Timeline of national independence

This list includes sovereign states (list) and states with limited recognition that have declared independence from a predecessor state or an occupying power. Various states have never declared independence throughout their formations and hence are not included in the list. The list generally does not include duplicated entries for states declaring independence in several stages, with the exception of those states that have been militarily occupied for a significant length of time. Subnational entities are usually not included in the list unless they were independent countries prior to joining a larger country (e.g. Zanzibar, which joined Tanganyika to form Tanzania). Some of these dates of independence might be disputed. Entries in the "events" table are written in the present tense.

Before 19th century
Year Previous entity Newly independent entity Event
1480 Great Horde Grand Duchy of Moscow The Great Stand on the Ugra River is seen in Russian historiography as the end of Tatar/Mongol rule over Moscow.[1]
1581 Spain Dutch Republic The Plakkaat van Verlatinghe was signed, declaring Dutch independence from Spain. The event took place during the Eighty Years' War. Spain recognized Dutch independence in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.[2]
1640 Iberian Union Portugal The Portuguese revolution of 1640 brought a formal end to the Iberian Union with the Treaty of Lisbon in 1668. The House of Braganza established itself as Portugal's new ruling dynasty.[3]
1776 Great Britain United States In 1776, the Thirteen Colonies of British America declare their independence a year into a general insurrection. Recognized by Great Britain in 1783 at the Treaty of Paris.

19th century to World War I
Year Previous entity Newly independent entity Event
1804 France Haiti After initially revolting only to restore French control, Saint-Domingue declares its independence as Haiti. Recognized by France in 1825 in exchange for a ₣150 million indemnity, financed through the French banks. In 1862, Haiti was also recognized by the United States before the United States occupation of Haiti was underway between 1915 and 1934 for the exchange for the economic $ million for New York Community Bank policies by the United States Administrations.
1811 Spain Paraguay Paraguay achieves independence. Recognized by Spain in 1880.
Venezuela Venezuela declares its independence. During its revolution, it joins Gran Colombia, before seceding to achieve independence in 1830.
Gran Colombia (today Colombia and Panama) Cartagena declares its independence. Cundinamarca and the United Provinces of New Granada followed suit in 1813. Briefly retaken by Spain, saved by Simon Bolivar and united as Colombia in 1821. Panama seceded 1903.
1815 Spain Uruguay The Federal League declares its independence of the restored Spanish crown, after having successfully revolted against Napoleonic Spain in 1811. Attacked by Portugal, some provinces united with future Argentina; others, after a protracted struggle, successfully formed Uruguay in 1828. Recognized by Spain in 1870.
1816 Spain Argentina The United Provinces of South America formally declare their independence of the restored Spanish crown, after having successfully revolted against Napoleonic Spain in its name in 1810. Became Argentina in 1826. Recognized by Spain in 1859.[4]
1818 Spain Chile Chile declares its independence of the restored crown, after having unsuccessfully revolted against Napoleonic Spain in its name in 1810. Recognized by the Spanish in 1844.
1821 Spain Mexico Following a failed liberal insurrection in New Spain, the colony declares its independence as the Mexican Empire after a liberal mutiny succeeds in Spain. Recognized by Spain in 1836. Texas independent in 1836, annexed to the United States in 1845. Upper California and New Mexico lost to the United States in 1848.
Central America (today Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, and part of Mexico) Chiapas and then all of Guatemala declares its independence as part of the Mexican Empire. Independent from Mexico in 1823 as the Federal Republic of Central America. Divided into Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Guatemala in 1838; remnant renamed El Salvador in 1841.
Dominican Republic Santo Domingo declares independence as Spanish Haiti, requests union with Gran Colombia, and is swiftly annexed by Haiti. It will achieve independence in 1844 only to restore Spanish rule in 1861.
Peru A Chilean expeditionary force declares the independence of Peru. Bolivia formed from Upper Peru in 1825. Recognized by Spain in 1879.
Ottoman Empire Greece Greece revolts. Recognized by the Porte in 1832 in the Treaty of Constantinople.
1822 Spain Ecuador Quito declares independence as a part of Gran Colombia. Independent from Colombia as Ecuador in 1830. Recognized by Spain in 1840.
Portugal Brazil Brazil, long the seat of the Portuguese royal government, declares independence under a rogue prince after the king returns to Lisbon. Recognized by Portugal in 1825.
