List of chief justices of India

List of Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of India

Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, current CJI since 14 May 2025

The chief justice of India is the highest-ranking officer of the Indian judiciary and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of India. As head of the Supreme Court, the chief justice is responsible for the allocation of cases and appointment of constitutional benches which deal with important matters of law.[1] In accordance with Article 145 of the Constitution of India and the Supreme Court Rules of Procedure of 1966, the chief justice allocates all work to the other judges.[2]

A new chief justice is appointed by the president of India with recommendations by the outgoing chief justice in consultation with other judges.[3] The chief justice serves in the role until they reach the age of sixty-five or are removed by the constitutional process of impeachment.[2] As per convention, the name suggested by the incumbent chief justice is almost always the next senior-most judge in the Supreme Court. This convention has been broken twice: in 1973, Justice A. N. Ray was appointed superseding three senior judges and in 1977, Justice Mirza Hameedullah Beg was appointed as the chief justice superseding Justice Hans Raj Khanna.[4]

A total of 51 chief justices have served in the office since the Supreme Court of India superseded the Federal Court of India in 1950. Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud, the 16th chief justice, is the longest-serving chief justice, serving over seven years (February 1978 – July 1985), while Kamal Narain Singh, the 22nd chief justice, is the shortest-serving, for 17 days in 1991. As of 2024, there has been no woman who has served as chief justice of India.[5] The current and 52nd chief justice is B. R. Gavai who entered office on 14 May 2025.[6][7] He will have a term of 6 months which is due to end on 23 November 2025.[8]

## List of chief justices of the Federal Court of India

[edit]

The Federal Court of India came into being on 1 October 1937.[9] The seat of the court was in Delhi[10] and it functioned until the establishment of the Supreme Court of India on 28 January 1950. The first chief justice was Sir Maurice Gwyer.

Key

‡ Acting Chief Justice

Chief Justices of the Federal Court of India No. | Name
(birth–death) | Image  | Start of Term  | End of Term  | Length of term  | Parent Bar / High Court | Appointed by

(Governor-General of India)

| Ref.

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | Sir Maurice Linford Gwyer
(1878–1952) |  | 1 October 1937 | 25 April 1943 | 5 years, 206 days  | Inner Temple | Victor Hope | [11]
—  | Sir Srinivas Varadachariar‡
(1881–1970) | —  | 25 April 1943 | 7 June 1943 | 43 days  | Madras
2  | Sir William Patrick Spens
(1885–1973) |  | 7 June 1943 | 13 August 1947 | 4 years, 68 days  | Inner Temple
3  | Harilal Jekisundas Kania
(1890–1951) |  | 14 August 1947 | 26 January 1950 | 2 years, 165 days  | Bombay | Louis Mountbatten | [12]

## List of chief justices of India

[edit]

