what countries are in the british commonwealth

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ( monarchy)Įlizabeth II, the reigning sovereign of each of the Commonwealth realms from 1952 to 2022 There are currently 15 Commonwealth realms scattered across three continents (9 in North America, 5 in Oceania and 1 in Europe), with a combined area (excluding the Antarctic claims) of 18.7 million km 2 (7.2 million mi 2) and a population of more than 150 million, of which all but about 2.5 million live in the six most populous: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and Jamaica.

See also: List of titles and honours of Charles III As of 2023 Barbados was the most recent realm to become a republic it did so on 30 November 2021. Since then, new realms have been created through the independence of former colonies and dependencies, and some realms have become republics. All Commonwealth members are independent sovereign states, regardless of whether they are Commonwealth realms.Īt her accession in 1952, Queen Elizabeth II was the monarch and head of state of seven independent states: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). All are members of the Commonwealth, an intergovernmental organisation of 56 independent member states, 52 of which were formerly part of the British Empire. He simultaneously became Head of the Commonwealth.Īs of 2023 there are 15 Commonwealth realms: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom.

King Charles III succeeded his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, as monarch of each Commonwealth realm following her death on 8 September 2022. Each realm functions as an independent state, equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonwealth. Former realms and dominions that are now republicsĪ Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations whose monarch and head of state is shared among the other realms.

What countries are in the british commonwealth