Independence
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| Afghanistan | 19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs) |
| Albania | 28 November 1912 (from the Ottoman Empire) |
| Algeria | 5 July 1962 (from France) |
| American Samoa | none (territory of the US) |
| Andorra | 1278 (formed under the joint sovereignty of the French Count of Foix and the Spanish Bishop of Urgell) |
| Angola | 11 November 1975 (from Portugal) |
| Anguilla | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 1 November 1981 (from the UK) |
| Argentina | 9 July 1816 (from Spain) |
| Armenia | 21 September 1991 (from the Soviet Union); notable earlier dates: 321 B.C. (Kingdom of Armenia established under the Orontid Dynasty), A.D. 884 (Armenian Kingdom reestablished under the Bagratid Dynasty); 1198 (Cilician Kingdom established); 28 May 1918 (Democratic Republic of Armenia declared) |
| Aruba | none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) |
| Australia | 1 January 1901 (from the federation of UK colonies) |
| Austria | no official date of independence: 976 (Margravate of Austria established); 17 September 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 6 January 1453 (Archduchy of Austria acknowledged); 11 August 1804 (Austrian Empire proclaimed); 30 March 1867 (Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy established); 12 November 1918 (First Republic proclaimed); 27 April 1945 (Second Republic proclaimed) |
| Azerbaijan | 30 August 1991 (declared from the Soviet Union); 18 October 1991 (adopted by the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan) |
| Bahamas, The | 10 July 1973 (from the UK) |
| Bahrain | 15 August 1971 (from the UK) |
| Bangladesh | 16 December 1971 (from Pakistan) |
| Barbados | 30 November 1966 (from the UK) |
| Belarus | 25 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union) |
| Belgium | 4 October 1830 (a provisional government declared independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King LEOPOLD I ascended to the throne) |
| Belize | 21 September 1981 (from the UK) |
| Benin | 1 August 1960 (from France) |
| Bermuda | none (Overseas Territory of the UK) |
| Bhutan | 17 December 1907 (became a unified kingdom under its first hereditary king); 8 August 1949 (Treaty of Friendship with India maintains Bhutanese independence) |
| Bolivia | 6 August 1825 (from Spain) |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 March 1992 (from Yugoslavia); note - referendum for independence completed on 1 March 1992; independence declared on 3 March 1992 |
| Botswana | 30 September 1966 (from the UK) |
| Brazil | 7 September 1822 (from Portugal) |
| British Virgin Islands | none (Overseas Territory of the UK) |
| Brunei | 1 January 1984 (from the UK) |
| Bulgaria | 3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire) |
| Burkina Faso | 5 August 1960 (from France) |
| Burma | 4 January 1948 (from the UK) |
| Burundi | 1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration) |
| Cambodia | 9 November 1953 (from France) |
| Cameroon | 1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship) |
| Canada | 1 July 1867 (union of British North American colonies); 11 December 1931 (recognized by UK per Statute of Westminster) |
| Cayman Islands | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Central African Republic | 13 August 1960 (from France) |
| Chad | 11 August 1960 (from France) |
| Chile | 18 September 1810 (from Spain) |
| China | 1 October 1949 (People's Republic of China established); notable earlier dates: 221 B.C. (unification under the Qin Dynasty); 1 January 1912 (Qing Dynasty replaced by the Republic of China) |
| Christmas Island | none (territory of Australia) |
| Cocos (Keeling) Islands | none (territory of Australia) |
| Colombia | 20 July 1810 (from Spain) |
| Comoros | 6 July 1975 (from France) |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 30 June 1960 (from Belgium) |
| Congo, Republic of the | 15 August 1960 (from France) |
| Cook Islands | none (became self-governing in free association with New Zealand on 4 August 1965 with the right at any time to move to full independence by unilateral action) |
| Costa Rica | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
| Cote d'Ivoire | 7 August 1960 (from France) |
| Croatia | 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia); note - 25 June 1991 was the day the Croatian parliament voted for independence; following a three-month moratorium to allow the European Community to solve the Yugoslav crisis peacefully, parliament adopted a decision on 8 October 1991 to sever constitutional relations with Yugoslavia; notable earlier dates: ca. 925 (Kingdom of Croatia established); 1 December 1918 (Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (Yugoslavia) established) |
| Cuba | 20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902); not acknowledged by the Cuban Government as a day of independence |
| Curacao | none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) |
