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Commonwealth of Nations Countries

There are 56 member states in the Commonwealth of Nations, sometimes known as the British Commonwealth. How many can you name?
Original members in gold
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: July 1, 2022
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First submittedJune 13, 2011
Times taken190,023
Average score60.7%
Rating4.94
5:00
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Joined
Country
1981
Antigua and
Barbuda
1926
Australia
1973
Bahamas
1972
Bangladesh
1966
Barbados
1981
Belize
1966
Botswana
1984
Brunei
1995
Cameroon
1926
Canada
1961
Cyprus
1978
Dominica
1968
Eswatini
1970
Fiji
2022
Gabon
1965
Gambia
1957
Ghana
1974
Grenada
1966
Guyana
Joined
Country
1947
India
1962
Jamaica
1963
Kenya
1979
Kiribati
1966
Lesotho
1964
Malawi
1957
Malaysia
1982
Maldives
1964
Malta
1968
Mauritius
1995
Mozambique
1990
Namibia
1968
Nauru
1926
New Zealand
1960
Nigeria
1947
Pakistan
1975
Papua New Guinea
2009
Rwanda
1983
St. Kitts and Nevis
Joined
Country
1979
St. Lucia
1979
St. Vincent and
the Grenadines
1970
Samoa
1976
Seychelles
1961
Sierra Leone
1966
Singapore
1978
Solomon Islands
1926
South Africa
1948
Sri Lanka
1961
Tanzania
2022
Togo
1970
Tonga
1962
Trinidad and Tobago
1978
Tuvalu
1962
Uganda
1926
United Kingdom
1980
Vanuatu
1964
Zambia
Former Members
1926–1949
Ireland
1980–2003
Zimbabwe
+9
Level 27
Feb 4, 2014
Great quiz!
+18
Level 33
Mar 24, 2014
Surprised to see no note of Zimbabwe, and technically, England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Island are all separate nations of the Commonwealth - as seen by their separate entrants in the Commonwealth Games (next held later this year in Glasgow, Scotland).
+5
Level 28
Mar 24, 2014
I was going to say the same thing. The United Kingdom is the all those nations under the leadership of the the English government, but they are still sovereign nations.
+59
Level 64
Mar 24, 2014
No they are not. It is all 1 sovereign state, The U.K. There is no such thing as the English government; it is the British government. It is true that they enter separately in the commonwealth games though.
+9
Level 30
Aug 18, 2015
u said "the" twice
+16
Level 30
Oct 25, 2016
MyMindWentBlank, there is no "English" government. England is the only one of the UK nations to have no government separate from the UK government.
+6
Level 88
Jun 28, 2018
Dax is obviously English. Only English people call themselves British.
+4
Level 77
Jul 28, 2018
have you ever read anything about a place called Northern Ireland?
+3
Level 15
Mar 14, 2022
I recon that Dax is either Scottish, welsh or Irish as they call them selves British where people from England call ourselves English and hardly British.
+1
Level 48
Mar 14, 2022
It's not under the "English Government" There are English,Welsh,Scottish, and Northern Irish representatives but the government of The United Kingdom isn't under the supervision of England.
+2
Level 65
Mar 15, 2022
Scottish people are far more likely to call themselves Scottish before British and im pretty sure that's the same for Wales. As far as I know, the only area that, by majority, would say they're British is London. Im not too sure about Northern Ireland though.

I do agree that Scotland, Wales and NI are not under the "English Government". There simply isn't a devolved administration in England and so are ruled directly by the British Government

+4
Level 90
Mar 24, 2014
Like Ireland, Zimbabwe voluntarily withdrew from the commonwealth (admittedly after they had been suspended). I was surprised to not see Fiji on this list, even though they're suspended.
+1
Level 48
May 3, 2023
Fiji is on this list now.
+8
Level 61
Aug 30, 2015
In the Commonwealth Games, territories that are not countries compete individually. So places like Gibralta and the Isle of Man are in the competition. It's the same deal with England, Wales, etc. They're not sovereign states.
+2
Level 57
Dec 14, 2016
I was surprised they didn't include France! They practically border each other
+65
Level 43
Mar 14, 2018
That's really not how the Commonwealth works
+14
Level 61
May 27, 2018
The Commonwealth is mostly countries that were colonies of the U.K., not countries that speak totally different languages and had their own colonies.
+7
Level 79
Aug 9, 2018
France could have joined.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France_and_the_Commonwealth_of_Nations

