projects’ and ‘Meetings’, such as the ‘Commonwealth Games’ (being held once in every 4 years)

The ‘Commonwealth’ was officially formed in the year 1931, known as the ‘British Commonwealth’ when the ‘Statute of Westminster’ gave legal recognition to the sovereignty of dominions.

The original members of the Commonwealth were:

• United Kingdom,
• Canada.
• Australia (statute recognized only in the year 1942),
• New Zealand (statute recognized only in the year 1947),
• South Africa,
• Ireland and
• Newfoundland (became a Province of Canada in 1949) .

In the year 1949 the ‘London Declaration’ was signed and the new / present ‘Commonwealth’ was reformed with its present name.

Subsequent to ‘Admissions’, Leaving, Re-joining, Suspensions, Re-admissions there are 53 countries as the ‘Members of the Commonwealth, as given below.

List of ‘Members of Commonwealth’ as on date:

1. United Kingdom – Formed British Commonwealth in 1931
2. Canada-Joined in 1931
3. Australia- Joined in 1931, Ratified in 1942
4. New Zealand -Joined in 1931, Ratified in 1947
5. South Africa- Joined in 1931, Left in 1961 and Rejoined in 1994
6. India-Joined in 1947,
7. Pakistan-Joined in 1947, Left in 1972 and Rejoined in 1989, Suspended in 1999 and Readmitted in 2004
8. Srilanka -Joined in 1948
9. Ghana-Joined in 1957
10. Malaysia – Joined in 1957
11. Nigeria-Joined in 1960, Suspended in 1995 and Readmitted in 1999
12. Cyprus –Joined in 1961
13. Tanzania-1964 (Tanganyika, which joined in 1961 was merged with Zanzibar, which joined in 1963, to form Tanzania in 1964Sierra Leone – Joined in 1961
14. Jamaica – Joined in 1962
15. Trinidad and Tobago – Joined in 1962
16. Uganda –Joined in 1962
17. Kenya –Joined in 1963
18. Malawi –Joined in 1964
19. Malta –Joined in 1964
20. Tanzania-Joined in 1964
21. Zambia –Joined in 1964
22. Gambia – Joined in 1965
23. Singapore –Joined in 1965
24. Barbados –Joined in 1966
25. Botswana –Joined in 1966
26. Guyana –Joined in 1966
27. Lesotho –Joined in 1966
28. Mauritius –Joined in 1968
29. Swaziland –Joined in 1968
30. Fiji –Joined in 1970, Left in 1987 and Rejoined in 1997, Suspended in 2000 and Readmitted in 2001
31. Samoa –Joined in 1970
32. Tonga – Joined in 1970
33. Bangladesh – Joined in 1972
34. Bahamas – Joined in 1973
35. Grenada- Joined in 1974
36. Papua New Guinea – Joined in 1975
37. Seychelles – Joined in 1976
38. Dominica – Joined in 1978
39. Solomon Islands – Joined in 1978
40. Tuvalu – Joined in 1978
41. Kiribati – Joined in 1979
42. Saint Lucia –Joined in 1979
43. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines –Joined in 1979
44. Vanuatu – Joined in 1980
45. Antigua and Barbuda –Joined in 1981
46. Belize – Joined in 1981
47. Maldives –Joined in 1982
48. Saint Kitts and Nevis –Joined in 1983
49. Brunei – Joined in 1984
50. Namibia – Joined in 1990
51. Cameroon – Joined in 1995
52. Mozambique –Joined in 1995
53. Nauru – Joined in 2000