1831 Netherlands Belgium During the Belgian Revolution, the Provisional Government led by Charles Rogier was formed on 24 September and Belgian independence was officially proclaimed on 4 October. The Netherlands recognized Belgian independence in the 1839 Treaty of London.[5]
1836 Mexico Republic of Texas Texas seceded from Mexico in 1836, spurred on primarily by American settlers in the former Mexican territory against the government of Santa Anna.[6]
1847 United States Liberia Liberia declares its independence as an organized nation. Independence was officially recognized by the United States in 1862
1848 United Kingdom Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia Britain grants responsible government to Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, while keeping control of foreign policy. The three provinces confederated in 1867 to form the modern nation of Canada. Britain retained legal powers over Canada until 1931, and a role in Canada constitutional law until 1982.
1851 United Kingdom Prince Edward Island Britain grants responsible government to Prince Edward Island (PEI) while keeping control of foreign policy. PEI joined Canada in 1873.
1852 Ottoman Empire Serbia and Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro declares their full independence from Ottoman Empire. Recognized in 1878 at the Congress of Berlin. Montenegro Voluntarily united with Serbia as Yugoslavia in 1918.
1854 United Kingdom Newfoundland and Labrador Britain grants responsible government to Newfoundland and Labrador (NL). The 1931 Statute of Westminster gave it legal and foreign policy as well, but NL gave up its independence in 1933 and returned under British direct rule. NL joined Canada as its tenth province in 1949 following a referendum.
1865 Spain Dominican Republic Santo Domingo regains independence as the Dominican Republic after four years as a restored colony.
1877 Ottoman Empire Romania The United Principalities of Romania declare their independence. Recognized in 1878 at the Congress of Berlin.
1898 Spain Cuba, Philippines The United States (barred from annexing Cuba itself by the Teller Amendment) forces Spain to abjure its own claims to the island in the Treaty of Paris ending the Spanish–American War. Various other Spanish colonies are purchased for $20 million, including the Philippines, causing an immediate backlash among the Philippine revolutionaries who have been fighting for independence since 1896. The Philippine Republic would fall to the United States in 1901 following the capture of President Emilio Aguinaldo. In 1935, the Insular Government over the Philippines was replaced with the Commonwealth.
1900 United Kingdom Australia Britain grants internal autonomy to Australia, while keeping control of foreign policy. Britain retained legal powers over Australia until 1942, and shared a role in Australia constitutional law until 1986.
1902 United States Cuba Cuba granted independence. Guantanamo Bay is leased in perpetuity as a US Naval base.
1907 United Kingdom New Zealand Britain grants internal autonomy to New Zealand, while keeping control of foreign policy. Britain retained legal powers over New Zealand until 1947, and shared a role in New Zealand constitutional law until 1986.
1908 Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Bulgaria, largely autonomous since the Congress of Berlin, declares itself fully independent of the Ottoman Empire.
1910 United Kingdom South Africa Britain grants internal autonomy to South Africa, while keeping control of foreign policy. Britain retained legal powers over South Africa until 1931, and shared a head of state until 1961.
1911 Qing dynasty Outer Mongolia (today part of Mongolia and Tuva, Russia) On November 29, 1911, after the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution, Bogd Khan proclaimed independence from China establishing the Bogd Khanate of Mongolia. It was replaced by the Mongolian People's Republic in 1924 and succeeded by the present-day Mongolia in 1992. The Uryankhay Republic also became independent on December 1, 1911, only to reconstitute into the Tuvan People's Republic in 1921 before its annexation into the Soviet Union in 1944.
Tibet The 13th Dalai Lama established an independent Tibetan polity from 1912 to 1951 when it was annexed into the People's Republic of China, but the social structures would remain in place until 1959.
1912 Ottoman Empire Albania Albania declares independence. Recognized in the 1913 Treaty of London.

Interwar period
Year Previous entity Newly independent entity Event
1917 Russia Finland Finland declares its independence. This is recognized in the 1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, although Karelia remains disputed.
Crimean People's Republic (located on the Crimean Peninsula)[lower-alpha 1] The Crimean People's Republic declares independence. Crimean Tatar forces hold out for less than a month against the Russian-Soviet Bolsheviks.
Idel-Ural State (today part of Russia) Volga Tatars declare the independence of the Idel-Ural State; other ethnic groups including Volga Germans and Bashkirs join them. The republic is crushed by the Russian-Soviet Bolsheviks a few months later.
