The Commonwealth was established in 1949 as an international organisation initially made up of former colonies and dominions of the British Empire, many of which became independent during the second half of the 20^th Century.

Although the majority of Commonwealth countries are republics, the British monarch remains Head of the Commonwealth. A few countries still have the British monarch as their Head of State (called “Commonwealth Realms”), while a small number have their own independent monarchies.

As of 2025, there are 56 member states. At least four had no previous connection to the British Empire as the membership criteria were expanded in 2007.

In total, the Commonwealth member states make up around a third of the world’s population (2.4 billion).

With the best of intentions, the Commonwealth has a reluctance to appear “colonial”. In the modern day, it’s more a collection of (mainly) English-speaking countries. This makes it similar to French-speaking (La Francophonie), Portuguese-speaking (CPLP) and Spanish-speaking (Organisation of Ibero-American States) international associations.

The Commonwealth is managed by a Secretariat, headquartered in London. Up to 90 different organisations are accredited by the Commonwealth to work on its behalf under the umbrella of the “Commonwealth Foundation”¹.

The Senedd is an active member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. They hosted a regional interparliamentary conference as recently as June 2025.

Perhaps the most well-known organisation is the Commonwealth Games – a multi-sport event held every four years and the only event of its kind where Wales competes in its own right.

The long-term future of the Commonwealth Games is in doubt as the cost of hosting the event – and the increasingly crowded international sports calendar – make bids less financially viable.