Key  †  | Died in office

|

‡  | Resigned
No. | Name
(birth–death) | Image  | Start of Term  | End of Term  | Length of Term  | Parent High Court | Appointed by
(President of India)  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | Harilal Jekisundas Kania
(1890–1951) |  | 26 January 1950 | 6 November 1951† | 1 year, 284 days  | Bombay | Rajendra Prasad | [12]
2  | Mandakolathur Patanjali Sastri
(1889–1963) |  | 7 November 1951 | 3 January 1954 | 2 years, 57 days  | Madras | [13]
3  | Mehr Chand Mahajan
(1889–1967) |  | 4 January 1954 | 22 December 1954 | 352 days  | Lahore | [14]
4  | Bijan Kumar Mukherjea
(1891–1956) |  | 23 December 1954 | 31 January 1956‡ | 1 year, 39 days  | Calcutta | [15]
5  | Sudhi Ranjan Das
(1894–1977) |  | 1 February 1956 | 30 September 1959 | 3 years, 241 days  | Calcutta | [16]
6  | Bhuvaneshwar Prasad Sinha
(1899–1986) |  | 1 October 1959 | 31 January 1964 | 4 years, 122 days  | Patna | [17]
7  | Pralhad Balacharya Gajendragadkar
(1901–1981) |  | 1 February 1964 | 15 March 1966 | 2 years, 42 days  | Bombay | Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan | [18]
8  | Amal Kumar Sarkar
(1901–2001) |  | 16 March 1966 | 29 June 1966 | 105 days  | Calcutta | [19]
9  | Koka Subba Rao
(1902–1976) |  | 30 June 1966 | 11 April 1967‡ | 285 days  | Hyderabad | [20]
10  | Kailas Nath Wanchoo
(1903–1988) |  | 12 April 1967 | 24 February 1968 | 318 days  | Allahabad | [21]
11  | Mohammad Hidayatullah
(1905–1992)[a] |  | 25 February 1968 | 16 December 1970 | 2 years, 294 days  | Bombay | Zakir Hussain | [22]
12  | Jayantilal Chhotalal Shah
(1906–1991) |  | 17 December 1970 | 21 January 1971 | 35 days  | Bombay | V. V. Giri | [23]
13  | Sarv Mittra Sikri
(1908–1992) |  | 22 January 1971 | 25 April 1973 | 2 years, 93 days  | Bar Council | [24]
14  | Ajit Nath Ray
(1912–2009) |  | 26 April 1973 | 28 January 1977 | 3 years, 276 days  | Calcutta | [25]
15  | Mirza Hameedullah Beg
(1913–1988) |  | 29 January 1977 | 21 February 1978 | 1 year, 24 days  | Allahabad | Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed | [26]
16  | Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud
(1920–2008) |  | 22 February 1978 | 11 July 1985 | 7 years, 139 days  | Bombay | Neelam Sanjiva Reddy | [27]
17  | Prafullachandra Natwarlal Bhagwati
(1921–2017) |  | 12 July 1985 | 20 December 1986 | 1 year, 161 days  | Gujarat | Zail Singh | [28]
18  | Raghunandan Swarup Pathak
(1924–2007) |  | 21 December 1986 | 18 June 1989‡ | 2 years, 209 days  | Allahabad | [29]
19  | Engalaguppe Seetharamiah Venkataramiah
(1924–1997) |  | 19 June 1989 | 17 December 1989 | 181 days  | Karnataka | Ramaswamy Venkataraman | [30]
20  | Sabyasachi Mukharji
(1927–1990) |  | 18 December 1989 | 25 September 1990† | 281 days  | Calcutta | [31]
21  | Ranganath Misra
(1926–2012) |  | 26 September 1990 | 24 November 1991 | 1 year, 59 days  | Orissa | [32]
22  | Kamal Narain Singh
(1926–2022) |  | 25 November 1991 | 12 December 1991 | 17 days  | Allahabad | [33]
23  | Madhukar Hiralal Kania
(1927–2016) |  | 13 December 1991 | 17 November 1992 | 340 days  | Bombay | [34]
24  | Lalit Mohan Sharma
(1928–2008) |  | 18 November 1992 | 11 February 1993 | 85 days  | Patna | Shankar Dayal Sharma | [35]
25  | Manepalli Narayanarao Venkatachaliah