Alash Autonomy (predecessor to Kazakhstan) Kazakhs declare the independence of the Alash Autonomy, a predecessor of Kazakhstan. This lasts for less than three years before being defeated by the Russian-Soviet Bolsheviks.
1918
Second Polish Republic (predecessor to Poland) In 1918–1919, the Second Polish Republic is established in the former Austro-Hungarian-controlled Poland, shortly after the end of World War I (Austria-Hungary is disintegrated as a country in 1918). In 1919, the Weimer Republic (Germany) recognizes Poland via the Treaty of Versailles. Territories from the Germany Empire, Russian Empire (succeeded by Soviet Russia), and Soviet Ukraine are also absorbed by Poland.
Russia Moldavian Democratic Republic (today mostly Moldova and partially Ukraine) The Bessarabia Governorate declares itself as autonomous in 1917 and then as independent in 1918. Afterwards, it unites with Romania.
Transcaucasia, Armenia 1R, Azerbaijan DR, Georgia DR (predecessors to Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia respectively) The Transcaucasian Democratic Federal Republic, a federation of present-day Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia, declares independence from the former Russian Empire (collapsed in 1917) on 22 April 1918. However, the federation collapses after roughly one month, breaking apart into the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (May 26), the Democratic Republic of Georgia (May 28), and the (First) Republic of Armenia (May 28). All three states are conquered by the Soviet Union's Red Army in 1920–1921.
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania declare independence (1;2) in 1918. All three states initially secure their independence by 1920 and remain as independent countries for a significant length of time. However, in 1940, all three are invaded and annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940. The three states remain de facto parts of the Soviet Union (1;2;3) from 1940 to 1991/1992, but the Western Bloc generally continues to recognize them as de jure independent throughout that entire period. The de facto independence of the three Baltic states is restored in 1991/1992 with the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Ukrainian People's Republic (predecessor to Ukraine) The Ukrainian People's Republic declares independence in January 1918 and is recognized by several states, including by Bolshevik Russia in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (March 1918). It loses its international recognition after the Paris Peace Conference, and it loses its territory to the Russian-created Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, which is itself formally subordinated to Russia by the formation of the Soviet Union in 1922.
Austria-Hungary Czechoslovakia (today the Czech Republic and Slovakia) Bohemia, Moravia, and sections of Silesia, Galicia, and Hungary declare their independence as Czechoslovakia. Recognized in the Treaty of Trianon in 1920. Slovakia independent from 1939 to 1945. Carpathian Ruthenia independent in 1939, eventually annexed to Ukraine. Secession of Slovakia in 1993.
State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (today Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina) Croatia-Slavonia and Dalmatia declare their independence as the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs and swiftly unites with Serbia as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes which later became Yugoslavia.
Ukraine The West Ukrainian People's Republic (ZUNR) declared independence November 1, 1918, and symbolically united with the Ukrainian People's Republic on January 22, 1919. It allied with Poland in the 1920 Treaty of Warsaw, but was absorbed after the 1921 Peace of Riga.
Denmark Iceland After the signing of the Danish–Icelandic Act of Union, Iceland becomes a sovereign state in personal union with Denmark.
1919 United Kingdom Afghanistan End of the protected state[7]: 50  over Afghanistan with the Anglo-Afghan treaty after the Third Anglo-Afghan War.
1920 Ottoman Empire Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine (today Israel and Palestine) The San Remo conference establishes League of Nations mandates from Ottoman Mesopotamia and Syria. The 1920 Iraqi revolt prevents the mandate over Mesopotamia from being enacted, and was replaced with the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty in 1922. In 1926, Greater Lebanon became the Lebanese Republic.
1921 China Mongolia Communist Mongolian revolutionaries, with the help of the Red Army, expel the Chinese government presence from Outer Mongolia. Mongolia was recognized by the United Nations in 1961.
1922 United Kingdom Irish Free State (now named the "Republic of Ireland") The Irish Republic is granted independence and statehood while remaining apart of the commonwealth, being renamed the "Irish Free State," while the partition of the island would create two entities, with Northern Ireland remaining in the United Kingdom. The monarch of the United Kingdom would remain head of state until 1949.
