List of countries that have gained independence from the United Kingdom

Below are lists of the countries and territories that were formerly ruled or administered by the United Kingdom or part of the British Empire (including military occupations that did not retain the pre-war central government), with their independence days. Some countries did not gain their independence on a single date, therefore the latest day of independence is shown with a breakdown of dates further down. A total of 65 countries have claimed their independence from the British Empire/United Kingdom.[1]


Colonies, protectorates, and mandates

Country Pre-independence name
(if different)		 Date of independence
or first stage		 Notes
Day & month Year
 Afghanistan 19 August 1919 Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919[2]
 Antigua and Barbuda Antigua, Leeward Islands[a] 1 November 1981 Antigua Termination of Association Order[3]
 The Bahamas 10 July 1973 Bahamas Independence Act 1973[4]
 Bahrain British Protectorate of Bahrain 15 August 1971 Now an independent kingdom outside the Commonwealth.
 Barbados 30 November 1966 Barbados Independence Act 1966 - now an independent republic in the Commonwealth of Nations since 30 November 2021.
 Belize British Honduras 21 September 1981 September Celebrations[5]
 Botswana Bechuanaland 30 September 1966 Botswana Independence Act 1966[6]
 Brunei 1 January 1984 [7]
 Cyprus 16 August 1960 Cyprus Independence Day is commonly celebrated on 1 October.[8]
 Dominica Dominica, Windward Islands[a] 3 November 1978
 Egypt 28 February 1922 Control over the Suez Canal Zone was maintained until 1956.
 Eswatini 6 September 1968 Initially called Swaziland, which was also its pre-independence name. Renamed eSwatini by King Mswati III in April 2018.
 Fiji 10 October 1970 Fiji has been a Commonwealth republic since 1997.
 The Gambia Gambia 18 February 1965 Gained independence as a Dominion. Republic declared in 1970. Was temporarily a republic outside the Commonwealth from 2013 until it returned to the Commonwealth in 8 February 2018.
 Ghana Gold Coast, British Togoland (Togoland was absorbed into the Gold Coast in 1957.) 6 March 1957 Became a Commonwealth republic on 1 July 1960.
 Grenada Grenada, Windward Islands[a] 7 February 1974 Independence Day (Grenada)
 Guyana British Guiana 26 May 1966 Became a republic in 1970.
 India British India 15 August 1947 Indian Independence Act 1947[9]
 Iraq 3 October 1932 Pursuant to the British Mandate for Mesopotamia
 Israel Mandatory Palestine 14 May 1948 End of British mandate
 Palestine declared independence from Israel on 15 November 1988.
 Jamaica 6 August 1962 Independence Day (6 August)
 Jordan Transjordan 25 May 1946 Now an independent monarchy outside the Commonwealth.
 Kenya 12 December 1963 Dominion of Kenya declared in 1963. Republic declared exactly 1 year later.
 Kiribati Gilbert and Ellice Islands 12 July 1979
 Kuwait British Kuwaiti Protectorate 19 June 1961 Now an independent monarchy outside the Commonwealth.
 Lesotho Basutoland 4 October 1966 Now an independent monarchy inside the Commonwealth.
 Libya 24 December 1951 From 1943 to 1951 Libya was under the control of Britain and France. On 24 December 1951, Libya declared its independence and became the United Kingdom of Libya.
 Malawi Nyasaland 6 July 1964 Dominion of Malawi declared in 1964. Republic declared exactly 2 years later.
 Malaya 31 August 1957 Federation of Malaya Independence Act 1957.
 Maldives 26 July 1965 Became an independent kingdom outside the Commonwealth in 1965. Became a republic in 1968. Became a Commonwealth republic in 1982. Temporarily a republic outside the Commonwealth from 2016 until 1 February 2020, when the Maldives returned.