| Cyprus | 16 August 1960 (from the UK); note - Turkish Cypriots proclaimed self-rule on 13 February 1975 and independence in 1983, but these proclamations are recognized only by Turkey |
| Denmark | ca. 965 (unified and Christianized under HARALD I Gormsson); 5 June 1849 (became a parliamentary constitutional monarchy) |
| Djibouti | 27 June 1977 (from France) |
| Dominica | 3 November 1978 (from the UK) |
| Dominican Republic | 27 February 1844 (from Haiti) |
| Ecuador | 24 May 1822 (from Spain) |
| Egypt | 28 February 1922 (from UK protectorate status; the military-led revolution that began on 23 July 1952 led to a republic being declared on 18 June 1953 and all British troops withdrawn on 18 June 1956); note - it was ca. 3200 B.C. that the Two Lands of Upper (southern) and Lower (northern) Egypt were first united politically |
| El Salvador | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
| Equatorial Guinea | 12 October 1968 (from Spain) |
| Eritrea | 24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia) |
| Estonia | 24 February 1918 (from Soviet Russia); 20 August 1991 (declared from the Soviet Union); 6 September 1991 (recognized by the Soviet Union) |
| Ethiopia | oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years (may be traced to the Aksumite Kingdom, which coalesced in the first century B.C.) |
| European Union | 7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed establishing the European Union); 1 November 1993 (Maastricht Treaty entered into force) note: the Treaties of Rome, signed on 25 March 1957 and subsequently entered into force on 1 January 1958, created the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community; a series of subsequent treaties have been adopted to increase efficiency and transparency, to prepare for new member states, and to introduce new areas of cooperation - such as a single currency; the Treaty of Lisbon, signed on 13 December 2007 and entered into force on 1 December 2009 is the most recent of these treaties and is intended to make the EU more democratic, more efficient, and better able to address global problems with one voice |
| Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) | none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina) |
| Faroe Islands | none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) |
| Fiji | 10 October 1970 (from the UK) |
| Finland | 6 December 1917 (from Russia) |
| France | no official date of independence: 486 (Frankish tribes unified under Merovingian kingship); 10 August 843 (Western Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire); 14 July 1789 (French monarchy overthrown); 22 September 1792 (First French Republic founded); 4 October 1958 (Fifth French Republic established) |
| French Polynesia | none (overseas lands of France) |
| Gabon | 17 August 1960 (from France) |
| Gambia, The | 18 February 1965 (from the UK) |
| Georgia | 9 April 1991 (from the Soviet Union); notable earlier date: A.D. 1008 (Georgia unified under King BAGRAT III) |
| Germany | 18 January 1871 (establishment of the German Empire); divided into four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and France) in 1945 following World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) proclaimed on 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed on 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR zone; West Germany and East Germany unified on 3 October 1990; all four powers formally relinquished rights on 15 March 1991; notable earlier dates: 10 August 843 (Eastern Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire); 2 February 962 (crowning of OTTO I, recognized as the first Holy Roman Emperor) |
| Ghana | 6 March 1957 (from the UK) |
| Gibraltar | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Greece | 3 February 1830 (from the Ottoman Empire); note - 25 March 1821, outbreak of the national revolt against the Ottomans; 3 February 1830, signing of the London Protocol recognizing Greek independence by Great Britain, France, and Russia |
| Greenland | none (extensive self-rule as part of the Kingdom of Denmark; foreign affairs is the responsibility of Denmark, but Greenland actively participates in international agreements relating to Greenland) |
| Grenada | 7 February 1974 (from the UK) |
| Guam | none (territory of the US) |
| Guatemala | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
| Guernsey | none (British Crown dependency) |
| Guinea | 2 October 1958 (from France) |
| Guinea-Bissau | 24 September 1973 (declared); 10 September 1974 (from Portugal) |
| Guyana | 26 May 1966 (from the UK) |
| Haiti | 1 January 1804 (from France) |
| Holy See (Vatican City) | 11 February 1929; note - the three treaties signed with Italy on 11 February 1929 acknowledged, among other things, the full sovereignty of the Holy See and established its territorial extent; however, the origin of the Papal States, which over centuries varied considerably in extent, may be traced back to A.D. 754 |