(born 1929) |  | 12 February 1993 | 24 October 1994 | 1 year, 254 days  | Karnataka | [36]
26  | Aziz Mushabber Ahmadi
(1932–2023) |  | 25 October 1994 | 24 March 1997 | 2 years, 150 days  | Gujarat | [37]
27  | Jagdish Sharan Verma
(1933–2013) |  | 25 March 1997 | 17 January 1998 | 298 days  | Madhya Pradesh | [38]
28  | Madan Mohan Punchhi
(1933–2015) |  | 18 January 1998 | 9 October 1998 | 264 days  | Punjab and Haryana | K. R. Narayanan | [39]
29  | Adarsh Sein Anand
(1936–2017) |  | 10 October 1998 | 31 October 2001 | 3 years, 21 days  | Jammu and Kashmir | [40]
30  | Sam Piroj Bharucha
(born 1937) |  | 1 November 2001 | 5 May 2002 | 185 days  | Bombay | [41]
31  | Bhupinder Nath Kirpal
(born 1937) |  | 6 May 2002 | 7 November 2002 | 185 days  | Delhi | [42]
32  | Gopal Ballav Pattanaik
(born 1937) |  | 8 November 2002 | 18 December 2002 | 40 days  | Orissa | A. P. J. Abdul Kalam | [43]
33  | Vishweshwar Nath Khare
(born 1939) |  | 19 December 2002 | 1 May 2004 | 1 year, 134 days  | Allahabad | [44]
34  | S. Rajendra Babu
(born 1939) |  | 2 May 2004 | 31 May 2004 | 29 days  | Karnataka | [45]
35  | Ramesh Chandra Lahoti
(1940–2022) |  | 1 June 2004 | 31 October 2005 | 1 year, 152 days  | Madhya Pradesh | [46]
36  | Yogesh Kumar Sabharwal
(1942–2015) |  | 1 November 2005 | 13 January 2007 | 1 year, 73 days  | Delhi | [47]
37  | Konakuppakatil Gopinathan Balakrishnan
(born 1945) |  | 14 January 2007 | 11 May 2010 | 3 years, 117 days  | Kerala | [48]
38  | Sarosh Homi Kapadia
(1947–2016) |  | 12 May 2010 | 28 September 2012 | 2 years, 139 days  | Bombay | Pratibha Patil | [49]
39  | Altamas Kabir
(1948–2017) |  | 29 September 2012 | 18 July 2013 | 292 days  | Calcutta | Pranab Mukherjee | [50]
40  | Palanisamy Sathasivam
(born 1949) |  | 19 July 2013 | 26 April 2014 | 281 days  | Madras | [51]
41  | Rajendra Mal Lodha
(born 1949) |  | 27 April 2014 | 27 September 2014 | 153 days  | Rajasthan | [52]
42  | Handyala Lakshminarayanaswamy Dattu
(born 1950) |  | 28 September 2014 | 2 December 2015 | 1 year, 65 days  | Karnataka | [53]
43  | Tirath Singh Thakur
(born 1952) |  | 3 December 2015 | 3 January 2017 | 1 year, 31 days  | Jammu and Kashmir | [54]
44  | Jagdish Singh Khehar
(born 1952) |  | 4 January 2017 | 27 August 2017 | 235 days  | Punjab and Haryana | [55]
45  | Dipak Misra
(born 1953) |  | 28 August 2017 | 2 October 2018 | 1 year, 35 days  | Orissa | Ram Nath Kovind | [56]
46  | Ranjan Gogoi
(born 1954) |  | 3 October 2018 | 17 November 2019 | 1 year, 45 days  | Gauhati | [57]
47  | Sharad Arvind Bobde
(born 1956) |  | 18 November 2019[58] | 23 April 2021 | 1 year, 156 days  | Bombay | [59]
48  | Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana
(born 1957) |  | 24 April 2021 | 26 August 2022 | 1 year, 124 days  | Andhra Pradesh | [60]
49  | Uday Umesh Lalit
(born 1957) |  | 27 August 2022 | 8 November 2022 | 73 days  | Bar Council | Droupadi Murmu | [61]
50  | Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud
(born 1959) |  | 9 November 2022 | 10 November 2024 | 2 years, 1 day  | Bombay | [62]
51  | Sanjiv Khanna
(born 1960) |  | 11 November 2024 | 13 May 2025 | 183 days  | Delhi | [8]
52  | Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai
(born 1960) |  | 14 May 2025 | Incumbent | 75 days  | Bombay | [63]