1922 United Kingdom Egypt Egypt is unilaterally granted independence by the United Kingdom. However, four matters (imperial communications, defence, the protection of foreign interests and minorities, as well as Sudan) remain "absolutely reserved to the discretion" of the British government, which greatly restricts the full exercise of Egyptian sovereignty.
1931 China Chinese Soviet Republic (consisting of Jiangxi and Fujian with other disconnected areas) The Chinese Communists led by Mao Zedong established the Chinese Soviet Republic in Ruijin. The regime collapsed in 1934 by the start of the Long March before the entity ceased to exist in 1937.[8]
1932 United Kingdom Iraq End of League of Nations Mandate over Iraq. The United Kingdom continues to station troops in the country and influence the Iraqi government until 1958.
1940 France Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia[9] After the Fall of France, the new French State de facto cedes control of French Indochina to Japan, weakening the colonial system that would make it difficult for France to control their colony once it is returned to them.
1941 Italy Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopia[10] Eritrea, Tigray Province (appended to it), Italian Somaliland, and Ethiopia are taken by the Allies after an uneasy occupation of Ethiopia since 1935–36, and no longer joined as one colonial federal state. Ethiopia, the only African state to escape the Scramble for Africa, returns to being a sovereign nation, while the Ogaden desert (disputed by Somalia) remains under British military control until 1948.
1943 France Lebanon Lebanon declares independence, effectively ending the French mandate (previously together with Syria).
1944 Denmark[11] Iceland Following a plebiscite, Iceland formally becomes a republic, ending the personal union between Denmark and Iceland.
1945 Empire of Japan Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia[9] In the last months of World War II, Japanese forces in French Indochina overthrew the largely powerless colonial administration and declare the independence of the Vietnam (which was formed from three separate colonies) Cambodia, and Laos. After the surrender of Japan, all three states would be disestablished and, in theory, returned to French colonial rule.
Korea (today North Korea and South Korea) After the surrender of Japan, Korea, having previously been annexed by Japan in 1910, is occupied by the Soviet Union and the United States. Korea is shortly thereafter divided into two sovereign states, North Korea (established 1948) and South Korea (established 1948), both claiming authority over the entirety of Korea. Japan officially relinquishes sovereignty over Korea via the Treaty of San Francisco in 1951 (ratified 1952).
Taiwan (today administered by the Republic of China, claimed by the People's Republic of China) After the surrender of Japan, Taiwan[lower-alpha 2], having previously been ceded to Japan by the Qing dynasty (China) in 1895, is occupied by the Republic of China (ROC) in accordance with General Order No. 1. Four years later (1949), the Kuomintang-led ROC escapes to Taiwan and effectively becomes a rump state whilst the People's Republic of China (PRC) is proclaimed on the mainland during the Chinese Civil War. The ROC and PRC compete for international diplomatic recognition as the legitimate government of China. Meanwhile, Taiwan becomes central to the dispute between these two governments. The political status of Taiwan becomes undetermined after Japan relinquishes the territory with the Treaty of San Francisco in 1951 (ratified 1952).
 Indonesia Having been occupied by Japan since 1942, the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) is returned to the Netherlands in 1945. However, two days after its return, the NEI declares independence as Indonesia. After four years of armed struggle, this is recognized by the Netherlands in 1949.

Cold War
Year Previous entity Newly independent entity Event
1946 United States Philippines The treaty of Manila is signed, effectively ending over 380 years of foreign domination in the Philippines. United States military bases continued to be stationed in the islands.
United Kingdom Jordan The former Emirate of Transjordan became an independent Hashemite kingdom when the United Kingdom relinquishes its League of Nations mandate.
France Syria The former Mandate of Syria became an independent Republic.
1947 United Kingdom India, Pakistan The British government leaves India, which is partitioned into the secular, but Hindu-majority state of India and the Muslim state of Pakistan.
1948 United Kingdom Myanmar, Sri Lanka Burma, which had separated from British India earlier and did not gain independence in 1947, and Ceylon, which despite being a part of the Indian subcontinent was only briefly a part of British India, became independent.
Israel Jewish inhabitants of Palestine declare independence, forming the state of Israel; the remainder of Palestine became de facto part of the Arab states of Egypt (Gaza strip) and Transjordan (West Bank).
