Commonwealth of Nations
Updated 7 November 2026
A voluntary association of 56 states, most with British colonial history — but joined too by states with none. Bound by summitry, shared institutions and the Commonwealth Games rather than treaty obligations.
Key facts
- Founded
- 1949
- Headquarters
- London, United Kingdom
- Members
- 56 states
- Chair
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Secretary-General
- Shirley Ayorkor Botchweysince April 2025
- Last summit
- 1 November 2026St John's, Antigua and Barbuda
- The UAE
- Not a member
- UAE trade with members (2025)
- $213 billion
Member 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