1. ^ Also served as acting President of India and Vice President of India

## See also

[edit]

* List of current Indian chief justices
* List of female chief justices in India
* List of sitting judges of the Supreme Court of India
* List of former judges of the Supreme Court of India
* List of female judges of the Supreme Court of India

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Saxena, Namit (23 December 2016). "New Captain Of The Ship, Change In Sailing Rules Soon?". Live Law. Archived from the original on 24 December 2016. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
2. ^ a b "The Constitution of India" (PDF). Ministry of Law and Justice (India) \- Legislative Department. pp. 58–59\. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 December 2023 – via India Code.
3. ^ "Memorandum of procedure of appointment of Supreme Court Judges". Ministry of Law and Justice (India). 11 August 2021. Archived from the original on 9 March 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
4. ^ "How is India's Chief Justice of India chosen?". The Indian Express. 8 October 2022. Archived from the original on 21 October 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
5. ^ Amit Anand Choudhary (6 January 2024). "SC judge: Need more women for gender-neutral judiciary". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 April 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2024. "Justice B V Nagarathna, who will be the 54th Chief Justice of India and the first woman CJI in 2027 ..."
6. ^ Ayushi Saraogi; Joyston D'Souza (31 December 2021). "4 of the Next 7 CJIs Will Serve Shorter Than Average Tenures". Supreme Court Observer. Archived from the original on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
7. ^ "Justice DY Chandrachud takes oath as the 50th Chief Justice of India". Business Standard. ANI. 9 November 2022. Archived from the original on 9 November 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
8. ^ a b "Justice Sanjiv Khanna". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 11 November 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
9. ^ George H. Gadbois Jr. (1963). "Evolution of the Federal Court of India: An Historical Footnote". Journal of the Indian Law Institute. 5 (1): 19–46\. JSTOR 43950330. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2024. "... October 1, 1937, the inaugural date of the Federal Court of India..."
10. ^ Kumar, Raj, ed. (2003). Essays on Legal Systems in India. New Delhi: Discovery Publishing House. pp. 108–11\. ISBN 81-7141-701-9. Archived from the original on 30 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
11. ^ George H. Gadbois Jr. (1964). "The Federal Court of India: 1937-1950". Journal of the Indian Law Institute. 6 (2/3): 253–315\. JSTOR 43949806. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2024. "Gwyer retired in 1943 and was replaced by Sir William Patrick Spens. ...Varadachariar served very briefly as acting Chief Justice in 1943 between the date of Gwyer's retirement and the arrival in India of Spens. ... Two days before independence Chief Justice Spens resigned, and the then seniormost puisne judge, Kania, became the first Indian to hold India's highest judicial office."
12. ^ a b "Justice Harilal Jekisundas Kania". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
13. ^ "Justice M Patanjali Sastri". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
14. ^ "Justice Mehr Chand Mahajan". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
15. ^ "Justice Bijan Kumar Mukherjea". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
16. ^ "Justice Sudhi Ranjan Das". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
17. ^ "Justice Bhuvneshwar Prasad Sinha". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
18. ^ "Justice P B Gajendragadkar". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
19. ^ "Justice A K Sarkar". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
20. ^ "Justice K Subba Rao". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
21. ^ "Justice K N Wanchoo". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
22. ^ "Justice M Hidayatullah". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 30 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
23. ^ "Justice J C sshah". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
24. ^ "Justice S M Sikri". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
25. ^ "Justice A N Ray". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
26. ^ "Justice M Hameedullah Beg". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
27. ^ "Justice Y V Chandrachud". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
28. ^ "Justice P N Bhagwati". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
29. ^ "Justice R S Pathak". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
30. ^ "Justice E S Venkataramiah". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
31. ^ "Justice Sabyasachi Mukherjee". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 30 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
32. ^ "Justice Ranganath Misra". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 30 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
33. ^ "Justice K N Singh". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
34. ^ "Justice M H Kania". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
35. ^ "Justice L M Sharma". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
36. ^ "Justice M N Venkatachaliah". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
37. ^ "Justice A M Ahmadi". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
38. ^ "Justice J S Verma". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
39. ^ "Justice M M Punchhi". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
40. ^ "Justice A S Anand". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
41. ^ "Justice S P Bharucha". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
42. ^ "Justice B N Kirpal". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
43. ^ "Justice G B Patnaik". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
44. ^ "Justice V N Khare". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
45. ^ "Justice S Rajendra Babu". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
46. ^ "Justice R C Lahoti". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
47. ^ "Justice Y K Sabharwal". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
48. ^ "Justice K G Balakrishnan". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
49. ^ "Justice S H Kapadia". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
50. ^ "Justice Altamas Kabir". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 30 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
51. ^ "Justice P Sathasivam". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 30 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
52. ^ "Justice R M Lodha". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
53. ^ "Justice H L Dattu". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
54. ^ "Justice T S Thakur". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
55. ^ "Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
56. ^ "Justice Dipak Mishra". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 30 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
57. ^ "Justice Ranjan Gogoi". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 30 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
58. ^ "Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde takes oath as 47th CJI". The Times of India. 18 November 2019. Archived from the original on 18 November 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
59. ^ "Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
60. ^ "Justice N V Ramana". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
61. ^ "Justice Uday Umesh Lalit". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
62. ^ "Justice D Y Chandrachud". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 29 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
63. ^ "Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai". Supreme Court of India. Archived from the original on 14 May 2025. Retrieved 14 May 2025.