1949 Dutch East Indies United States of Indonesia Previously, Indonesia had proclaimed its independence in 1945, however it wasn't recognized by any international powers until the Treaty of Linggardjati was signed in 1947, and was limited only to a few islands of Sumatra, Java, and Madura. But in 1949, Indonesia and the Dutch Empire agreed to federalize the Dutch East Indies remaining territories (including states like East Indonesia and Pasundan but excluded Western New Guinea) and the Republic of Indonesia into a single political entity in the Round table conference held in the Hague.
1951 France, United Kingdom Libya The British-controlled Tripolitania and the French-controlled Fezzan unifies with the Emirate of Cyrenaica to form the Kingdom of Libya.
1953 France Cambodia, Laos The two non-Vietnamese protectorates of French Indochina, Cambodia and Laos, became independent.
1954 France Vietnam Before France is able to regain control over French Indochina, Vietnam declares independence in 1945. On May 20, 1949, the French National Assembly approved the reunification of Cochinchina with the rest of Vietnam. The decision took effect on June 14 and the State of Vietnam was officially proclaimed on July 2. From 1949 to 1954, after reunification with Cochinchina, the State of Vietnam had partial autonomy from France as an associated state within the French Union.

France will recognize Vietnam in 1954 following a severe defeat, although between that year and 1975 Vietnam was divided into a communist north and a largely anti-communist south under American influence, before reuniting under North Vietnam rule.

1956 United Kingdom, Egypt (de jure, de facto just United Kingdom) Sudan (today Sudan and South Sudan) Egypt ends it claims of sovereignty over Sudan, forcing the United Kingdom to do the same. The southern non-Arab half will later became an independent state in 2011.
France Tunisia Tunisia achieves independence as a kingdom, becoming a republic the following year.
France, Spain Morocco After large-scale protests forces France to return the sultan of Morocco, the French-controlled territories, most of the Spanish-controlled territories (except Cape Juby and Ifni) and the Tangier International Zone are united into an independent kingdom.
1957 United Kingdom Ghana The Gold Coast became independent, initiating the decolonization of sub-Saharan Africa.
Malaysia The Federation of Malaya became independent.
1958 France Guinea After being the only colony to vote against the 1958 French constitution, Guinea is granted independence.
1960 United Kingdom Cyprus (today de facto Cyprus and Northern Cyprus) Most of Cyprus became independent, though the UK retains sovereign control over Akrotiri and Dhekelia. In 1983, the northern Turkish half of Cyprus declared its independence (this state is only recognized by Turkey).
Nigeria Nigeria became independent.
Italy, United Kingdom Somalia (today de facto Somalia and Somaliland) British Somaliland became independent. As the State of Somaliland, the former British Somaliland protectorate merges as scheduled five days later with the Trust Territory of Somaliland (the former Italian Somaliland) to form the Somali Republic. (In the aftermath of the Somali Civil War, the former British Somaliland split from Somalia and has been an internationally unrecognized independent state called Somaliland since 1991.)
France Ivory Coast, Benin, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali Federation (today Mali and Senegal) All remaining colony members of French West Africa became independent, including Côte d'Ivoire, Dahomey, Mauritania, Niger, Upper Volta, French Sudan, and Senegal (the last two originally as a single-entity called the Mali Federation; within the same year the two split off into Mali and Senegal).
Chad, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Gabon All colony members of French Equatorial Africa became independent, including Chad, Ubangi-Shari, the French Congo, and Gabon.
Cameroon, Togo The United Nations trust territories of Cameroun and French Togoland became independent.
Madagascar Madagascar became independent.
Belgium Democratic Republic of the Congo The Belgian Congo (also known as Congo-Kinshasa, later renamed Zaire and presently the Democratic Republic of the Congo) became independent.
1961 United Kingdom Tanzania The United Nations trust territory of Tanganyika became independent.
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone became independent.
Kuwait The United Kingdom ends its protectorate over the Sheikhdom of Kuwait.
British Cameroons (today part of Nigeria and part of Cameroon) After a referendum, United Nations trust territory of Cameroons is dissolved, with the northern Muslim half deciding to merge with Nigeria and the southern Christian half deciding to merge with Cameroon.
1962 United Kingdom Uganda Uganda achieves independence.
Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago With the collapse of the West Indies Federation, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago became independent as separate entities.
France Algeria Following the end of the Algerian War and the signing of the Évian Accords, both French and Algerian voters approve the independence of Algeria.
