List of countries that have gained independence from the United Kingdom

Below are lists of the countries and territories 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 break down of dates further down. A total of 65 countries have claimed their independence.

Colonies, Protectorates and Mandates

Country	Pre-independence name (different)	Date	Year of independence or first stage	Notes
Afghanistan	Northern Persia	19 August	1919	Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919
Antigua and Barbuda	Antigua, Leeward Islands; UK-West Indies Associated State (WIAS)	1 November	1981
The Bahamas		10 July	1973	Bahamas Independence Act 1973
Bahrain		15 August	1971
Barbados		30 November	1966	The United Kingdom's Barbados Independence Act 1966 thereby granted local political independence for Saint Andrew's Day.
Belize	British Honduras	21 September	1981	September Celebrations of Belize
Botswana	Bechuanaland	30 September	1966	Botswana Independence Act 1966
Brunei		1 January	1984
Cyprus		16 August	1960	Cyprus Independence Day is commonly celebrated on 1 October.
Dominica	Dominica, Windward Islands; UK-West Indies Associated State (WIAS)	3 November	1978
Egypt		28 February	1922	Control over the Suez Canal Zone was maintained until 1952.
Eswatini		6 September	1968	Initially called Swaziland, which was also its pre-independence name. Renamed itself Eswatini in 2018.
Fiji		10 October	1970
The Gambia	Gambia	18 February	1965
Ghana	Gold Coast, Togoland (Togoland got absorbed into the Gold Coast in 1957)	6 March	1957
Grenada	Grenada, Windward Islands; UK-West Indies Associated State (WIAS)	7 February	1974	Independence Day (Grenada)
Guyana	British Guiana	26 May	1966
India	British India	15 August	1947	Independence Day (India)
Iraq		3 October	1932	Pursuant to the British Mandate for Mesopotamia
Israel	Mandatory Palestine	14 May	1948	End of British mandate Independence Day (Israel) Palestine declared independence from Israel on 15 November 1988.
Jamaica		6 August	1962	Independence Day (6 August)
Jordan	Transjordan	25 May	1946
Kenya		12 December	1963
Kiribati	Gilbert and Ellice Islands	12 July	1979
Kuwait		19 June	1961
Lesotho	Basutoland	4 October	1966
Libya		24 December	1951	Libya had been under the rule of the Ottoman Empire since the middle of the sixteenth century. Following the Italo-Turkish war of 1912, Libya became an Italian colony. With their defeat in World War II, the Italians lost control of Libya. The country came under UN administration. Control was split between France and Britain, with France administering the province Fezzan while the British administered the provinces of Cyrenaica and Tripolitania. In 1949, the UN General Assembly declared that Libya should become an independent country by 1 January 1952. On 24 December 1951, Libya declared its independence from France and Britain becoming the United Kingdom of Libya, a constitutional and hereditary monarchy under King Idris.
Malawi	Nyasaland	6 July	1964
Malaysia		31 August	1957	As the Federation of Malaya (Federation of Malaya Independence Act 1957). North Borneo (now Sabah), Sarawak and Singapore joined with the Federation of Malaya to form Malaysia on 16 September 1963 under the Malaysia Agreement (Malaysia Act 1963). Singapore gained independence from Malaysia on 9 August 1965.
Maldives		26 July	1965
Malta		21 September	1964	This occurred in spite of the 1956 Maltese United Kingdom integration referendum, but in accordance with 1964 Maltese constitutional referendum.
Mauritius		12 March	1968
Myanmar		4 January	1948	Gained independence as Burma. Renamed Myanmar in 1989, but still officially known by the United Kingdom government as Burma.
Nauru		31 January	1968	Independence from the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand on 31 January 1968.
Nigeria		1 October	1960	Took in Northern Cameroons
Oman	Sultanate of Muscat and Oman	20 December	1970
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
Saint Lucia	St Lucia, Windward Islands; UK-West Indies Associated State (WIAS)	22 February	1979
Saint Kitts and Nevis	St Kitts–Nevis and Anguilla, Leeward Islands; UK-West Indies Associated State (WIAS)	19 September	1983
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	St Vincent, Windward Islands; UK-West Indies Associated State (WIAS)	27 October	1979
Seychelles		29 June	1976
Sierra Leone		27 April	1961
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 then united with the Trust Territory of Somalia on 1 July 1960 to form the Somali Republic, but later broke away and unilaterally declared independence, which 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.
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 31st)
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. Last major battle of the American Revolutionary War fought in 1781. British government recognized independence in 1783. Liberia gained independence from the United States on 26 July 1847. Cuba gained independence from the United States on 20 May 1902. The Philippines gained independence from the United States on 4 July 1946. The United States has responsibilities for three freely associated states: The Marshall Islands (from 21 October 1986) Micronesia (from 3 November 1986) Palau (from 1 October 1994) The United States maintained an Occupation zone in Germany which became part of West Germany on 23 May 1949 (see #Territories which were relinquished to another sovereign state). The United States maintained a Military Government in Korea which became the sovereign state of South Korea on 15 August 1948. The United States led the Coalition Provisional Authority as part of the Occupation of Iraq between 2003 and 2004.
Vanuatu	New Hebrides	30 July	1980	Independence from United Kingdom and France in 1980
Zambia	Northern Rhodesia	24 October	1964
Zanzibar		10 December	1963	Zanzibar became independent on 10 December 1963. It joined with Tanganyika on 25 April 1964 to form Tanzania.
Zimbabwe	Southern 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.

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	Final event in question.	Notes
Australia	1 January 1901	9 October 1942 (effective from 1939)	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 voted against independence from Canada in two referendums in 1980 and 1995.
Ireland	6 December 1922	11 December 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 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; 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.
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.
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.
New Zealand	26 September 1907	25 November 1947	13 December 1986	Constitution Act 1986	Declaration of Independence of New Zealand 1835, Treaty of Waitangi 1840 Samoa gained independence from New Zealand on 1 January 1962. New Zealand has responsibilities for two freely associated states: Cook Islands (from 4 August 1965) Niue (from 19 October 1974)

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	Year	Notes
Anguilla	12 July	1967	Anguilla declared independence from St Kitts and Nevis in 1967, following the Anguillan Revolution; 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	Year	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 another sovereign state

Territory	Recipient state	Date	Year	Notes
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	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).
British Occupation zone in 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, with which the former Soviet zone - which had established a central government of its own called the German Democratic Republic - reunified on 3 October 1990.
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. It was never put forward to the people of the territory to decide in the form of a referendum, and neither was it ever agreed by an elected legislature. British rule ended on 30 June 1997, with China taking over at midnight, 1 July 1997 (at end of 99-year lease).
North Borneo	Malaya (renamed itself Malaysia on the same day)	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.
Sarawak	Malaya (renamed itself Malaysia on the same day)	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 (renamed itself Malaysia on the same day)	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.

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.
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'. 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.

See also

• Self-determination
• Commonwealth of Nations
• List of national independence days
• Foreign relations of the United Kingdom
• Foreign and Commonwealth Office
• Special Committee on Decolonization