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Independence or Birthday for Every Country

A Listing of Every Country and Its Date of Independence or Creation

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 Japan is usually regarded as the world's oldest independent country. Source: CIA World Factbook, 2007

by Matt Rosenberg

Updated March 03, 2017

The vast majority of the countries on earth became independent after 1800. Only 20 were independent before the start of the 19th century, a mere 10%. By 1900, only 49 or 25% of the world's countries of today were independent.

Many countries became independent following World War II when European powers granted independence to their vast colonial holdings, especially Africa.

Here are the independence days for every country, from the oldest to the youngest:

660 BCE - Japan

221 BCE - China

301 CE - San Marino

843 CE - France

976 CE - Austria

10th Century CE - Denmark

1001 - Hungary

1143 - Portugal

1206 - Mongolia

1238 - Thailand

1278 - Andorra

August 1, 1291 - Switzerland

1419 - Monaco

15th Century - Spain

1502 - Iran

June 6, 1523 - Sweden

January 23, 1579 - Netherlands

1650 - Oman

May 1, 1707 - United Kingdom

January 23, 1719 - Liechtenstein

1768 - Nepal

July 4, 1776 - United States of America

January 1, 1804 - Haiti

July 20, 1810 - Colombia

Sept. 16, 1810 - Mexico

Sept. 18, 1810 - Chile

May 14, 1811 - Paraguay

July 5, 1811 - Venezuela

July 9, 1816 - Argentina

July 28, 1821 - Peru

Sept. 15, 1821 - Costa Rica

Sept. 15, 1821 - El Salvador

Sept. 15, 1821 - Guatemala

Sept. 15, 1821 - Honduras

Sept. 15, 1821 - Nicaragua

May 24, 1822 - Ecuador

Sept. 7, 1822 - Brazil

August 6, 1825 - Bolivia

August 25, 1825 - Uruguay

1829 - Greece

October 4, 1830 - Belgium

1839 - Luxembourg

February 27, 1844 - Dominican Republic

July 26, 1847 - Liberia

March 17, 1861 - Italy

July 1, 1867 - Canada