For most countries, this entry gives the date that sovereignty was achieved and from which nation, empire, or trusteeship. For the other countries, the date given may not represent "independence" in the strict sense, but rather some significant nationhood event such as the traditional founding date or the date of unification, federation, confederation, establishment, fundamental change in the form of government, or state succession. Establishing statehood was a lengthy evolutionary process for several countries over decades or centuries. In such cases, several significant dates are cited. Dependent areas include the notation "none" followed by the nature of their dependency status. Also, see the Terminology note.
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 was 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)
Cabo Verde
5 July 1975 (from Portugal)
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
Czechia
1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia);
note - although 1 January is the day the Czech Republic came into being, the Czechs commemorate 28 October 1918, the day former Czechoslovakia declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as their independence day
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);
0 August 1991 (declared from the Soviet Union);
6 September 1991 (recognized by the Soviet Union)
Eswatini
6 September 1968 (from the UK)
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 land 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) was proclaimed on 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French zones;
German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) was 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)
Isle of Man
none (British Crown dependency)
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 three independence referenda, on 4 November 2018, 4 October 2020, and 12 December 2021, the majority voted to reject independence in favor of maintaining the status quo; an 18-month transition period is now in place (ending 30 June 2023), during which a referendum on the new status of New Caledonia within France will take place
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)
North Macedonia
8 September 1991 (referendum by registered voters endorsed independence from Yugoslavia)
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 Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha
none (overseas territory of the UK)
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)
Timor-Leste
20 May 2002 (from Indonesia); note - 28 November 1975 was the date independence was proclaimed from Portugal; 20 May 2002 was the date of international recognition of Timor-Leste's independence from Indonesia
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 (Turkiye)
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)
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