| Honduras | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
| Hong Kong | none (special administrative region of China) |
| Hungary | 16 November 1918 (republic proclaimed); notable earlier dates: 25 December 1000 (crowning of King STEPHEN I, traditional founding date); 30 March 1867 (Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy established) |
| Iceland | 1 December 1918 (became a sovereign state under the Danish Crown); 17 June 1944 (from Denmark; birthday of Jon SIGURDSSON, leader of Iceland's 19th Century independence movement) |
| India | 15 August 1947 (from the UK) |
| Indonesia | 17 August 1945 (declared independence from the Netherlands) |
| Iran | 1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed); notable earlier dates: ca. 550 B.C. (Achaemenid (Persian) Empire established); A.D. 1501 (Iran reunified under the Safavid Dynasty); 1794 (beginning of Qajar Dynasty); 12 December 1925 (modern Iran established under the PAHLAVI Dynasty) |
| Iraq | 3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration); note - on 28 June 2004 the Coalition Provisional Authority transferred sovereignty to the Iraqi Interim Government |
| Ireland | 6 December 1921 (from the UK by the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which ended British rule); 6 December 1922 (Irish Free State established); 18 April 1949 (Republic of Ireland Act enabled) |
| Israel | 14 May 1948 (following League of Nations mandate under British administration) |
| Italy | 17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until 1871) |
| Jamaica | 6 August 1962 (from the UK) |
| Japan | 3 May 1947 (current constitution adopted as amendment to Meiji Constitution); notable earlier dates: 11 February 660 B.C. (mythological date of the founding of the nation by Emperor JIMMU); 29 November 1890 (Meiji Constitution provides for constitutional monarchy) |
| Jersey | none (British Crown dependency) |
| Jordan | 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration) |
| Kazakhstan | 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union) |
| Kenya | 12 December 1963 (from the UK) |
| Kiribati | 12 July 1979 (from the UK) |
| Korea, North | 15 August 1945 (from Japan) |
| Korea, South | 15 August 1945 (from Japan) |
| Kosovo | 17 February 2008 (from Serbia) |
| Kuwait | 19 June 1961 (from the UK) |
| Kyrgyzstan | 31 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union) |
| Laos | 19 July 1949 (from France by the Franco-Lao General Convention); 22 October 1953 (Franco-Lao Treaty recognizes full independence) |
| Latvia | 18 November 1918 (from Soviet Russia); 4 May 1990 (declared from the Soviet Union); 6 September 1991 (recognized by the Soviet Union) |
| Lebanon | 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration) |
| Lesotho | 4 October 1966 (from the UK) |
| Liberia | 26 July 1847 |
| Libya | 24 December 1951 (from UN trusteeship) |
| Liechtenstein | 23 January 1719 (Principality of Liechtenstein established); 12 July 1806 (independence from the Holy Roman Empire); 24 August 1866 (independence from the German Confederation) |
| Lithuania | 16 February 1918 (from Soviet Russia and Germany); 11 March 1990 (declared from the Soviet Union); 6 September 1991 (recognized by the Soviet Union); notable earlier dates: 6 July 1253 (coronation of MINDAUGAS, traditional founding date); 1 July 1569 (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth created) |
| Luxembourg | 1839 (from the Netherlands) |
| Macau | none (special administrative region of China) |
| Madagascar | 26 June 1960 (from France) |
| Malawi | 6 July 1964 (from the UK) |
| Malaysia | 31 August 1957 (from the UK) |
| Maldives | 26 July 1965 (from the UK) |
| Mali | 22 September 1960 (from France) |
| Malta | 21 September 1964 (from the UK) |
| Marshall Islands | 21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship) |
| Mauritania | 28 November 1960 (from France) |
| Mauritius | 12 March 1968 (from the UK) |
| Mexico | 16 September 1810 (declared independence from Spain); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain) |
| Micronesia, Federated States of | 3 November 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship) |
| Moldova | 27 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union) |
| Monaco | 1419 (beginning of permanent rule by the House of GRIMALDI) |
| Mongolia | 29 December 1911 (independence declared from China; in actuality, autonomy attained); 11 July 1921 (from China) |
| Montenegro | 3 June 2006 (from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro); notable earlier dates: 13 March 1852 (Principality of Montenegro established); 13 July 1878 (Congress of Berlin recognizes Montenegrin independence); 28 August 1910 (Kingdom of Montenegro established) |
| Montserrat | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Morocco | 2 March 1956 (from France) |
| Mozambique | 25 June 1975 (from Portugal) |
| Namibia | 21 March 1990 (from South African mandate) |
