Gradual achievement of independence by former colonies of the European imperial powers, which began after World War I. The process of decolonization accelerated after World War II with 43 states achieving independence between 1956 and 1960, 51 between 1961 and 1980, and 23 from 1981. The movement affected every continent: India and Pakistan gained independence from Britain in 1947; Algeria gained independence from France in 1962, the ‘Soviet empire’ broke up 1989–91.
| 6 November 1813 | Mexico, Spain | Mexico declares itself independent of Spain. |
| 12 February 1818 | Chile, Spain | The Spanish colony of Chile proclaims itself independent. |
| 15 September 1821 | Guatemala, Spain, Mexico | Guatemala declares itself independent of Spain and aligns itself with Mexico. |
| 28 November 1821 | Colombia, Spain, Colombia | Panama declares itself independent of Spain and joins the Republic of Colombia. |
| 1 December 1821 | West Indies, Spain | The West Indian colony of San Domingo establishes itself as a republic independent of Spain. |
| 12 October 1822 | Brazil, Portugal | Brazil becomes formally independent of Portugal and Dom Pedro is proclaimed Emperor Pedro I. |
| 25 August 1825 | Uruguay, Brazil | Uruguay declares itself independent of Brazil. |
| 27 August 1828 | Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina | Uruguay is formally proclaimed independent at the preliminary peace ending the war between Brazil and Argentina. |
| 11 September 1830 | Ecuador, Colombia | Ecuador is recognized as an independent republic and granted a constitution by Colombia, under which it is to be part of the Confederation of Colombia. |
| 8 November 1858 | Montenegro, Ottoman Empire | The formal independence of Montenegro is accepted by the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, together with the borders of the former Ottoman possession as fixed by France, Britain, Prussia, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire, following friction between Montenegro and the Ottomans. |
| 10 May 1893 | Natal | Britain grants Natal self-government following war over its declaration of independence. |
| 4 March 1931 | India, UK | Under the terms of the Delhi pact between the Indian nationalist leader Mahatma Gandhi and the British viceroy of India, Lord Irwin, the civil disobedience campaign organized by the Indian National Congress is suspended. The Congress Party promises to participate in the Round Table Conference on Indian constitutional reform in London, England, and political prisoners are released. |
| 12 December 1931 | UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Newfoundland | The British Parliament passes the Statute of Westminster, establishing the equality of Britain and its dominions of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and Newfoundland. |
| 22 March 1946 | Transjordan, UK | Britain recognizes the independence of Transjordan, a British League of Nations mandate since the end of World War I. |
| July 1946 | Philippines, USA | The US president Harry S Truman proclaims the independence of the Philippines from the US. |
| 19 December 1946 | France, Vietnam, French Indochina | The French Indochina War (for Vietnamese independence) begins, and Ho Chi Minh, the leader of the Vietminh (Vietnam Independence League), seeks refuge in a remote area of North Vietnam. |
| 15 May 1948 | Palestine, Israel, UK, Egypt, Transjordan, Iraq, Syria | The British mandate in Palestine ends, and the Jewish authorities proclaim the new state of Israel, with David Ben-Gurion as prime minister. Egypt, Transjordan, Iraq, and Syria invade Israel and occupy areas in the south and east. |
| 1 January 1953 | Maldives | The Maldive Islands become independent under British protection. The new president, Amin Didi, plays centre forward in a ceremonial football match. |
| 2 November 1953 | Pakistan | The Constituent Assembly in Pakistan decides to declare the country a republic, within the British Commonwealth, as the ‘Islamic Republic of Pakistan’. |
| 2 March 1956 | Morocco, France, Spain | France recognizes the independence of its former colony of Morocco, and Spain grants recognition on 7 April. |
| 6 March 1957 | Ghana | The Gold Coast (comprising the former colonies of the Gold Coast, Ashanti, the Northern Territories, and British Togoland) becomes an independent state within the British Commonwealth and is renamed Ghana, with Kwame Nkrumah as prime minister. On 8 March Ghana is admitted to the United Nations (UN). |
| 31 August 1957 | Malaya | The British protectorate over Malaya ends and the independent Malayan Federation comes into being. |
| 2 October 1958 | Guinea | Guinea becomes independent, having already rejected membership of the French Union. |
| 1 January 1960 | Cameroon | French Cameroon becomes the independent Republic of Cameroon. |
| 27 April 1960 | French West Africa, Togo | The French-governed part of Togoland becomes the independent Republic of Togo, Africa's smallest independent country. |
| 26 June 1960 | Madagascar | The French colony of Madagascar is proclaimed independent as the Malagasy Republic (but remains within the French Community). It is admitted to the United Nations (UN) on 20 September. |
| 26 June 1960 | British Somaliland, Somalia | British Somaliland becomes independent and, on 27 June, unites with Somalia. |
| 28 November 1960 | Mauritania, France | The colony of Mauritania proclaims independence from France as an Islamic Republic. |
| 27 April 1961 | Sierra Leone | The British colony of Sierra Leone wins independence within the Commonwealth. |