+8
Level 77
Feb 8, 2020
You're joking, right?
+4
Level 48
Mar 14, 2022
The Commonwealth of Nations is (somewhat) former British Colonies trying to tighten relations with one another and with the United Kingdom.So thank you DapperAlpaca.That is NOT how the commonwealth works.
+8
Level 48
Apr 16, 2014
I'm more surprised to see Rwanda, Mozambique and Vanuatu on the list - as far as I know, those countries were never part of the British Empire. Glad to be corrected though!
+10
Level 21
Apr 17, 2014
Vanuatu was jointly controlled by Britain and France before independence. Rwanda and Mozambique were never part of the British Empire, but the Commonwealth made exceptions for them to join.
+6
Level 74
Oct 25, 2016
My surprise is to see that more people got Mozambique and Rwanda than some others that were part of the British empire.
+6
Level 83
Oct 26, 2016
^ most people don't know that Vanuatu exists.
+3
Level 61
Oct 26, 2016
I got them by just guessing regionally. Get South Africa, guess other South African countries.
+5
Level 70
Mar 14, 2018
Cameroon is a similar case. Only two provinces of Cameroon were ever English - and those two provinces are treated as inferior by the rest of the country. Anglophone people are discriminated by the Francophone minority. Really, the only reason they joined the Commonwealth must be economic benefit.
+2
Level 66
Mar 4, 2020
Vanuatu currently sits at 74% and Mozambique at 58%
+4
Level 71
Mar 14, 2022
(From Wikipedia)

"In the wake of the genocide there, Francophonie member Rwanda has made recent moves away from France's sphere of influence, has replaced French with English as an official language, and joined the Commonwealth at the 2009 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting."

It might not be intuitive, but their rationale for joining makes a lot of sense.

+1
Level 74
Jul 7, 2022
Well, you'd also want to reference the ruling RPF's time in Uganda.
+4
Level 77
May 11, 2019
Vanuatu was known as the New Hebrides, which was an Anglo-French condominium between 1906 and 1980.
+2
Level 64
Aug 23, 2020
I always thought Mozambique was Portuguese.
+2
Level 29
Aug 5, 2021
It Is
+2
Level 71
Oct 22, 2021
I think the fact that so many people get Mozambique (apart from those guessing regionally) is that it stands out in the mind precisely BECAUSE it’s an exception to the norm.
+1
Level 48
May 3, 2023
Now I am surprised to see Gabon and Togo, in addition to Rwanda and Mozambique.
+2
Level 42
Jun 9, 2014
What do any of these countries gain by being in the Commonwealth, besides the bill for the Olympics?
+6
Level 77
Mar 21, 2020
From Wikipedia:

The chief institutions of the organisation are the Commonwealth Secretariat, which focuses on intergovernmental aspects, and the Commonwealth Foundation, which focuses on non-governmental relations between member states.

Member states have no legal obligations to one another, but are connected through their use of the English language and historical ties. Their stated shared values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law are enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter and promoted by the quadrennial Commonwealth Games.

