<Tr> <Th> Per capita </Th> <Td> $4,446 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Website thecommonwealth.org </Td> </Tr> <P> The Commonwealth of Nations, formerly (1931--1949) the British Commonwealth, also known as simply the Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of 53 member states that are mostly former territories of the British Empire . The Commonwealth operates by intergovernmental consensus of the member states, organised through the Commonwealth Secretariat and non-governmental organisations, organised through the Commonwealth Foundation . </P> <P> The Commonwealth dates back to the first half of the 20th century with the decolonisation of the British Empire through increased self - governance of its territories . It was originally adopted as The British Commonwealth of Nations through the Balfour Declaration, at the 1926 Imperial Conference, and formalised by the United Kingdom through the Statute of Westminster in 1931 . The current Commonwealth of Nations was formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949, which modernised the community, and established the member states as "free and equal". The symbol of this free association is Queen Elizabeth II who is the Head of the Commonwealth, and while there are over 31 republics and five monarchies who have a different monarch, the Queen is head of state and reigning monarch of 16 members of the Commonwealth, known as the Commonwealth realms . The position of The Crown remains legally distinct from the position of monarch and the position of the Head of the Commonwealth . </P>

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