| Nauru | 31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship) |
| Nepal | 1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan SHAH) |
| Netherlands | 23 January 1579 (the northern provinces of the Low Countries conclude the Union of Utrecht breaking with Spain; on 26 July 1581, they formally declared their independence with an Act of Abjuration; however, it was not until 30 January 1648 and the Peace of Westphalia that Spain recognized this independence) |
| New Caledonia | none (overseas collectivity of France); note - in two independence referenda, on 4 November 2018 and 4 October 2020, the majority voted to reject independence in favor of maintaining the status quo |
| New Zealand | 26 September 1907 (from the UK) |
| Nicaragua | 15 September 1821 (from Spain) |
| Niger | 3 August 1960 (from France) |
| Nigeria | 1 October 1960 (from the UK) |
| Niue | 19 October 1974 (Niue became a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand) |
| Norfolk Island | none (territory of Australia) |
| Northern Mariana Islands | none (commonwealth in political union with the US) |
| Norway | 7 June 1905 (declared the union with Sweden dissolved); 26 October 1905 (Sweden agreed to the repeal of the union); notable earlier dates: ca. 872 (traditional unification of petty Norwegian kingdoms by HARALD Fairhair); 1397 (Kalmar Union of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden); 1524 (Denmark-Norway); 17 May 1814 (Norwegian constitution adopted); 4 November 1814 (Sweden-Norway union confirmed) |
| Oman | 1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese) |
| Pakistan | 14 August 1947 (from British India) |
| Palau | 1 October 1994 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship) |
| Panama | 3 November 1903 (from Colombia; became independent from Spain on 28 November 1821) |
| Papua New Guinea | 16 September 1975 (from the Australia-administered UN trusteeship) |
| Paraguay | 14-15 May 1811 (from Spain); note - the uprising against Spanish authorities took place during the night of 14-15 May 1811 and both days are celebrated in Paraguay |
| Peru | 28 July 1821 (from Spain) |
| Philippines | 4 July 1946 (from the US) |
| Pitcairn Islands | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Poland | 11 November 1918 (republic proclaimed); notable earlier dates: 14 April 966 (adoption of Christianity, traditional founding date), 1 July 1569 (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth created) |
| Portugal | 1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 1 December 1640 (independence reestablished following 60 years of Spanish rule); 5 October 1910 (republic proclaimed) |
| Puerto Rico | none (territory of the US with commonwealth status) |
| Qatar | 3 September 1971 (from the UK) |
| Romania | 9 May 1877 (independence proclaimed from the Ottoman Empire; 13 July 1878 (independence recognized by the Treaty of Berlin); 26 March 1881 (kingdom proclaimed); 30 December 1947 (republic proclaimed) |
| Russia | 25 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union; Russian SFSR renamed Russian Federation); notable earlier dates: 1157 (Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal created); 16 January 1547 (Tsardom of Muscovy established); 22 October 1721 (Russian Empire proclaimed); 30 December 1922 (Soviet Union established) |
| Rwanda | 1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship) |
| Saint Barthelemy | none (overseas collectivity of France) |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 19 September 1983 (from the UK) |
| Saint Lucia | 22 February 1979 (from the UK) |
| Saint Martin | none (overseas collectivity of France) |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | none (overseas collectivity collectivity of France; has been under French control since 1763) |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 27 October 1979 (from the UK) |
| Samoa | 1 January 1962 (from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship) |
| San Marino | 3 September 301 (traditional founding date) |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 12 July 1975 (from Portugal) |
| Saudi Arabia | 23 September 1932 (unification of the kingdom) |
| Senegal | 4 April 1960 (from France); note - complete independence achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960 |
| Serbia | 5 June 2006 (from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro); notable earlier dates: 1217 (Serbian Kingdom established); 16 April 1346 (Serbian Empire established); 13 July 1878 (Congress of Berlin recognizes Serbian independence); 1 December 1918 (Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (Yugoslavia) established) |
| Seychelles | 29 June 1976 (from the UK) |
| Sierra Leone | 27 April 1961 (from the UK) |
| Singapore | 9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation) |
| Sint Maarten | none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) |
| Slovakia | 1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia) |