+7
Level 59
Aug 24, 2020
What on earth has the Olympics got to do with anything?
+3
Level 51
Mar 14, 2022
What has the Olympics got to do with the Commonwealth?
+3
Level 58
Mar 14, 2022
They probably meant the commonwealth games or something
+1
Level 38
Aug 3, 2014
The UK countries; Scotland, England, Nth Ireland & Wales also Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey are all separate and not under UK. I though Senegal was part of the Commonwealth too
+8
Level 61
Dec 6, 2016
Not all the teams in the Commonwealth Games are countries.
+1
Level 59
Dec 19, 2017
Senegal never has been part of the Empire or Commonwealth. It used to be a French possession and retains close links with France.
+2
Level 49
Sep 13, 2020
none of these are sovereign
+2
Level 58
Dec 18, 2020
I mean Senegal is sovereign...
+1
Level 55
Mar 14, 2022
But its not english
+1
Level 56
Aug 26, 2014
These are the independent sovereign nations, so maybe the title should have been "Commonwealth Nations" rather than Countries, which is the ambiguous term.
+4
Level 75
Oct 23, 2014
Fiji was readmitted to the Commonwealth in September 2014.
+2
Level ∞
Oct 27, 2014
Updated thanks.
+1
Level 17
Oct 28, 2014
100% with 1:03 left
+3
Level 55
Nov 16, 2014
You're eligible for the Booker Prize, a very esteemed literary award, if you belong. That's one incentive!
+1
Level 78
Nov 17, 2014
A & B .. but what the heck is the name of that country? Total black-out. I guess it's impossible to allow just AB? -- nonono.. it's NOT Aruba!
+3
Level 66
Mar 4, 2020
You mean Antigua and Barbuda ? I always think of Tortuga :D (and luckily barbuda isnt required to type, I am sure I would sometimes slip up and type antigua and barbados,

How do you like my new place Tortuga and Barbados haha.

+1
Level 78
Jul 2, 2022
We need to tell Barbados we have an idea for a great new name
+1
Level 14
Nov 19, 2014
I'm British, and got less than half correct...
+3
Level 33
Apr 16, 2015
Missed many small island nations and some African nations....and yes biggest miss was UK itself....
+5
Level 68
Dec 2, 2015
Could I recommend an extra minute, barely any time to think (thanks)
+2
Level 76
Oct 25, 2016
Same here. I wish I could think as fast as I can type.
+2
Level 76
Feb 22, 2020
Took it again, and again my first thought was I needed more time.
+1
Level 66
Mar 21, 2020
You mean type as fast as you can think? ;)
+2
Level 68
Jan 6, 2017
I needed just a bit more time.
+1
Level 66
Jan 19, 2019
Agreed, needs more time
+1
Level 66
Mar 21, 2020
didnt this time, missed only 4 (malta cyprus, singapore, sri lanka). Don't think the time has changed, I just thought less hard and typed more. (small places and african places that don't have a strong influence of another country or big presence in their own right)
+4
Level 69
May 14, 2016
Since the average is so low, maybe break up the answer section into columns by continent? It might help us work out more of the answers.
+4
Level 64
May 23, 2016
I would suggest adding different brackets for different continents, otherwise a great quiz :D
+3
Level 48
Mar 2, 2022
Yes, that's a good idea
+2
Level 51
Jun 9, 2016
Why Mozambique and Brunei?!?
+17
Level 60
Jun 11, 2016
Because they are part of the British Commonwealth. That's why.
+4
Level 61
Dec 6, 2016
Brunei used to be part of the British Empire.
+1
Level 48
Mar 2, 2022
We know
+1
Level 63
Jul 8, 2022
Mozambique was a Portuguese colony, so I am equally surprised that they are in the commonwealth too
+3
Level 83
Aug 9, 2016
As I was going through the countries of Africa I momentarily contemplated Mozambique, then though, nah, that's Portuguese. But then, running out of obvious choices I put Rwanda and that worked, so then I had to revisit a whole lot I'd previously dismissed. Didn't get back to Mozambique before the clock ran out.
+2
Level 48
Mar 2, 2022
Same as Mozambique with Rwanda.When was Rwanda under direct British rule (Aside the invasion of Ruanda-Urundi during World War One.) That was Germany and Belgium's job.
+1
Level 66
Oct 25, 2016
I've only missed Mozambique :(
+4
Level 56
Oct 25, 2016
I missed the UK -__-
+1
Level 39
Jul 9, 2022
Yeah same ...feels kinda embarrassing being british
+3
Level 90
Oct 25, 2016
This quiz would greatly improve with a map.
+2
Level 72
Oct 25, 2016
The Maldives left the Commonwealth recently. As of now, there are only 52 members.
+7
Level 52
Jun 11, 2020
Really? This is the official Commonwealth website and the Maldives are still on it!
+2
Level 62
Jan 10, 2023
They left and then rejoined
+2
Level 68
Oct 25, 2016
Dang it, I thought I had typed in all of Oceania but missed Tuvalu and Nauru. Cameroon I knew and missed, the other 2 (Sierra Leone and Mozambique) I did not.
+1
Level 68
Oct 25, 2016
Did get about 15 countries in the last 45 seconds, though.
+1
Level 48
Mar 2, 2022
I've always wondered 1 thing...Why Mozambique joined the British Commonwealth.They have literally NO history of being under direct British rule.That was Portugal's job.
+1
Level 43
Mar 16, 2022
Brazil dominates in every Portuguese commonwealth games?
+2
Level 69
Oct 26, 2016
Did I really forgot UK? Hell yeah...

