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.

Colonies, protectorates, and mandates

Country Pre-independence name(if different) Date of independenceor first stage NotesDay & month YearAnglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919Antigua, Leeward IslandsAntigua Termination of Association OrderBritish BahamasBahamas Independence Act 1973British Protectorate of BahrainBarbados Independence Act 1966British HondurasSeptember CelebrationsBechuanaland ProtectorateBotswana Independence Act 1966British CyprusCyprus Independence Day is commonly celebrated on 1 October.Dominica, Windward IslandsSultanate of EgyptControl over the Suez Canal Zone was maintained until 1956.Initially called Swaziland, which was also its pre-independence name. Renamed Eswatini by King Mswati III in April 2018.Colony of FijiGambia Colony and ProtectorateGold Coast, British Togoland (Togoland was absorbed into the Gold Coast in 1957.)Grenada, Windward IslandsIndependence Day (Grenada)British GuianaBecame a republic in 1970.British RajIndian Independence Act 1947Mandatory IraqPursuant to the British Mandate for MesopotamiaMandatory PalestineEnd of British mandate on 14 May 1948; last British presence, the , evacuated on 30 June 1948. declared independence from Israel on 15 November 1988.Colony of JamaicaIndependence Day (6 August)Emirate of TransjordanKenya ColonyDominion of Kenya declared in 1963. Republic declared exactly 1 year later.Gilbert and Ellice IslandsEmirate of KuwaitBasutolandBritish Military Administration (Libya)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.NyasalandDominion of Malawi declared in 1964. Republic declared exactly 2 years later.British MalayaFederation of Malaya Independence Act 1957.Sultanate of the Maldive IslandsCrown Colony of MaltaThis occurred in spite of the 1956 Maltese United Kingdom integration referendum, but in accordance with the 1964 Maltese constitutional referendum.British MauritiusBritish rule in BurmaGained independence as Burma; renamed Myanmar by the military dictatorship in 1989.Co-trustee with Australia and New Zealand; independence effected through Australian legislation (Nauru Independence Act 1967).Colonial NigeriaTook in Northern CameroonsMuscat and OmanBritish RajPartition of India PalestineMandatory PalestineEnd of British mandate on 14 May 1948; the All-Palestine Protectorate, which claimed sovereignty over the entire former Mandatory Palestine, was formed on 1 October 1948. The Gaza Strip was governed by the All-Palestine Protectorate, albeit under Egyptian influence, until the All-Palestine Protectorate was dissolved in 1959 and replaced by a direct Egyptian military occupation, while the West Bank was annexed into Jordan in 1949. Both were captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War.The modern State of Palestine would then declare its independence from Israel on 15 November 1988, and later gained limited autonomy as the Palestinian Authority from 1994.British Qatari ProtectorateSt Lucia, Windward IslandsSt Kitts–Nevis and Anguilla, Leeward IslandsSt Vincent, Windward IslandsSierra Leone Colony and ProtectorateDominion of Sierra Leone declared in 1961. Republic declared in 1971.British Solomon Islands SomalilandBritish SomalilandThe 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. The second Somalilander state has limited recognition.Protectorate of South ArabiaFederation of South ArabiaMerged with to form in 1990British CeylonGained independence as the Dominion of Ceylon. Renamed Sri Lanka in 1972 upon being declared a republic.Anglo-Egyptian SudanTermination of dual Anglo-Egyptian condominium. then gained independence from Sudan on 9 July 2011.Tanganyika TerritoryTanganyika became independent on 9 December 1961. It joined with Zanzibar on 25 April 1964 to form .Kingdom of Tonga (1900–1970)Independence Day (August 31)Gilbert and Ellice IslandsProtectorate of UgandaTrucial StatesNational Day (United Arab Emirates)British AmericaIndependence declared from the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1776. British attempts to regain control by military force ceased by 1781. British government recognized independence on 3 September 1783 with the Treaty of Paris, with the last British presence evacuated on 25 November the same year.New HebridesIndependence from United Kingdom and France in 1980.New Hampshire GrantsIndependence declared from the British colony of Quebec as well as from New York (which was contested between Britain and the newly-independent United States during the American Revolutionary War) and New Hampshire (which was fully under United States control).The Vermont Republic was admitted into the on 4 March 1791.Northern RhodesiaZanzibar 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 .Southern RhodesiaSouthern Rhodesia declared independence from United Kingdom on 11 November 1965 as , which was not internationally recognized. Rhodesia transitioned to majority rule as 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 .

Evolution of dominions to independence

+ Country Date of Dominion status Date of adoption of the Statute of Westminster Date of finalrelinquishmentof British powers Instrument ofrelinquishmentNotes†Australia Act 1986Canada Act 1982Republic of Ireland Act and Ireland Act 1949The 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: the Constitution (Removal of Oath) Act on 3 May 1933 implicitly abrogated the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty; the 27th amendment and External Relations Act, both on 12 December 1936, attenuated the role of the monarchy; the enactment of the Constitution on 29 December 1937 established the office of President and definitively abolished all British powers over Ireland except diplomatic functions, which remained vested with King George VI; the Republic of Ireland Act, which transferred diplomatic functions to the President of Ireland, came into force on 18 April 1949, with Ireland formally leaving the British Commonwealth.

Related UK statutes included the Éire (Confirmation of Agreements) Act 1938 and the Ireland Act 1949.—Canada Act 1982Newfoundland voted to join Canada in 1948 in a 52–48 vote; this became effective on 31 March 1949.Constitution Act 1986Declaration of Independence of New Zealand 1835, Treaty of Waitangi 1840, Dominion of New Zealand declared on 26 September 1907South African Constitution of 1961 †Adopted by Australia in 1942, but was backdated to confirm the validity of legislation passed by the Australian Parliament during World War II.

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

Country Pre-independence name(different) Date Year of independence or first stage NotesCoalition Provisional AuthorityJointly 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 of independence Date of restorationof British rule NotesDay & month YearDay & month Year The isles of Anguilla were a dependency of Saint Kitts alongside Nevis. 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; 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.Southern Rhodesia declared independence from United Kingdom on 11 November 1965 as , which was not internationally recognized. Rhodesia transitioned to majority rule as 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 .

British overseas territories independence/sovereignty referendums

Territory Date Notes Bermudians voted against independence for the territory in a 1995 referendum by 73.6% to 25.7%.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 Islanders voted in favour of remaining a British overseas territory by 99.8% to 0.2%.

Colonial and overseas territories which were relinquished to other sovereign states