| Slovenia | 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia) |
| Solomon Islands | 7 July 1978 (from the UK) |
| Somalia | 1 July 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland, which became independent from the UK on 26 June 1960, and Italian Somaliland, which became independent from the Italian-administered UN trusteeship on 1 July 1960 to form the Somali Republic) |
| South Africa | 31 May 1910 (Union of South Africa formed from four British colonies: Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange Free State); 22 August 1934 (Status of the Union Act); 31 May 1961 (republic declared); 27 April 1994 (majority rule) |
| South Sudan | 9 July 2011 (from Sudan) |
| Spain | 1492; the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of independent kingdoms prior to the Muslim occupation that began in the early 8th century A.D. and lasted nearly seven centuries; the small Christian redoubts of the north began the reconquest almost immediately, culminating in the seizure of Granada in 1492; this event completed the unification of several kingdoms and is traditionally considered the forging of present-day Spain |
| Sri Lanka | 4 February 1948 (from the UK) |
| Sudan | 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and the UK) |
| Suriname | 25 November 1975 (from the Netherlands) |
| Svalbard | none (territory of Norway) |
| Sweden | 6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king of Sweden, marking the abolishment of the Kalmar Union between Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) |
| Switzerland | 1 August 1291 (founding of the Swiss Confederation) |
| Syria | 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration) |
| Tajikistan | 9 September 1991 (from the Soviet Union) |
| Tanzania | 26 April 1964 (Tanganyika united with Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar); 29 October 1964 (renamed United Republic of Tanzania); notable earlier dates: 9 December 1961 (Tanganyika became independent from UK-administered UN trusteeship); 10 December 1963 (Zanzibar became independent from UK) |
| Thailand | 1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized) |
| Togo | 27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship) |
| Tokelau | none (territory of New Zealand) |
| Tonga | 4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate status) |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 31 August 1962 (from the UK) |
| Tunisia | 20 March 1956 (from France) |
| Turkey | 29 October 1923 (republic proclaimed, succeeding the Ottoman Empire) |
| Turkmenistan | 27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union) |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Tuvalu | 1 October 1978 (from the UK) |
| Uganda | 9 October 1962 (from the UK) |
| Ukraine | 24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union); notable earlier dates: ca. 982 (VOLODYMYR I consolidates Kyivan Rus); 1199 (Principality (later Kingdom) of Ruthenia formed; 1648 (establishment of the Cossack Hetmanate); 22 January 1918 (from Soviet Russia) |
| United Arab Emirates | 2 December 1971 (from the UK) |
| United Kingdom | no official date of independence: 927 (minor English kingdoms unite); 3 March 1284 (enactment of the Statute of Rhuddlan uniting England and Wales); 1536 (Act of Union formally incorporates England and Wales); 1 May 1707 (Acts of Union formally unite England, Scotland, and Wales as Great Britain); 1 January 1801 (Acts of Union formally unite Great Britain and Ireland as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland); 6 December 1921 (Anglo-Irish Treaty formalizes partition of Ireland; six counties remain part of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland); 12 April 1927 (Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act establishes current name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) |
| United States | 4 July 1776 (declared independence from Great Britain); 3 September 1783 (recognized by Great Britain) |
| Uruguay | 25 August 1825 (from Brazil) |
| Uzbekistan | 1 September 1991 (from the Soviet Union) |
| Vanuatu | 30 July 1980 (from France and the UK) |
| Venezuela | 5 July 1811 (from Spain) |
| Vietnam | 2 September 1945 (from France) |
| Virgin Islands | none (territory of the US) |
| Wake Island | none (territory of the US) |
| Wallis and Futuna | none (overseas collectivity of France) |
| Yemen | 22 May 1990 (Republic of Yemen was established with the merger of the Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and the Marxist-dominated People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]); notable earlier dates: North Yemen became independent on 1 November 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and became a republic with the overthrow of the theocratic Imamate on 27 September 1962; South Yemen became independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK) |
| Zambia | 24 October 1964 (from the UK) |
| Zimbabwe | 18 April 1980 (from the UK) |
Source: CIA Factbook