and Malta too ...

+1
Level 47
Oct 27, 2016
Didn't the maldives just leave?
+2
Level 77
Nov 1, 2016
Quizmaster, I believe the Maldives just left the Commonwealth. Could you please update the quiz?
+2
Level ∞
Nov 3, 2016
Yes!
+4
Level 75
Nov 4, 2016
what about adding a map, too?
+2
Level ∞
Nov 4, 2016
I feel like some quizzes are better without a map.
+4
Level 59
Dec 19, 2017
Not sure a map would be very helpful, as a lot of the Commonwealth members are small island nations and they don't show up too well on a map of the world (which would be rather small on this site in the first place).
+4
Level 75
Mar 27, 2018
For those who'd enjoy doing it with a map, here it is.
+1
Level 66
Mar 4, 2020
@fiteach that doesnt matter, it could help visualize and do it by region instead of "all over the non-excisting map". Sure you could do that without a map, but for some it can help remember.

I can visualize a map well enough, cause I think in pictures, but still think this quiz would benefit by a map. Simply because it looks cool to zee the places filled in. (Even if it was an empty map)

+1
Level 71
Oct 23, 2021
Looks like the previous poster already displayed a link to the quiz with a map?
+1
Level 88
Mar 14, 2022
I got a pretty decent score on this and I don't think a map is necessary.
+1
Level 78
Nov 3, 2016
Yay! Another reset and then I forget one of the U countries. Hmm.. uruguay, no? .. How do I forget UK?!
+1
Level 68
Jan 6, 2017
That's what I want to know: how did so many miss UK????
+1
Level 60
Nov 5, 2016
Forgot to change the instructions to say 52 countries.
+1
Level 65
Feb 19, 2017
I missed the UK...
+1
Level 67
May 24, 2017
I figured maybe the parts of the UK are in there separately so I tried England, didn't work, so I moved on. Needless to say the Uk was one of twelve I missed
+5
Level 79
Nov 9, 2017
It hasn't been officially called the British Commonwealth for many years (though I'm struggling to find the exact date). It's the Commonwealth of Nations.
+3
Level 79
Nov 9, 2017
Found it. It hasn't been "British" (in name) since India joined in 1949. (Source: www.britannica.com/topic/Commonwealth-association-of-states)

So the name of this quiz is 68 years out of date!

+3
Level 79
Aug 9, 2018
Hello, any chance of changing the title of this quiz, please? It has now been incorrect for 69 years...
+3
Level 83
Feb 24, 2020
The name for the subject of the quiz may be (now) 71 years out of date - but the title of the quiz has only been in place since the quiz was first introduced, which would appear to be 2011, or 9 years ago.
+3
Level 75
Feb 9, 2018
Gambia rejoined the Commonwealth in February 2018.
+7
Level ∞
Feb 9, 2018
"You'll miss me when I'm gone" - Gambia. Two years later: "Can we come back, pretty please".
+8
Level 60
Feb 9, 2018
Well, at least the current president isn't as stupid as his predecessor. But thanks to him, I now have to retake this quiz. *grumble*
+1
Level 48
Mar 2, 2022
lul factual
+2
Level 77
Feb 9, 2018
Those British were busy, busy bees!
+2
Level 48
Mar 2, 2022
Please...please stop #cringe
+3
Level 21
Mar 14, 2018
I can't believe all of the countries around the World that at one time or another had the English yoke around their enslaved necks.
+2
Level 44
Mar 14, 2018
lol I did so bad, the English had their fingers in WAY too many pies during the empirical days.. guess I shouldnt talk too much as America has the same issue today, didnt we learn anything?
+2
Level 74
Mar 15, 2018
Although you meant imperial (and people make mistakes), I do love the thought of an Empirical Days celebration. Possibly with bunting and cotton candy.
+5
Level 77
Feb 8, 2020
The Sun never sets on the British Empiricism!
+1
Level 51
Mar 15, 2018
I got 85% with 1:30 to go!
+2
Level 20
Jun 1, 2018
More people got jamaica than UK
+1
Level 66
Mar 4, 2020
Currently equal at 80%. Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India, South Africa, Kenya, St. Kitts and Nevis and Fiji do score higher though (from high to low)