* v
* t
* e

Chief justices of India (list)

* H. J. Kania
* M. Patanjali Sastri
* Mehr Chand Mahajan
* Bijan Kumar Mukherjea
* Sudhi Ranjan Das
* Bhuvaneshwar Prasad Sinha
* P. B. Gajendragadkar
* Amal Kumar Sarkar
* Koka Subba Rao
* Kailas Nath Wanchoo
* Mohammad Hidayatullah
* Jayantilal Chhotalal Shah
* Sarv Mittra Sikri
* A. N. Ray
* Mirza Hameedullah Beg
* Y. V. Chandrachud
* P. N. Bhagwati
* Raghunandan Swarup Pathak
* E. S. Venkataramiah
* Sabyasachi Mukharji
* Ranganath Misra
* Kamal Narain Singh
* Madhukar Hiralal Kania
* Lalit Mohan Sharma
* M. N. Venkatachaliah
* Aziz Mushabber Ahmadi
* J. S. Verma
* Madan Mohan Punchhi
* Adarsh Sein Anand
* Sam Piroj Bharucha
* Bhupinder Nath Kirpal
* Gopal Ballav Pattanaik
* V. N. Khare
* S. Rajendra Babu
* Ramesh Chandra Lahoti
* Yogesh Kumar Sabharwal
* K. G. Balakrishnan
* S. H. Kapadia
* Altamas Kabir
* P. Sathasivam
* Rajendra Mal Lodha
* H. L. Dattu
* T. S. Thakur
* Jagdish Singh Khehar
* Dipak Misra
* Ranjan Gogoi
* Sharad Bobde
* N. V. Ramana
* Uday Umesh Lalit
* Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud
* Sanjiv Khanna
* B. R. Gavai
* incumbent

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Chief justices of the territories of the British Empire and the United Kingdom

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Current territory
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* Now a Commonwealth realm
Now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations

Europe

* Since 1234 England and Wales
* Since c.1200 Scotland
* 1175-1921 Ireland
* 1708–1757 Menorca
* Since 1713 Gibraltar
* 1763–1782 Menorca
* 1798–1802 Menorca
* 1800–1813 Malta (Protectorate)
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Americas

| 17th century and before| 18th century| 19th and 20th century

|
|

* 1579 New Albion
* 1583–1907 Newfoundland
* 1605–1979 *Saint Lucia
* 1607–1776 Virginia
* Since 1619 Bermuda
* 1620–1691 Plymouth Colony
* 1623–1883 Saint Kitts *(Saint Kitts & Nevis)
* 1624–1966 *Barbados
* 1625–1650 Saint Croix
* 1627–1979 *Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
* 1628–1883 Nevis *(Saint Kitts & Nevis)
* 1629–1691 Massachusetts Bay Colony
* 1632–1776 Maryland
* since 1632 Montserrat
* 1632–1860 Antigua *(Antigua & Barbuda)
* 1636–1776 Connecticut
* 1636–1776 Rhode Island
* 1637–1662 New Haven Colony

* 1643–1860 Bay Islands
* Since 1650 Anguilla
* 1651–1667 Willoughbyland (Suriname)
* 1655–1850 Mosquito Coast (protectorate)
* 1655–1962 *Jamaica
* 1663–1712 Carolina
* 1664–1776 New York
* 1665–1674 and 1702–1776 New Jersey
* Since 1666 British Virgin Islands
* Since 1670 Cayman Islands
* 1670–1973 *Bahamas
* 1670–1870 Rupert's Land
* 1670–1688 Saint Andrew and Providence Islands1
* 1671–1816 Leeward Islands
* 1674–1702 East Jersey
* 1674–1702 West Jersey
* 1680–1776 New Hampshire
* 1681–1776 Pennsylvania
* 1686–1689 Dominion of New England
* 1691–1776 Massachusetts