 Malta 21 September 1964 This occurred in spite of the 1956 Maltese United Kingdom integration referendum, but in accordance with the 1964 Maltese constitutional referendum. Malta became a republic on 13 December 1974.
 Mauritius 12 March 1968 Dominion of Mauritius declared in 1968. Republic declared in 1992.
 Myanmar 4 January 1948 Gained independence as a republic outside the Commonwealth as Burma. Renamed Myanmar by the military dictatorship in 1989, but still officially known by the United Kingdom government as Burma.
 Nauru 31 January 1968 Co-trustee with Australia and New Zealand; independence effected through Australian legislation (Nauru Independence Act 1967).
 Nigeria 1 October 1960 Took in Northern Cameroons
 Oman Sultanate of Muscat and Oman 20 December 1970 Now an independent monarchy outside the Commonwealth.
 Pakistan British India 14 August 1947 Partition of India
 Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan on 26 March 1971.
 Qatar British Qatari Protectorate 3 September 1971 Now an independent monarchy outside the Commonwealth.
 Saint Lucia St Lucia, Windward Islands[a] 22 February 1979
 Saint Kitts and Nevis St Kitts–Nevis and Anguilla, Leeward Islands[a] 19 September 1983
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines St Vincent, Windward Islands[a] 27 October 1979
 Seychelles 29 June 1976
 Sierra Leone 27 April 1961 Dominion of Sierra Leone declared in 1961. Republic declared in 1971.
 Solomon Islands British Solomon Islands 7 July 1978
 Somaliland British Somaliland Protectorate 26 June 1960 The British Somaliland Protectorate gained independence on 26 June 1960 and united with the Trust Territory of Somalia on 1 July 1960 to form the Somali Republic, but later broke away and unilaterally declared independence in 1991. It is internationally unrecognised.
 South Yemen Protectorate of South Arabia
Federation of South Arabia 		30 November 1967 Merged with  North Yemen to form  Yemen in 1990
 Sri Lanka Ceylon 4 February 1948 Gained independence as the Dominion of Ceylon. Renamed Sri Lanka in 1972 upon being declared a republic.
 Sudan 1 January 1956  South Sudan gained independence from Sudan on 9 July 2011.
 Tanganyika 9 December 1961 Tanganyika became independent on 9 December 1961. It joined with Zanzibar on 25 April 1964 to form  Tanzania.
 Tonga 4 June 1970
 Trinidad and Tobago 31 August 1962 Independence Day (August 31)[10]
 Tuvalu Gilbert and Ellice Islands 1 October 1978
 Uganda 9 October 1962
 United Arab Emirates Trucial States 2 December 1971 National Day (United Arab Emirates)
 United States Thirteen American Colonies 4 July 1776 Fourth of July. Declaration of Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1776. British government recognized independence in 1783 with the Treaty of Paris.
 Vanuatu New Hebrides 30 July 1980 Independence from United Kingdom and France in 1980. Vanuatu is a Commonwealth republic.
 Zambia Northern Rhodesia 24 October 1964
 Zanzibar 10 December 1963 Zanzibar became independent on 10 December 1963. Sultanate of Zanzibar overthrown in the Zanzibar Revolution, which created a short-lived republic. It joined with Tanganyika on 25 April 1964 to form  Tanzania.
 Zimbabwe Southern Rhodesia and Rhodesia 18 April 1980 Southern Rhodesia declared independence from United Kingdom on 11 November 1965 as  Rhodesia, which was not internationally recognized. Rhodesia transitioned to majority rule as  Zimbabwe-Rhodesia on 1 June 1979 with a view to eventual international recognition, but instead returned to British control under the Lancaster House Agreement followed by internationally recognised independence in 1980 as  Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth, but withdrew in December 2003. Zimbabwe is in the process of returning to its membership of the Commonwealth.