btw after my first few answers, Canada was in the 2nd spot, I continued giving answers, not paying attention to what was filled in lower/ out of view. But still saw the top, with a missing answer in first place. Thought am I missing someting obvious? But continued giving answers, then I got Antigua and thought huh, more people guessed Antigua than Canada? I was do confused haha, not much later I scrolled down and saw "ah thats why" felt silly haha.

+1
Level 69
Jun 1, 2018
Got so focused on Africa, I forgot about the Caribbean islands. And the UK ... facepalm.
+1
Level 47
May 19, 2021
yep.
+1
Level 88
Jun 28, 2018
I thought Argentina was.
+1
Level 63
Jul 8, 2022
Argentina was a Spanish colony. The War of the Falkland islands also make this highly unlikely.
+1
Level 37
Sep 10, 2018
Got to love it when you forget the United Kingdom
+1
Level 49
Sep 16, 2018
****. I forgot the UK
+1
Level 73
Feb 3, 2019
Swaziland is now called Eswatini.
+1
Level 70
Apr 3, 2019
Why did Maldives leave and when did Ireland leave?
+2
Level 57
Jul 8, 2019
Ireland left in 1921.
+1
Level 77
Feb 8, 2020
The Maldives seem to have rejoined.
+1
Level 31
Dec 3, 2019
MY MAP IS HORRIBLY OUTDATED
+1
Level 77
Feb 14, 2020
Your map?
+5
Level 66
Mar 4, 2020
Some people have books with maps in them, called atlases. I know books are a horribly outdated pre-internet thing, but they still exist ;)
+2
Level 77
Mar 27, 2020
@Sifhraven I was confused by Andrew's comment as I thought it had something to do with a map of JetPunk. Books are the opposite of 'horribly outdated', and I am an ardent bibliophile.
+1
Level 77
Jun 23, 2020
map on* Jetpunk
+1
Level 89
Feb 1, 2020
The Maldives was readmitted today.
+1
Level 77
Feb 8, 2020
Indeed.
+1
Level 66
Mar 21, 2020
I guess they had a 4 years vacation
+1
Level 77
Feb 8, 2020
It seems like the Maldives have rejoined the Commonwealth. Could the quiz be updated please?
+8
Level 79
Feb 20, 2020
Ah, this one again. Good quiz. But please change the title - it has not been called the British Commonwealth since 1949. The title is more than 70 years out of date.
+1
Level 79
Feb 21, 2020
Alphabetically Maldives comes after Malawi and Malaysia
+1
Level 77
Feb 21, 2020
Yep.
+1
Level ∞
Feb 21, 2020
Ok
+1
Level 24
Jun 23, 2020
suprised to see that UK isin't the most popular
+1
Level 60
Jun 26, 2020
Funny how I got Brunei and Sierra Leone but not Australia or even the UK :(
+1
Level 44
Nov 28, 2020
Can't believe I forgot the UK 🤦
+1
Level 65
May 30, 2021
Please change SAMOA to WESTERN SAMOA
+2
Level 53
Jun 26, 2021
Samoa is its name since 1997
+2
Level 74
Feb 8, 2022
Are you still living in 1997?
+1
Level 48
Mar 2, 2022
W-w-WHAT?!?!!

What sense does that make??!?!?!!

