Shared Values
The Commonwealth is built on shared values and supported by historical, cultural and sporting links. Research has found that the combination of these factors offers substantial benefits to trade and investment through the similarities in business, commercial and legislative practices, ultimately making it 21% cheaper to do business across the Commonwealth.
We call this the “Commonwealth Advantage”.
Key Statistics
People
The Commonwealth has a 2.5 billion population of which 60 per cent are under 30 years old. It represents a billion middle-class consumers.
Economy
The combined gross domestic product of Commonwealth countries is predicted to reach US$13 trillion post 2020 (pre-COVID). The Commonwealth represents 40% of the global workforce and half of the top 20 global emerging cities.
Ease of Doing Business
The Commonwealth is an association of 56 countries with well-established trading relationships with partners that share a common language, democratic principles and rule of law. Bilateral costs for trading partners in Commonwealth countries are on average 21 percent less.
Climate Change & Sustainability
31 of the Commonwealth’s members are small states, and 23 are Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which are among the most vulnerable to the impact of climate change or developmental challenges. The Commonwealth is an advocate for change, giving each state an equal voice.