Evolution of dominions to independence

Country Date of Dominion status Date of adoption of the Statute of Westminster Date of final
relinquishment
of British powers 		Instrument of
relinquishment 		Notes
 Australia 1 January 1901 9 October 1942†[b] 3 March 1986 Australia Act 1986  Papua New Guinea gained independence from Australia on 16 September 1975.
 Canada 1 July 1867 11 December 1931 17 April 1982 Canada Act 1982 Quebec Quebec voted against independence from Canada in two referendums in 1980 and 1995.
 Ireland 6 December 1922[c] 12 November 1931 18 April 1949 Republic of Ireland Act and Ireland Act 1949 The 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic and 1919 Irish Declaration of Independence were never recognised by the UK but were given symbolic priority by post-1922 Irish leaders. From the 1932 Irish election, successive governments unilaterally amended the state's status:

Related UK statutes included the Éire (Confirmation of Agreements) Act 1938 and the Ireland Act 1949.

 Dominion of Newfoundland 26 September 1907 — 17 April 1982 Canada Act 1982 Newfoundland voted to join Canada in 1948 in a 52–48 vote; this became effective on 31 March 1949.
 New Zealand 26 September 1907 25 November 1947[d] 13 December 1986 Constitution Act 1986 Declaration of Independence of New Zealand 1835, Treaty of Waitangi 1840, Dominion of New Zealand declared on 26 September 1907
 South Africa 31 May 1910 11 December 1931 21 May 1961 South African Constitution of 1961  Namibia gained independence from South Africa on 21 March 1990.
 Dominion of India (excl. Kingdom of Sikkim)

1947

1950

 Ceylon

1948

1972

 Dominion of Pakistan (incl.  Bangladesh and excl. Gwadar)

1947

1956

†Adopted by Australia in 1942, but was backdated to confirm the validity of legislation passed by the Australian Parliament during World War II.[11][12]

Military occupations that did not retain the pre-war central government

Country Pre-independence name
(different)		 Date Year of independence or first stage Notes
 Iraq Coalition Provisional Authority 28 June 2004 Jointly with the United States and Poland, as part of the Multi-National Force – Iraq which operated under United States leadership

Former British crown colonies that declared independence then later restored British rule

Country Date Notes
 Anguilla 12 July 1967 The isles of Anguilla were a dependency of Saint Kitts alongside Nevis.[1] The ruling party administration for St. Kitts moved to make the Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla colony into a looser associated state status with the UK in 1967 much to the dismay of many in Anguilla, with agitation turning into the Anguillan Revolution;[2] Anguilla's population moved in favour of returning to British authority in 1971 with full British Crown Colony status (renamed in 2002 as British Overseas Territory status) returning in 1980.
 Rhodesia 11 November 1965 Southern Rhodesia declared independence from United Kingdom on 11 November 1965 as  Rhodesia, which was not internationally recognized. Rhodesia transitioned to majority rule as  Zimbabwe-Rhodesia on 1 June 1979 with a view to eventual international recognition, but instead returned to British control under the Lancaster House Agreement followed by internationally recognised independence in 1980 as  Zimbabwe.

British overseas territories independence/sovereignty referendums

Territory Date Notes
 Bermuda 16 August 1995 Bermudians voted against independence for the territory in a 1995 referendum by 73.6% to 25.7%.
 Gibraltar 7 November 2002 Gibraltar held a referendum on whether or not to share sovereignty with Spain. 98.48% of voters rejected the proposal in favour of remaining solely a British overseas territory with only 1.02% supporting the proposal.
 Falkland Islands 11 March 2013 Falkland Islanders voted in favour of remaining a British overseas territory by 99.8% to 0.2%.