Belgium Rwanda, Burundi Following a period of ethnic violence in Rwanda that led to abolition of its monarchy, Belgium ends its trusteeship over it and Burundi.
New Zealand Samoa The South Sea UN trusteeship over Western Samoa (formerly German Samoa and nowadays called just Samoa) is relinquished.
1963 United Kingdom Kenya, Zanzibar (today part of Tanzania) The United Kingdom and the Sultanate of Zanzibar ceded its sovereignty over Kenya. Zanzibar, itself a British Protectorate, would also have its protectorate terminated in the same year. After the Zanzibar Revolution that occurred a year later, Zanzibar merged with Tanganyika, which promptly renamed itself the United Republic of Tanzania.
Sarawak (today part of Malaysia), North Borneo (today part of Malaysia), Singapore Sarawak, North Borneo and Singapore merges with the independent Federation of Malaya, which promptly renamed itself Malaysia. Within two years, however, Singapore would be expelled from Malaysia.
1964 United Kingdom Zambia, Malawi Following the dissolution of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland declare independence.
Malta The Mediterranean island of Malta became independent.
Soviet Union Romania Communist rulers in Romania declared political and economic independence from Soviet control. The regime continued to exist for 25 more years until its collapse in 1989.
1965 United Kingdom Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia declares independence as Rhodesia, but is not recognized due to its unwillingness to accommodate to black-majority rule.
The Gambia The Gambia receives independence.
Maldives The British protectorate over the Maldives archipelago in the Indian Ocean ends.
1966 United Kingdom Barbados, Guyana In the British West Indies, Barbados (which was a former member of the West Indies Federation) and British Guiana became independent.
Botswana, Lesotho Near South Africa, Bechuanaland and Basutoland became independent.
1967 United Kingdom South Yemen (today part of Yemen) On the Arabian peninsula, the Protectorate of South Arabia and the Federation of South Arabia became independent as a single entity called the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (or South Yemen). In 1990, South Yemen merged with the Yemen Arab Republic (or North Yemen), which promptly renamed itself as the Republic of Yemen.
1968 United Kingdom Mauritius Mauritius achieves independence.
Swaziland The Kingdom of Swaziland has its protectorate terminated.
Spain Equatorial Guinea Spanish Guinea achieves independence.
Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom (de jure, de facto just Australia) Nauru Australia relinquishes UN trusteeship (nominally shared by the United Kingdom and New Zealand) of Nauru in the South Sea.
1970 United Kingdom Oman The United Kingdom ends its protectorate over Muscat and Oman.
1971 United Kingdom Fiji, Tonga In Oceania, Fiji became independent, while the protectorate over the Kingdom of Tonga ends.
United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar All seven members of the Trucial States became independent upon the termination of their protectorates, with six (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain) forming the United Arab Emirates; the seventh, Ras al-Khaimah, would join the UAE a year after. Two other Arab monarchies in the Persian Gulf, Bahrain and Qatar (which despite discussions of joining the UAE were not considered part of the Trucial States) also became independent as their British protectorates are lifted.
Pakistan Bangladesh Rise of the Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan led to the Liberation War and eventually resulted in the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent sovereign in 1971
1973 United Kingdom The Bahamas The Bahamas are granted independence.
Portugal Guinea-Bissau After more than a decade of fighting, guerrillas unilaterally declare independence in the Southeastern regions of Portuguese Guinea. It would not be recognized by Portugal until a year later, in the aftermath of Carnation Revolution.
1974 United Kingdom Grenada Grenada, a former member of the West Indies Federation became independent.
1975 France Comoros The Comoros archipelago in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa is granted independence from France. The island of Mayotte remains a part of France.
Portugal Angola, Mozambique After the Carnation Revolution, the two other colonies who have been fighting against colonial rule, Angola and Mozambique achieve independence.
Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe After the Carnation Revolution, the Western African island groups of Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe achieve independence.
East Timor After the Carnation Revolution, East Timor declares independence, but is subsequently invaded and occupied by Indonesia nine days later.
Netherlands Suriname Surinam (also known as Dutch Guiana) achieves independence.
Australia Papua New Guinea Released from Australian trusteeship, Papua New Guinea gains independence.
Spain Western Sahara (self-declared Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic) Spain relinquishes its control over Western Sahara (the colony of Río de Oro). A tripartite agreement is signed to transfer the territory to Morocco and Mauritania, but these transfers are not internationally recognized. Mauritania subsequently leaves the territory whereas Morocco annexes the portion under its control, which is again internationally unrecognized. The United Nations continues to regard Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory, whilst the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is declared, receiving partial international recognition, including being admitted into the African Union.