+2
Level 71
Nov 30, 2021
Barbados is no longer part of the Commonwealth!
+5
Level ∞
Nov 30, 2021
Yes it is.
+2
Level 28
Dec 5, 2021
It may not be a Commonwealth Realm and doesn't recognize Queen Elizabeth as monarch now. But they still have good blood with the UK and are part of the Commonwealth of Nations.
+1
Level 60
Jan 18, 2022
I got vanuatu, solomon islands, nauru, and st lucia yet I didnt get the Uk
+2
Level 48
Mar 2, 2022
I'm from Glasgow but instead of calling myself British I claim to be Scottish.It's nothing governmental, it's just cultural people,like me.
+1
Level 45
Jul 9, 2022
You're from Scotland (part of the UK, but doesn't matter) so I would imagine you would call yourself Scottish anyways....
+1
Level 42
Mar 14, 2022
Including the UK is such a trick question, like I didn't even assume for a second that it would be included here
+2
Level 59
Jul 7, 2022
Why wouldn't it be? It's a member state, just like all the others. All member states have equal status these days, regardless of how the organization came about.
+3
Level 71
Mar 14, 2022
Most surprising for me is Myanmar not being here. I realize that not all former British colonies are part of the Commonwealth (like the US), but Myanmar is especially weird because it's the only British Raj country that didn't join the Commonwealth. Perhaps it has something to do with their constant coups and dictatorships?
+1
Level 72
May 16, 2022
Almost missed UK lol
+1
Level 88
Jun 26, 2022
Togo and Gabon have just joined the commonwealth, this quiz will need to be updated.
+2
Level 61
Jun 26, 2022
That’s odd. Weren’t they French colonies? What’s their interest?
+1
Level 52
Jun 28, 2022
They were French colonies, but joined for the Queen's Jubilee I think.
+1
Level 88
Jul 1, 2022
These former French colonies are currently scoring better than a few of the more well established members.
+1
Level 79
Jul 1, 2022
Thank you for changing the title at last!
+1
Level 45
Jul 1, 2022
Note: Some members of Commonwealth are not independence from UK.
+1
Level 58
Jul 8, 2022
That's not correct. All member countries of the Commonwealth of Nations are independent of the UK (with the exception of the UK itself). Some of them (such as Canada) have a head of state who is the same person as the head of state of the UK, but they are nonetheless fully independent.
+1
Level 38
Jul 7, 2022
Gambia and Maldives left the commonwealth at some point and then joined again, like you did with Ireland and Zimbabwe maybe you could put the dates on Maldives and Gambia
+2
Level 52
Jul 7, 2022
Technically, Malaya, Newfoundland, Tanganyika and Zanzibar were all former members, and dissolved.
+3
Level 68
Jul 7, 2022
The hell is Gabon doing on there?

I knew Rwanda and Mozambique were let in under special circumstances. Even Togo I understand, because it was once part of German Gold Coast, which was divided between itself and Ghana, but Gabon? It has no history with the British Empire, nor does it speak English or border any member states

+1
Level 50
Jul 7, 2022
it borders cameroon but I agree with you
+1
Level 55
Jul 9, 2022
Bordering Cameroon has nothing to do with it. The parts of Cameroon it borders aren't the parts that speak English, nor were they ever part of the British Empire.
+1
Level 35
Aug 5, 2022
gabon join in 2022?
+1
Level 50
Sep 12, 2022
Can't believe I got Lesotho and Eswatini, but missed South Africa.
+1
Level 58
Dec 11, 2022
TO: Anyone who wishes a challenge about these countries, based on date of joining.

FROM: Yours truly, Neodymium.

QUIZZES:

https://www.jetpunk.com/user-quizzes/1744710/first-countries-in-the-commonwealth

https://www.jetpunk.com/user-quizzes/1744710/last-countries-in-the-commonwealth

+1
Level 38
Mar 12, 2023
Could you add more specific dates for Gambia and Maldives (Gambia left the Commonwealth in 2013 and re-joined in 2018, Maldives left in 2016 and returned in 2020)
+1
Level 68
Mar 21, 2023
The United Kingdom cost me a 5 points :')