Our Charity The Commonwealth So just what is the Commonwealth? The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 53 independent and equal sovereign states (listed below). The Commonwealth is home to 2.4 billion people and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. Thirty-one members are small states, many of which are island nations. The human symbol of this free association is the Head of the Commonwealth, currently Queen Elizabeth II. At the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Charles, Prince of Wales, was appointed to be her designated successor. However, the position is not technically hereditary. The Queen is the head of state of 16 member states, known as the Commonwealth realms, while 32 other member states are republics, and five others have different monarchs. Member states have no legal obligations to one another. Instead, they are united by English language, history, culture, and their shared values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. These principles are inscribed in the Commonwealth Charter. Member countries are supported by a network of more than 80 intergovernmental, civil society, cultural and professional organisations. As of 2019, the following countries are members of the Commonwealth: AFRICA: BotswanaCameroonThe GambiaGhanaKenyaKingdom of eSwatiniLesothoMalawiMauritiusMozambiqueNamibiaNigeriaRwandaSeychellesSierra LeoneSouth AfricaUgandaUnited Republic of TanzaniaZambia AMERICAS: Antigua and BarbudaThe BahamasBarbadosBelizeCanadaDominicaGrenadaGuyanaJamaicaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesTrinidad and Tobago ASIA: BangladeshBrunei DarussalamIndiaMalaysiaPakistanSingaporeSri Lanka EUROPE: CyprusMaltaUnited Kingdom PACIFIC: AustraliaFiji IslandsKiribatiNauruNew ZealandPapua New GuineaSamoaSolomon IslandsTongaTuvaluVanuatu