56
countries
33
small states
2.5 billion
citizens

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.

View a map of member countries 

Download a PDF of member country flags

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.