* 1701–1776 Delaware
* 1712–1776 North Carolina
* 1712–1776 South Carolina
* 1713–1867 Nova Scotia
* 1733–1776 Georgia
* 1754–1820 Cape Breton Island
* 1762–1974 *Grenada
* 1763–1978 Dominica
* 1763–1873 Prince Edward Island
* 1763–1791 Quebec
* 1763–1783 East Florida
* 1763–1783 West Florida
* 1784–1867 New Brunswick
* 1791–1841 Lower Canada
* 1791–1841 Upper Canada
* Since 1799 Turks and Caicos Islands

* 1818–1846 Columbia District/Oregon Country2
* 1831–1966 British Guiana (Guyana)
* Since 1833 Falkland Islands3
* 1833–1960 Windward Islands
* 1833–1960 Leeward Islands
* 1841–1867 Province of Canada
* 1849–1866 Vancouver Island
* 1853–1863 Colony of the Queen Charlotte Islands
* 1858–1866 British Columbia
* 1859–1870 North-Western Territory
* 1860–1981 *British Antigua and Barbuda
* 1862–1863 Stikine Territory
* 1866–1871 Vancouver Island and British Columbia
* 1867–1931 *Dominion of Canada4
* 1871–1964 British Honduras (*Belize)
* 1882–1983 *Saint Kitts and Nevis
* 1889–1962 Trinidad and Tobago
* 1907–1949 Dominion of Newfoundland5
* Since 1908 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands3
* 1958–1962 West Indies Federation

* 1\. Now the San Andrés y Providencia Department of Colombia.
* 2\. Occupied jointly with the United States.
* 3\. Occupied by Argentina during the Falklands War of April–June 1982.
* 4\. In 1931, Canada and other British dominions obtained self-government through the Statute of Westminster. See Canada's name.
* 5\. Gave up self-rule in 1934, but remained a de jure Dominion until it joined Canada in 1949.

* v
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Africa

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* Since 1658 Saint Helena14
* 1792–1961 Sierra Leone
* 1795–1803 Cape Colony

* Since 1815 Ascension Island14
* Since 1816 Tristan da Cunha14
* 1806–1910 Cape Colony
* 1807–1808 Madeira
* 1810–1968 Mauritius
* 1816–1965 The Gambia
* 1856–1910 Natal
* 1868–1966 Basutoland (Lesotho)
* 1874–1957 Gold Coast (Ghana)
* 1882–1922 Egypt

* 1884–1966 Bechuanaland (Botswana)
* 1884–1960 British Somaliland
* 1887–1897 Zululand
* 1890–1962 Uganda
* 1890–1963 Zanzibar (Tanzania)
* 1891–1964 Nyasaland (Malawi)
* 1891–1907 British Central Africa Protectorate
* 1893–1968 Swaziland
* 1895–1920 East Africa Protectorate
* 1899–1956 Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

* 1900–1914 Northern Nigeria
* 1900–1914 Southern Nigeria
* 1900–1910 Orange River Colony
* 1900–1910 Transvaal Colony
* 1903–1976 Seychelles
* 1906–1954 Nigeria Colony
* 1910–1931 South Africa
* 1914–1954 Nigeria Colony and Protectorate
* 1915–1931 South West Africa (Namibia)
* 1919–1960 Cameroons (Cameroon)6
* 1920–1963 Kenya
* 1922–1961 Tanganyika (Tanzania)6
* 1923–1965 Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe)7
* 1924–1964 Northern Rhodesia (Zambia)
* 1953–1963 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland
* 1954–1960 Nigeria
* 1979–1980 Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe)7

* 6\. League of Nations mandate.
* 7\. Self-governing Southern Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence in 1965 (as Rhodesia) and continued as an unrecognised state until the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement. After recognised independence in 1980, Zimbabwe was a member of the Commonwealth until it withdrew in 2003.