1976 United Kingdom Seychelles The Seychelles archipelago in the Indian Ocean off the African coast became independent (one year after granting of self-rule).
1977 France Djibouti French Somaliland, also known as the "French Territory of the Afars and the Issas" (after its dominant ethnic groups), gains independence.
1978 United Kingdom Dominica Dominica, a former member of the West Indies Federation, became independent.
Solomon Islands, Tuvalu The Solomon Islands and the Ellice Islands (which previously split off from the Gilbert and Ellice Islands) became independent.
1979 United Kingdom Kiribati The Gilbert Islands became independent.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Saint Lucia, both former members of the West Indies Federation, became independent.
1980 United Kingdom Zimbabwe In the aftermath of the Rhodesian Bush War, Rhodesia, which temporary regained its colonial status, became formally independent under black-majority rule.
United Kingdom, France Vanuatu The joint Anglo-French colony of the New Hebrides became the independent island Republic of Vanuatu.
1981 United Kingdom Belize, Antigua and Barbuda In the British West Indies, British Honduras and Antigua and Barbuda (which was a former member of the West Indies Federation) became independent.
1983 United Kingdom Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis (an associated state since 1963) became independent.
1984 United Kingdom Brunei The United Kingdom ends its protectorate over the Brunei sultanate.
1990 South Africa Namibia South West Africa, the only League of Nation mandate that did not become a United Nation trust territory via independence, became independent from South Africa. South Africa would continue to hold on to Walvis Bay and the Penguin Islands until 1994.
Soviet Union Lithuania Declared the end of Soviet occupation and restoration of its 1918 independence on March 11.
 Marshall Islands, Micronesia The UN Security Council gives final approval to end the U.S. Trust Territory of the Pacific (dissolved already in 1986), finalizing the independence of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia, having been a colonial possession of the Empire of Japan before UN trusteeship.
1991 Soviet Union Estonia Adopted a resolution on March 30 that its independent status had never been suspended and only subject to an illegal occupation since 1940, and another on August 20 restoring an Estonian republic.
Georgia Declared independence on April 9 after a referendum.
Latvia Restored pre-Soviet-occupation independence on May 4, and full independence on August 21.
Belarus, Ukraine Following a coup attempt by Russian hardliners against the Soviet government, Ukraine declared independence on August 24, and its people ratified this in a referendum on December 1, gaining international recognition, including by the Russian Republic, the following day. Belarus declared independence August 25. With Russia, both agreed to dissolve the Soviet Union when they signed the Belavezha Accords on December 8.
Moldova, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Russian Federation, Kazakhstan With Belarus and Ukraine, the remaining Soviet republics signed the Almaty Protocol on December 21, agreeing to dissolve the Soviet Union and create a Commonwealth of Independent States. On December 25, Soviet president Gorbachev resigned and the Soviet Union was effectively dissolved.
Yugoslavia Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Republic of Serbian Krajina When Yugoslavia started to disintegrate, Slovenia and Croatia declared independence on June 25, leading to the start of the Ten-Day War and the Croatian War of Independence. Serb-inhabited areas in Croatia proclaimed independence and later formed the unrecognized Republic of Serbian Krajina. Macedonia declared independence on September 9 but Greek objections prevented the country from joining the United Nations until 1993 over the naming dispute which lasted until 2018 when the country was renamed to the Republic of North Macedonia the following year.

Post–Cold War era
Year Previous entity Newly independent entity Event
1992 Yugoslavia Bosnia and Herzegovina, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia As the Yugoslav Wars were underway, Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence on March 1 while the Serb statelet of Republika Srpska did so the next month. Meanwhile, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was also declared which consisted of two remaining SFRY republics of Serbia and Montenegro, which is not the direct successor state of the former Socialist Federal Republic but abandoned its claims in 1996.
1993 Federation of Ethiopia and Eritrea (Ethiopia) Eritrea Eritrea, a former Italian colony that had joined an uneasy federation with Ethiopia, declares independence and is universally recognized after a thirty-year war.
1994
Palau Palau (after a transitional period as a Republic since 1981, and previously a part of the U.S. Trust territory of the Pacific) becomes independent from its former trustee, having been a mandate of the Japanese Empire before UN trusteeship.