Territories which were relinquished to other sovereign states

Territory Recipient state Date Notes
Aden Colony Federation of South Arabia 18 January 1963
United Kingdom British Arctic Territories Canada Canada 31 July 1880 See Adjacent Territories Order 1880
Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Bay Islands  Honduras 30 April 1859 See Bay Islands § Colony of the Bay Islands and § Cession of the Colony to Honduras
British Columbia
Northern Cameroons  Nigeria 1 October 1961 British Mandate territory in West Africa. In the 1961 British Cameroons referendum, the Northern Cameroons voted to join Nigeria (which itself gained independence from the United Kingdom), while the Southern Cameroons voted to join the Republic of Cameroun (which itself gained independence from France).
Southern Cameroons  Cameroon 1 October 1961
Caprivi Strip - part of South West Africa, now part of Namibia
Straits Settlements Christmas Island  Australia 1 October 1958 See Christmas Island § Transfer to Australia
Straits Settlements Cocos (Keeling) Islands  Australia 23 November 1955 See Cocos (Keeling) Islands § Transfer to Australia
Cook Islands
Corsica
Dindings
 British Occupation zone in Germany  Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) 23 May 1949 Nazi Germany occupied by Britain, France, the United States and the Soviet Union in 1945. Unlike in Austria, no German central government was retained in any of the occupation zones. The British and American occupation zones were merged in 1947 to form the Bizone, and the French zone was added into it in 1948. The resulting Trizone became host to a new German central government on 23 May 1949. The territories of the former Soviet zone — which had established a central government of its own called the German Democratic Republic — joined the Federal Republic on 3 October 1990.
Heligoland
Heard Island and McDonald Islands
 Hong Kong  People's Republic of China 30 June 1997 In 1984 the British government signed the Sino-British Joint Declaration with China and agreed to turn over Hong Kong and its dependencies in 1997. British rule ended on 30 June 1997, with China taking over at midnight, 1 July 1997 (at end of the 99-year lease over the New Territories, along with the ceded Hong Kong Island and Kowloon).
United States of the Ionian Islands
Labuan
Malacca
Unfederated Malay States
Minorca
Mosquito Coast
 North Borneo  Malaya[e] 16 September 1963 British protectorate established in 1881. Proclaimed a Crown Colony in 1946, and became a part of Malaysia on 16 September 1963 as the state of Sabah.
Padang
Penang
Prince Edward Island
Providence Island colony
Ross Dependency
 Sarawak  Malaya[e] 16 September 1963 Independent Raj of Sarawak 1841-1946. Annexed by Britain as a Crown Colony in 1946, and became a part of Malaysia on 16 September 1963.
 Singapore  Malaya[e] 16 September 1963 Became self-governing on 3 June 1959, and became a part of Malaysia on 16 September 1963. Subsequently gained independence from Malaysia on the 9 August 1965.[13]
Surinam
Tokelau
Weihaiwei

Countries of the United Kingdom that have voted against independence

Country Date Year Notes
 Northern Ireland 8 March 1973 In a 1973 Northern Ireland referendum, voters in Northern Ireland were asked to decide if they wanted to remain in the United Kingdom or to leave and join with the Republic of Ireland. They voted in favour of the United Kingdom by 98.9% to 1.1%, although Irish Nationalists boycotted the vote.[14]
 Scotland 18 September 2014 In the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, 55.3% of voters who qualified as residents of Scotland, chose 'No' to the question: 'Should Scotland be an independent country?' 44.7% of voters chose 'Yes'.[15] In March 2017, preliminary negotiations to begin to prepare an agreement to run a second referendum were proposed by the Scottish Parliament but were rejected out of hand by the Prime Minister. The proposal of preliminary negotiations was triggered by the Brexit vote, which saw a majority of voters in England and Wales vote to leave the EU while a majority in Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain.[16]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f West Indies Associated States
  2. ^ Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942 (effective from 1939)
  3. ^ Constitution of the Irish Free State
  4. ^ Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1947
  5. ^ a b c Malaya renamed itself Malaysia on the same day

References

  1. ^ "Most countries to have gained independence from the same country". Guinness Book of World Records. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  2. ^ Foschini, Fabrizio (21 September 2019). "The 1919 War of Independence (or third Anglo-Afghan War): a conflict the Afghans started (and ended)". Afghanistan Analysts Network. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  3. ^ Staff Writer (5 November 2021). "Happy 40th Independence Anniversary Antigua and Barbuda". CARICOM.
  4. ^ "Bahamas Independence Act 1973".
  5. ^ Dyde, James (21 September 2021). "Belize Independence Day - 40 Images of Belize at 40". CentralAmerica.com. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Botswana Independence Act 1966".
  7. ^ "A look back at Brunei's first National Day". The Scoop. 23 February 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  8. ^ "United Nations Member States". UN.org. Retrieved 4 November 2008.
  9. ^ "Indian Independence Act 1947" (PDF).
  10. ^ "INDEPENDENCE DAY".
  11. ^ "Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942 (Cth)". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  12. ^ "Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942" (PDF). ComLaw. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
  13. ^ "Singapore profile — Timeline". BBC News. 10 May 2018.
  14. ^ Torrance, David (21 November 2019). "'Taking the border out of politics' – the Northern Ireland referendum of March 1973". The Constitution Unit Blog. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  15. ^ Arnett, George (22 September 2014). "Scottish independence referendum: the result in three maps". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  16. ^ Swann, Sean (28 October 2016). "Scottish independence and the polls: why Brexit is not a game changer". London School of Economics. Retrieved 16 November 2021.