56
33
2.7 billion
Countries
- 56 independent countries, both advanced economies and developing countries
- Africa (21 countries)
- Asia (8)
- Caribbean and Americas (13)
- Europe (3)
- Pacific (11)
- 33 small states, usually with a population under 1.5 million
- 25 small island developing states
- The Pacific nation of Nauru is the smallest Commonwealth member country with a population of about 10,000
- India is the most populous member country, with over 1.4 billion people.
Demographics
- Combined population 2.5 billion
- More than 60 per cent of population aged 29 or under
- 1 in 3 young people aged between 15 and 29 live in Commonwealth countries (about 640 million out of 1.8 billion).
Economics
- The combined GDP of Commonwealth countries in 2021 was US$13.1 trillion and is estimated to reach $19.5 trillion in 2027, almost doubling in ten years from $10.4 trillion in 2017.
- Bilateral costs for trading partners in Commonwealth countries are on average 19 per cent less than between those in non-member countries.
- Half of the top 20 global emerging cities are in the Commonwealth: New Delhi, Mumbai, Nairobi, Kuala Lumpur, Bangalore, Johannesburg, Kolkata, Cape Town, Chennai and Dhaka.
- Many small and developing Commonwealth countries are among those with the lowest ecological footprints worldwide.
- Commonwealth countries are among the highest performing in the Ibrahim Index of African Governance and make up 7 of the top 10 nations.
- In Sub-Saharan Africa, Commonwealth countries make up 7 of the top 10 highest performing countries for gender equality.
Elections
The Commonwealth has observed more than 160 elections in nearly 40 countries since 1980.
Media factsheets
- Fast Facts on the Commonwealth (PDF)
- Fast Facts on the Commonwealth Secretary-General (PDF)
- Fast Facts on the Commonwealth and Elections (PDF)
- Fast Facts on Gender Equality in the Commonwealth (PDF)
- Fast Facts on the Commonwealth and CVE (PDF)
- Fast Facts on Climate Change in the Commonwealth (PDF)
- Fast Facts on the Commonwealth Cyber Programme (PDF)