What countries are in the Commonwealth?

The Commonwealth Games 2022 is well underway, but there are still more medals up for grabs, and memories to be made at Birmingham before the closing ceremony on Monday, August 8.

The 12-day sporting event kicked off with the opening ceremony on Thursday, July 28, with events taking place across the West Midlands in the following days.

The Commonwealth Games are held every four years, and were last held in the UK in Glasgow in 2014. The first games were held in 1930, with the aim of promoting relations between member countries, and celebrating their shared sporting and cultural heritage.

This year, team England gave another strong effort on Tuesday across all sports, with the day crowned by swimming superstar Adam Peaty, who battled back from a shock failure to snatch the men’s breaststroke 50m gold medal.

Elsewhere, Jake Jarman won his fourth gold so far in the vault final.

But, what is the Commonwealth, which countries are in it, and when was it established?

Here’s everything you need to know.

What is the British Commonwealth and how many countries are in it?

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent countries, almost all of which were formerly under British rule.

It is home to 2.5 billion people, and includes both advanced economies and developing countries, with 32 of the members being small states, including island nations.

Dating back to the early part of the 20th century, it was originally created as the British Commonwealth of Nations before being formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949, which established the member states as “free and equal”.

The head of the Commonwealth is currently Queen Elizabeth II. Although the position is not hereditary, it has been decided that Prince Charles will be her successor.

The administration of the colonies evolved in different ways, in order to reflect the different circumstances of each territory.

After becoming independent in 1947, India was the first country that decided it wanted to be a republic, but also wanted to remain in the Commonwealth.

Member governments agree to shared goals like development, democracy and peace, and the values of the Commonwealth are agreed and expressed in the Commonwealth Charter.

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The Commonwealth’s roots go back to the British Empire. However, today any country can join, with the two most recent countries to join being Gabon and Togo in 2022.

The 56 countries in the Commonwealth are:

1. Antigua and Barbuda

2. Australia

3. Bahamas

4. Bangladesh

5. Barbados

6. Belize

7. Botswana

8. Brunei

9. Cameroon

10. Canada

11. Cyprus

12. Dominica

13. Eswatini

14. Fiji

15. Gabon

16. Gambia

17. Ghana

18. Grenada

19. Guyana

20. India

21. Jamaica

22. Kenya

23. Kiribati

24. Lesotho

25. Malawi

26. Malaysia

27. Maldives

28. Malta

29. Mauritius

30. Mozambique

31. Namibia

32. Nauru

33. New Zealand

34. Nigeria

35. Pakistan

36. Papua New Guinea

37. Rwanda

38. Saint Kitts and Nevis

39. Saint Lucia

40. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

41. Samoa

42. Seychelles

43. Sierra Leone

44. Singapore

45. Soloman Islands

46. South Africa

47. Sri Lanka

48. Tanzania

49. Togo

50. Tonga

51. Trinidad and Tobago

52. Tuvalu

53. Uganda

54. United Kingdom

55. Vanuatu

56. Zambia

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What is the Commonwealth Realm?

The Commonwealth Realm is used to indicate the former British Colonies that still consider the UK’s Queen Elizabeth II to be their official monarch.

All 14 Commonwealth Realms belong to the Commonwealth of Nations, but the other 40 members of the Commonwealth of Nations are not, in fact, Commonwealth Realms.

1. Antigua and Barbuda

2. Australia

3. Bahamas

4. Canada

5. Grenada

6. Jamaica

7. New Zealand

8. Papua New Guinea

9. Saint Kitts and Nevis

10. Saint Lucia

11. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

12. Solomon Islands

13. Tuvalu

14. United Kingdom

Which countries compete in the Commonwealth Games?

Despite there being 56 countries in the Commonwealth, there are 72 teams competing at Birmingham 2022.

The 72 nations competing in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games are:

1. Anguilla

2. Antigua and Barbuda

3. Australia

4. Bahamas

5. Bangladesh

6. Barbados

7. Belize

8. Bermuda

9. Botswana

10. British Virgin Islands

11. Brunei

12. Cameroon

13. Canada

14. Cayman Islands

15. Cook Islands

16. Cyprus

17. Dominica

18. England

19. Eswatini

20. Falkland Islands

21. Fiji

22. The Gambia

23. Ghana

24. Gibraltar

25. Grenada

26. Guernsey

27. Guyana

28. India

29. Isle of Man

30. Jamaica

31. Jersey

32. Kenya

33. Kiribati

34. Lesotho

35. Malawi

36. Malaysia

37. Maldives

38. Malta

39. Mauritius

40. Montserrat

41. Mozambique

42. Namibia

43. Nauru

44. New Zealand

45. Nigeria

46. Niue

47. Norfolk Island

48. Northern Ireland

49. Pakistan

50. Papua New Guinea

51. Rwanda

52. Saint Helena

53. Saint Kitts and Nevis

54. Saint Lucia

55. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

56. Samoa

57. Scotland

58. Seychelles

59. Sierra Leone

60. Singapore

61. Soloman Islands

62. South Africa

63. Sri Lanka

64. Tanzania

65. Tonga

66. Trinidad and Tobago

67. Turks and Caicos Islands

68. Tuvalu

69. Uganda

70. Vanuatu

71. Wales

72. Zambia

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When was the Commonwealth established and what is its history?

The original British Commonwealth was founded with the signing of the Balfour Declaration in 1926 and included Australia, Canada, the Irish Free State, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and the United Kingdom.

Although the majority of Commonwealth members are former British colonies, most are now independent. Given this independence—and the fact that most Commonwealth member countries are geographically located far from Britain—the decision was made to adopt a more appropriate name.

Thus, the British Commonwealth became the Commonwealth of Nations in 1949.

Over time, membership has expanded. Today, the Commonwealth includes fifty-six countries, largely in Asia and Africa, including nearly all of the world’s English speaking countries.