Facts

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

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.

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)