| 9 December 1961 | Tanganyika | Tanganyika becomes an independent state within the British Commonwealth. |
| 6 August 1962 | Jamaica | Jamaica becomes independent within the British Commonwealth. |
| 31 August 1962 | Trinidad and Tobago | Trinidad and Tobago (previously members of the West Indies Federation) becomes an independent nation within the British Commonwealth. |
| 9 October 1962 | Uganda | Uganda gains independence within the British Commonwealth. |
| 1 October 1963 | Nigeria | Nigeria becomes a republic within the Commonwealth, with Nnamdi Azikiwe as president. |
| 10 December 1963 | Zanzibar | Zanzibar gains independence within the British Commonwealth (now part of Tanzania). |
| 12 December 1963 | British East Africa, Kenya | Kenya becomes independent within the British Commonwealth. |
| 6 July 1964 | Nyasaland, Malawi | Britain's Nyasaland Protectorate, renamed Malawi, becomes independent within the Commonwealth. |
| 24 October 1964 | Northern Rhodesia, Zambia | Northern Rhodesia, renamed Zambia, becomes an independent republic within the Commonwealth, with Kenneth Kaunda as president (Southern Rhodesia is now known as just Rhodesia). |
| 12 December 1964 | Kenya | Kenya becomes a republic within the Commonwealth, with Jomo Kenyatta as president. |
| 18 February 1965 | Gambia | Gambia becomes independent within the British Commonwealth. |
| 26 May 1966 | British Guiana, Guyana | The colony of British Guiana gains independence as Guyana. |
| 20 September 1967 | Nigeria, Dahomey | The mid-west of Nigeria proclaims itself independent as Dahomey (now Benin). |
| 26 November 1967 | UK, Aden, South Yemen | Aden becomes independent as the People's Republic of South Yemen, and the last British troops leave on 29 November. |
| 23 February 1970 | Guyana | Guyana becomes a republic within the British Commonwealth. |
| 24 April 1970 | Gambia | Gambia becomes a republic within the British Commonwealth. |
| 10 October 1970 | Pacific | Fiji Islands becomes independent within the British Commonwealth. |
| 15 August 1971 | Bahrain, UK | Bahrain declares its independence from Britain. |
| 1 September 1971 | Qatar, UK | Qatar declares its independence from Britain. |
| 10 July 1973 | Bahamas, UK | The Bahamas achieve independence within the Commonwealth after almost 300 years of British colonial rule. |
| 7 February 1974 | Grenada | The Caribbean island of Grenada becomes independent within the Commonwealth. |
| 10 September 1974 | Portuguese Guinea, Portugal | Portuguese Guinea gains its independence from Portugal under the name Guinea-Bissau. |
| 25 June 1975 | Mozambique, Portugal | Mozambique achieves independence from Portugal, with Samora Machel as president. |
| 5 July 1975 | Cape Verde, Portugal | The Cape Verde Islands gain their independence from Portugal. |
| 6 July 1975 | Comoros, France | The Comoros Islands gain their independence from France. |
| 12 July 1975 | São Tomé e Príncipe, Portugal | São Tomé e Príncipe gains its independence from Portugal. |
| 16 September 1975 | Papua New Guinea, Australia | Papua New Guinea gains its independence from Australia and joins the Commonwealth. |
| 10 November 1975 | Angola, Portugal | Angola gains its independence from Portugal with Agostinho Neto as president, but civil war breaks out between the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). |
| 25 November 1975 | Surinam, Netherlands | Surinam, formerly Dutch Guiana, gains its independence from the Netherlands. |
| 28 June 1976 | Seychelles | The Seychelles gain their independence within the Commonwealth. |
| 1 August 1976 | Trinidad and Tobago | Trinidad and Tobago, having achieved independence from Britain in 1962, gain the status of republic within the Commonwealth. |
| 27 June 1977 | Djibouti | Djibouti gains its independence from France. |
| 7 July 1978 | Solomon Islands, UK | The Solomon Islands gain their independence from Britain. |
| 30 September 1978 | Tuvalu, UK | Tuvalu, formerly the Ellice Islands, in the southwest Pacific, gains its independence from Britain. |
| 3 November 1978 | Dominica, UK | Dominica gains its independence from Britain. |
| 22 February 1979 | St Lucia, UK | St Lucia, in the West Indies, gains its independence from Britain. |
| 11 July 1979 | Gilbert Islands, UK | The Gilbert Islands, in the Pacific, gain their independence from Britain with the new name Kiribati. |
| 27 October 1979 | St Vincent and Grenadines, UK | St Vincent and the Grenadines, in the West Indies, gain their independence from Britain. |
| 18 April 1980 | Zimbabwe Rhodesia | Zimbabwe Rhodesia gains its independence from Britain, and is renamed ‘Zimbabwe’. Its first president is the Reverend Canaan Banana. |
| 30 July 1980 | New Hebrides, France, UK | The New Hebrides, in the Pacific, become independent from Britain and France within the Commonwealth as Vanuatu. |
| 21 September 1981 | Belize | Belize becomes an independent state within the Commonwealth. |
| 1 November 1981 | West Indies | The Caribbean islands of Antigua and Barbuda become independent states within the Commonwealth. |
| 19 September 1983 | St Kitts and Nevis | The Caribbean islands of St Kitts and Nevis achieve independence from Britain. |
| 1 January 1984 | Brunei | The sultanate of Brunei becomes independent after 95 years as a British protectorate. |
| 12 March 1992 | Mauritius | Mauritius becomes a republic within the British Commonwealth. |
| 31 December 1999 | Portugal, China | The Portuguese territory of Macau is handed over to China after 442 years of colonial rule. |