 Palestinian National Authority (self-declared State of Palestine) The Palestinian National Authority is formed to govern Areas A and B of the West Bank while Area C and East Jerusalem remain under Israeli occupation, six years after the partially-recognized State of Palestine's declaration of independence as a government in exile in Algiers in 1988.
2002
East Timor East Timor declares independence for a second time ("restores independence"), an act that is universally recognized. This ends an interim United Nations administration, three years after the end of Indonesia's quarter-century occupation of the former Portuguese colony.
2006
Serbia, Montenegro After the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was renamed to Serbia and Montenegro in 2003, Montenegro held its independence referendum on May 23 and declared independence on June 3 with Serbia following suit two days later, thus ending the 88-year existence of the Yugoslav state.
2008
Kosovo Having been placed under an interim United Nations administration in 1999, Kosovo unilaterally declares independence from Serbia in 2008, an act that Serbia does not recognize. Subsequently, Kosovo is recognized by 114 countries. Numerous countries don't recognize Kosovo in favour of Serbia's official position.
2011 Sudan South Sudan Following a referendum, South Sudan declares independence from Sudan, an act that is universally recognized. This follows over twenty years of war. Both Sudan and South Sudan continue to be plagued by war following their split.
2014 Ukraine Donetsk People's Republic, Luhansk People's Republic The Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) declared independence from Ukraine in 2014, occupying parts of Donetsk Oblast and Luhansk Oblast respectively. Both entities were almost universally unrecognized. In February 2022, Russia recognizes the DPR and LPR and launches a full-scale invasion of Ukraine three days later. In September 2022, Russia annexes the DPR and LPR following disputed referendums.

See also

Notes
  1. The Crimean Peninsula is disputed between Ukraine and Russia in the present day (as of October 2022).
  2. Historically, Taiwan was often referred to as two territorial units, i.e. "Taiwan and Penghu" (aka "Formosa and the Pescadores"), but Penghu is effectively just a part of Taiwan.
  3. Imperial Japanese rule over the Netherlands East Indies was internationally regarded as a military occupation at the time.
  4. The United Kingdom administered Palestine as "Mandatory Palestine" from 1920 to 1948 on the basis of a League of Nations mandate.
  5. Jordan annexed the West Bank of Palestine in 1950 (occupied since 1948). Jordan relinquished the West Bank in 1988, after having lost control of the territory to Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967.
  6. Egypt occupied the Gaza Strip of Palestine from 1948 until 1967, when Egypt lost control of the territory to Israel in the Six-Day War. From 1958 until 1961, Egypt and Syria had been united as the United Arab Republic, which Egypt kept as its official name until 1971, despite Syria's departure from the union. From 1948 to 1959, the Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip was nominally ruled under the "All-Palestine Government".

References
  1. Michael Khodarkovsky, Russia's Steppe Frontier: The Making of a Colonial Empire, 1500–1800 (Indiana University Press, 2002), 80.
  2. Israel, J. I. (1995). The Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall, 1477–1806. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-873072-1.
  3. Elliot, J.H. (2002). Imperial Spain: 1469-1716. New York: Penguin Books. pp. 337–338. ISBN 0-14-100703-6.
  4. Spain proffered a treaty of recognition in 1857, but it was rejected by the Argentine legislature.
  5. Galloy, Denise; Hayt, Franz (2006). La Belgique: des Tribus Gauloises à l'Etat Fédéral (in French) (5th ed.). Brussels: De Boeck. ISBN 2-8041-5098-4.
  6. Shelly L Peffer (2008). Tenuous legitimacy: The administrative state, the antigovernment movement, and the stability of the United States constitutional democracy (PhD). Cleveland State University. Docket 3316905.
  7. Onley, James (2009). "The Raj Reconsidered: British India's Informal Empire and Spheres of Influence in Asia and Africa". Asian Affairs. 40 (1): 44–62. doi:10.1080/03068370802658666.
  8. "That time Mao declared independence from China". 28 March 2017.
  9. The Japanese rule over French Indochina is usually seen on par with other occupations at that time.
  10. The Italian rule over Ethiopia is often put on par with other occupations at that time despite its administration showing characteristics of colonial rule. Probably motivated by its short duration spanning only 5 years.
  11. Occupied by Germany.
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