ABSTRACT
Antigua and Barbuda 1981 Australia 1931 (Statute of Westminster*) The Bahamas 1973 Bangladesh 1972 Barbados 1966 Belize 1981 Botswana 1966 Brunei Darussala 1984 Cameroon 1995 Canada 1931 (Statute of Westminster*) Cyprus 1961 (independent 1960) Dominica 1978 Fiji Islands 1997 The Gambia 1965 Ghana 1957 Grenada 1974 Guyana 1966 India 1947 Jamaica 1962 Kenya 1963 Kiribati 1979 Lesotho 1966 Malawi 1964 Malaysia 1957 Maldives 1982 (independent 1965) Malta 1964 Mauritius 1968 Mozambique 1995 (independent 1975) Namibia 1990 Nauru 1968 (full member from 1999) New Zealand 1931 (Statute of Westminster*) Nigeria 1960 (suspended 1995-99) Pakistan 1989 (rejoined, having left in 1972**) Papua New Guinea 1975 St Kitts and Nevis 1983 St Lucia 1979 St Vincent and the Grenadines 1979 Samoa 1970 Seychelles 1976
Member country
Sierra Leone 1961 Singapore 1965 Solomon Islands 1978 South Africa 1994 (rejoined, having left in 1961) Sri Lanka 1948 Swaziland 1968 Tonga 1970 Trinidad and Tobago 1962 Tuvalu 1978 (full member from September 2000) Uganda 1962 United Kingdom United Republic of Tanzania 1961 Vanuatu 1980 Zambia 1964 Zimbabwe 1980***
*The Statute of Westminster of 1931 gave effective independence to the Dominions of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. **Following the displacement of the democratically elected government in May 2000, and pending restoration of democracy, the Fiji Islands was suspended from the Councils of the Commonwealth. Following the overthrow of the democratically elected government in October 1999, Pakistan was suspended from the Councils of the Commonwealth pending the restoration of democracy in the country. ***In March 2002, Zimbabwe was suspended from the Councils of the Commonwealth.