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Asia

| 17th and 18th century| 19th century| 20th century

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* 1685–1824 Bencoolen (Sumatra)
* 1702–1705 Pulo Condore
* 1757-1862 Bengal (to 1862)
* 1862–1947 Bengal (from 1862) (West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh)
* 1762–1764 Manila and Cavite
* 1786–1946 Penang (Malaysia)
* 1795–1948 Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
* 1796–1965 Maldives

* 1812–1824 Banka (Sumatra) and Billiton (Sumatra)
* 1819–1826 British Malaya (West Malaysia and Singapore)
* 1826–1946 Straits Settlements (Malaysia and Singapore)
* 1839–1967 Colony of Aden
* 1839–1842 Afghanistan
* 1841–1997 Hong Kong
* 1841–1946 Kingdom of Sarawak (Malaysia)
* 1848–1946 Labuan (Malaysia)
* 1858–1947 British India (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Burma) • Bombay • Calcutta • Madras • North-Western Provinces/Allahabad)
* 1874–1963 British Borneo (East Malaysia and Brunei)

* 1879–1919 Afghanistan (protectorate)
* 1882–1963 British North Borneo (Malaysia)
* 1885–1946 Unfederated Malay States
* 1888–1984 Sultanate of Brunei
* 1891–1971 Muscat and Oman protectorate
* 1892–1971 Trucial States
* 1895–1946 Federated Malay States
* 1898–1930 Weihai Garrison

* 1907–1949 Bhutan (protectorate)
* 1918–1961 Kuwait protectorate
* 1920–1932 Iraq8
* 1921–1946 Transjordan8
* 1923–1948 Palestine8
* 1945–1946 South Vietnam
* 1946–1963 North Borneo (Malaysia)
* 1946–1963 Sarawak (Malaysia)
* 1946–1963 Singapore
* 1946–1948 Malayan Union
* 1948–1957 Federation of Malaya (Malaysia)
* Since 1960 Akrotiri and Dhekelia (before as part of Cyprus)
* Since 1965 British Indian Ocean Territory (before as part of Mauritius and the Seychelles)

8 League of Nations mandate. Iraq's mandate was not enacted and replaced by the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty

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Oceania

| 18th and 19th centuries| 20th century

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* 1788–1901 New South Wales
* 1803–1901 Tasmania
* 1807–1863 Auckland Islands9
* 1824–1980 New Hebrides (Vanuatu)
* 1824–1901 Queensland
* 1829–1901 Western Australia
* 1836–1901 South Australia
* since 1838 Pitcairn Islands

* 1841–1907 Colony of New Zealand
* 1851–1901 Victoria
* 1874–1970 Fiji10
* 1877–1976 British Western Pacific Territories
* 1884–1949 Territory of Papua
* 1888–1901 Cook Islands9
* 1889–1948 Union Islands (Tokelau)9
* 1892–1979 Gilbert and Ellice Islands11
* 1893–1978 British Solomon Islands12

* 1900–1970 Tonga (protected state)
* 1900–1974 Niue9
* 1901–1942 *Commonwealth of Australia*Northern Territory
* 1907–1953 *Dominion of New Zealand
* 1919–1942 Nauru
* 1945–1968 Nauru
* 1919–1949 Territory of New Guinea
* 1949–1975 Territory of Papua and New Guinea13

* 9\. Now part of the *Realm of New Zealand.
* 10\. Suspended member.
* 11\. Now Kiribati and *Tuvalu.
* 12\. Now the *Solomon Islands.
* 13\. Now *Papua New Guinea.

Antarctica and South Atlantic

* Since 1658 Saint Helena14
* Since 1815 Ascension Island14
* Since 1816 Tristan da Cunha14
* Since 1908 British Antarctic Territory15
* 1841–1933 Australian Antarctic Territory (transferred to the Commonwealth of Australia)
* 1841–1947 Ross Dependency (transferred to the Realm of New Zealand)

* 14\. Since 2009 part of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; Ascension Island (1922–) and Tristan da Cunha (1938–) were previously dependencies of Saint Helena.
* 15\. Both claimed in 1908; territories formed in 1962 (British Antarctic Territory) and 1985 (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands).

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