At its inception, The Colombo Plan was a hallmark Commonwealth initiative with all seven founding members being realms of the British Empire. India, Pakistan, and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) went on to become Republics in 1950, 1956 and 1972 respectively. The United States of America was the first non-Commonwealth country to join in 1951.
Today, the Colombo Plan boasts a membership of 28 countries, with Chile being the last new member to join in 2021.
The following is a list of all member countries, in alphabetical order (or by region) and their respective year of accession to the Colombo Plan or its predecessor, the Colombo Plan Bureau for Technical Co-operation.
Since 1963
Since 1950
Since 1972
Since 1962
Since 2008
Since 2021
Since 1972
Since 1950
Since 1953
Since 1966
Since 1954
Since 1962
Since 1951
Since 1957
Since 1963
Since 2004
Since 1952
Since 1952
Since 1950
Since 1950
Since 1973
Since 1954
Since 2012
Since 1966
Since 1950
Since 1954
Since 1951
Since 2004
| Member Country | Year of Accession |
|---|---|
|
Afghanistan
|
1963
|
|
Australia
|
1950
|
|
Bangladesh
|
1972
|
|
Bhutan
|
1962
|
|
Brunei Darussalam
|
2008
|
|
Chile
|
2021
|
|
Fiji
|
1972
|
|
India
|
1950
|
|
Indonesia
|
1953
|
|
Iran
|
1966
|
|
Japan
|
1954
|
|
Republic of Korea
|
1962
|
|
Lao PDR
|
1951
|
|
Malaysia
|
1957
|
|
The Maldives
|
1963
|
|
Mongolia
|
2004
|
|
Myanmar
|
1952
|
|
Nepal
|
1952
|
|
New Zealand
|
1950
|
|
Pakistan
|
1950
|
|
Papua New Guinea
|
1973
|
|
The Philippines
|
1954
|
|
Saudi Arabia
|
2012
|
|
Singapore
|
1966
|
|
Sri Lanka
|
1950
|
|
Thailand
|
1954
|
|
The United States
|
1951
|
|
Vietnam
|
2004
|
The Colombo Plan boasts a rich and diverse membership history, with four former members, including two of its founding members, namely, Canada and the United Kingdom. South Vietnam and Cambodia followed suit in 1951.
South Vietnam was succeeded by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on 2 July 1976, and withdrew from membership in 1978. Vietnam’s membership journey with the Colombo Plan took a pivotal turn when it became a provisional member from 5 November 2001 to 18 November 2003, before being accepted as a full member in 2004.
Member Country |
Year Of Accession |
Year Of Deposition |
|---|---|---|
|
Canada |
1950 |
1992 |
|
United Kingdom |
1950 |
1950 |
|
Cambodia |
1951 |
1975 |
|
South Vietnam |
1951 |
1975 |
|
Greece |
1957 |
1979 |
|
Tanzania |
1962 |
1964 |
|
Italy |
1962 |
1964 |
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