The Commonwealth So just what is the Commonwealth? The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal sovereign states (details listed below). The Commonwealth is home to 2.5 billion people and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. Thirty-three members are small states, many of which are island nations. The human symbol of this free association is the Head of the Commonwealth, currently King Charles III. At the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, King Charles, the then Prince of Wales, was appointed to be the late Queen Elizabeth II's designated successor. However, the position is not technically hereditary. The King is the head of state of 16 member states, known as the Commonwealth realms, while 35 other member states are republics, and five others have different monarchs. Member states have no legal or formal obligation to one another. Instead, they are held together by shared traditions, institutions, and experiences as well as by economic self-interest. These values and aspirations are inscribed in the Commonwealth Charter. Member countries are supported by a network of more than 80 intergovernmental, civil society, cultural and professional organisations. The following countries are members of the Commonwealth: AFRICA Botswana Cameroon Gabon The Gambia Ghana Kenya Kingdom of eSwatini Lesotho Malawi Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Nigeria Rwanda Seychelles Sierra Leone South Africa Togo Uganda United Republic of Tanzania Zambia AMERICAS Antigua and Barbuda The Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Dominica Grenada Guyana Jamaica Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago ASIA Bangladesh Brunei Darussalam India Malaysia Pakistan Singapore Sri Lanka The Maldives EUROPE Cyprus Malta United Kingdom PACIFIC Australia Fiji Islands Kiribati Nauru New Zealand Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu