List of national independence days

"Independence Day" redirects here. For other uses, see Independence Day (disambiguation).
For patriotic days not necessarily linked to independence, see National Day.

An Independence Day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state; more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Most countries observe their respective independence days as a national holiday.

List

The following is a partial list of independence days of countries around the world:

Country Date of holiday Year celebrated Event celebrated Name of holiday
 Abkhazia July 4 1993 End of the 1992–1993 War in Abkhazia. De facto independence from Georgia in 1993. Officially declared as such in 1999.[1] (Only partially recognized.) Also known as "liberation day".
 Afghanistan August 19 1919 Independence from United Kingdom in 1919. Afghan Independence Day
 Albania November 28 1912 Declared by Ismail Qemali in 1912 and signaled the end of five centuries of Ottoman rule. Independence Day/Dita e Pavarësisë
 Algeria July 5 1962 Independence from France in 1962.
 Angola November 11 1975 Independence from Portugal in 1975.
 Antigua and Barbuda November 1 1981 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1981.
 Argentina July 9 1816 Independence declared from the Spanish Empire in 1816.
 Armenia May 28 1918 Declaration of independence from Russian Empire in 1918.
 Armenia September 21 1991 Independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. National Day
 Austria October 26 1955 Restoration of sovereignty and signing of the Declaration of Neutrality in 1955. National Day
 Azerbaijan May 28 1918 Independence from the Russian Empire in 1918 and declaration of the Republic. Republic Day
 Azerbaijan October 18 1991 Independence re-declared from the Soviet Union in 1991. Day of the State Independence of Azerbaijan
 Bahamas July 10 1973 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1973.
 Bahrain December 16 1971 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1971. Bahrain Independence Day
 Bangladesh March 26 1971 Independence was declared from Pakistan and this led to a nine-month war ending on December 16, 1971. Independence Day of Bangladesh
 Barbados November 30 1966 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1966.
 Belarus July 3 1944 The liberation of Minsk after several years of German occupation in 1944. Independence Day of Belarus
 Belgium July 21 1831 Independence from the United Netherlands (Belgian revolution) on October 4, 1830. Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld took the oath as first King of the Belgians on July 21, 1831. Belgian National Day
 Belize September 21 1981 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1981. September Celebrations
 Benin August 1 1960 Independence from France in 1960.
 Bolivia August 6 1825 Independence from Spain in 1825.
 Bosnia and Herzegovina March 1 1992 Independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992. Independence Day (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
 Botswana September 30 1966 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1966.
 Brazil September 7 1822 Independence from Portugal on September 7, 1822. Recognized on August 29, 1825. Independence Day (Brazil)
 Brunei January 1 1984 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1984. National Day celebrations are held on February 23.
 Bulgaria September 22 1908 Independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1908.
 Burkina Faso August 5 1960 Independence from France in 1960.
 Burma January 4 1948 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1948. Independence Day (Burma)
 Burundi July 1 1962 Independence from Belgium in 1962.
 Cambodia November 9 1953 Independence from France in 1953.
 Cameroon January 1 1960 Independence from France and United Kingdom in 1960.
 Canada July 1 1867 Granted nominal independence from United Kingdom in 1867. However, as the current province of Newfoundland and Labrador was a former British dominion, it celebrates Discovery Day on June 24 and mourns on July 1 for their World War I war dead. See Memorial Day (Newfoundland and Labrador). Canada Day
 Cape Verde July 5 1975 Independence from Portugal in 1975.
 Central African Republic August 13 1960 Independence from France in 1960.
 Chad August 11 1960 Independence from France in 1960.
 Chile February 12 and September 18 1810 Declared Independence from Spain on that date in 1810. Actually, Chileans celebrate the date of the first Government Junta, September 18. This date was not recognized as such until April 25, 1844.
 Colombia July 20 and August 7 1810 and 1819 Independence from Spain in 1810.
 Comoros July 6 1975 Independence from France in 1975.
 Congo, Democratic Republic of the June 30 1960 Independence from Belgium in 1960.
 Congo, Republic of the August 15 1960 Independence from France in 1960.
 Costa Rica September 15 1821 Independence from Spain in 1821.
 Croatia October 8 1991 Independence from SFR Yugoslavia in 1991. Independence Day (Croatia)
 Cuba May 20 1902 Independence from Spain in 1902.
 Cyprus October 1 1960 Independence from the United Kingdom on August 16, 1960, but Cyprus Independence Day is commonly celebrated on October 1.
 Czech Republic October 28 1918 As Czechoslovakia, marking independence from Austria-Hungary on October 28, 1918.
 Czech Republic January 1 1993 As the Czech Republic after the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993.
 Djibouti June 27 1977 Independence from France in 1977.
 Dominica November 3 1978 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1978.
 Dominican Republic December 1 1821 Independence from Spain in 1821.
 Dominican Republic February 27 1844 Independence re-declared from Haiti in 1844, after a 22-year occupation.
 East Timor May 20 2002 Independence from Portugal in 2002 (recognition, East Timor was invaded by Indonesia from 1975 to 1999, officially it never ceased to be considered as administrated by Portugal).
 Ecuador August 10 1809 Proclaimed independence from Spain on August 10, 1809, but failed with the execution of all the conspirators of the movement on August 2, 1810.
 Ecuador May 24 1822 Independence finally occurred on May 24, 1822 at the Battle of Pichincha.
 El Salvador September 15 1821 Independence from Spain in 1821.
 Equatorial Guinea October 12 1968 Independence from Spain in 1968.
 Eritrea May 24 1993 Independence from Ethiopia in 1993. Independence Day (Eritrea)
 Estonia February 24 1918 Independence from the Russian Empire in 1918. Independence Day (Estonia)
 Estonia August 20 1991 Independence re-declared from the Soviet Union in 1991.
 Fiji October 10 1970 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1970.
 Finland December 6 1917 Independence from Russia in 1917. Recognized on January 4, 1918. Independence Day (Finland)
 Gabon August 17 1960 Independence from France in 1960.
 Gambia, The February 18 1965 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1965.
 Georgia May 26 1918 Day of the proclamation of the Democratic Republic of Georgia in 1918.
 Georgia April 9 1991 Independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
 Ghana March 6 1957 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1957.
 Greece March 25 1821 Declaration of independence from Ottoman Empire in 1821. Start of the Greek War of Independence.
 Grenada February 7 1974 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1974. Independence Day (Grenada)
 Guatemala September 15 1821 Independence from Spain in 1821.
 Guinea October 2 1958 Independence from France in 1958.
 Guinea-Bissau September 24 1973 Declaration of independence from Portugal in 1973.
 Guyana May 26 1966 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1966.
 Haiti January 1 1804 Declaration of independence from France in 1804.
 Honduras September 15 1821 Independence from Spain in 1821.
 Hungary August 20 1000 Foundation of Christian Hungary and Hungary's first Christian King St. Stephen's Day. National Day
 Iceland June 17 1944 Foundation of republic in 1944.
 India August 15 1947 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1947. Independence Day (India)
 Indonesia August 17 1945 Declaration of Independence day (Hari Proklamasi Kemerdekaan R.I.) from the Netherlands on August 17, 1945. The Netherlands acknowledged Indonesian independence and sovereignty in 1949. The Dutch government formally acknowledged August 17, 1945 as the only true date of Indonesian Independence in 2008.[2]
 Iraq October 3 1932 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1932.
 Ireland April 24 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic commencing the Easter Rising on April 24, 1916. Independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
 Israel Iyar 5
(On or between April 15 and May 15, depending on the Hebrew calendar).
5708 (1948) Independence from the British Mandate for Palestine, which took place on May 14, 1948 (5 Iyar 5708 in the Hebrew calendar). Yom Ha'atzmaut is celebrated on the Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday nearest to 5 Iyar, so it occurs between 3 and 6 Iyar each year; this means that the holiday can fall any time between and including April 15 and May 15, according to the Gregorian calendar. Yom Ha'atzmaut
 Ivory Coast August 7 1960 Independence from France in 1960.
 Jamaica August 6 1962 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1962.
 Jordan May 25 1946 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1946.
 Kazakhstan December 16 1991 Independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
 Kenya December 12 1963 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1963. Jamhuri Day
 Kiribati July 12 1979 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1979.
 Korea, North August 15 1945 Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 1948. Korean War 1950-1953.
 Korea, South August 15 1945 Independence from the Empire of Japan in 1945. The Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was founded in 1919. Korean War 1950-1953.
 Kosovo February 17 2008 Independence from Serbia in 2008. (Only partially recognized)
 Kuwait February 25 1961 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1961.
 Kyrgyzstan August 31 1991 Independence from USSR in 1991.
 Laos October 22 1953 Independence from France on October 22, 1953.
 Latvia November 18 1918 Proclamation of independence on November 18, 1918. Latvia was part of Russian Empire prior to the WWI, but its territory had been ceded to German Empire in March of 1918
 Latvia May 4 1990 Restoration of independence from Soviet Union on May 4, 1990.
 Lebanon November 22 1943 Independence from France in 1943.
 Lesotho October 4 1966 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1966.
 Liberia July 26 1847 Independence from the American Colonization Society in 1847.
 Libya December 24 1951 Independence from Italy on 10 February 1947, released from British and French on December 24, 1951.
 Lithuania February 16 1918 Act of Independence of Lithuania: Independence from the Russian and German Empires in February 1918.
 Lithuania March 11 1990 Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania: independence from the Soviet Union in March 1990.
 Macedonia, Republic of September 8 1991 Independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Den na nezavisnosta or Ден на независноста
 Madagascar June 26 1960 Independence from France in 1960.
 Malawi July 6 1964 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1964.
 Malaysia August 31 1957 Independence of the Federation of Malaya from the United Kingdom in 1957. Hari Merdeka
 Malaysia September 16 1963 Formation of Malaysia from the Federation of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore. Hari Malaysia
 Maldives July 26 1965 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1965.
 Mali September 22 1960 Independence from France in 1960.
 Malta September 21 1964 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1964. Independence Day
 Mauritania November 28 1960 Independence from the France in 1960.
 Mauritius March 12 1968 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1968.
 Mexico September 16 1810 Independence from Spain declared in 1810. Recognized on September 27, 1821. Grito de Dolores
 Moldova August 27 1991 Declaration of Independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Independence Day
 Mongolia December 29[3] 1911 Independence from the Qing Dynasty in 1911.[4][5] However, the newly established Mongolian government was too weak to resist the occupation of the Republic of China in 1919 and later White Russia in early 1921. After ousting Roman von Ungern-Sternberg's forces, the new communist government was officially established on June 11, 1921.[6]
 Montenegro May 21 2006 Independence from Serbia and Montenegro in 2006.
 Morocco November 18 1955 Independence from France and Spain in 1956. عيد الاستقلال Independence Day
 Mozambique June 25 1975 Independence from Portugal in 1975.
 Namibia March 21 1990 Independence from South African mandated in 1990.
 Nauru January 31 1968 Independence from Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom in 1968.
 Nicaragua September 15 1821 Independence from Spain in 1821.
 Niger August 3 1960 Independence from France in 1960.
 Nigeria October 1 1960 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1960.
 Northern Cyprus September 2 1983 Declaration of independence from the Republic of Cyprus in 1983. (Partially recognized)
 Norway May 17 1814 Constitution day/National day. Independence from Denmark in 1814, but in union with Sweden until June 1905 – when finally independent.
 Pakistan August 14 1947 Independence from the United Kingdom on 27 Ramadan ul Mubarik, August 14, 1947. Youm-e-Azadi
 Panama November 28 1821 Independence from Spain in 1821.
 Panama November 3 1903 Panama was member of the "Gran Colombia" until 1903. The 1903 separation from Colombia is celebrated as an official holiday day on November 3.
 Papua New Guinea September 16 1975 Independence from Australia of the former Territory of Papua and New Guinea in 1975.
 Paraguay May 15 1811 Independence from Spain in 1811.[7] Día de Independencia
 Peru July 28 1821 Independence from Spain in 1821. Fiestas Patrias
 Philippines June 12 1898 Commemorates 1898 declaration by Emilio Aguinaldo during the Philippine Revolution against Spain. The Republic of the Philippines achieved self-rule from the United States on July 4, 1946, and celebrated July 4 as Independence Day until 1964.[8] Araw ng Kalayaan
 Poland November 11 1918 Restoration of Poland's independence in 1918 after 123 years of partitions by Russia, Prussia, and Austria. Święto Niepodległości (Independence Day)
 Portugal December 1 1640 The country's original independence (from the Kingdom of León) was recognized on October 5, 1143. That day is a holiday in Portugal, but for a different reason. (Implantation of the Republic, or Republic Day. Event of 1910.) Note that none of these events are similar to today's declarations or recognition of independence as these are in fact the recognition of the rule of a king to the land. Portugal existed as a separate entity before 1143 and during the union with Spain between 1580 and 1640. 1640 restoration of Portuguese independence from Iberian Union with Spain.
 Qatar December 18 1971 Original independence from the United Kingdom on 7 September. Qatar National Day
 Rhodesia November 11 1965 Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom in 1965. Independence Day
 Romania May 10 1877 Romania's first celebration of its independence, on prince Carol's coronation day, 1877, while the ultimately victorious independence war against the Ottoman Empire in 1877-1878 alongside Russia, was just beginning.
 Rwanda July 1 1962 Independence from Belgium in 1962.
 Saint Kitts and Nevis September 19 1983 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1983.
 Saint Lucia February 22 1979 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1979. Independence Day
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines October 27 1979 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1979.
 Samoa June 1 1962 Independence from New Zealand in 1962.
 São Tomé and Príncipe July 12 1975 Independence from Portugal in 1975.
 Senegal April 4 1960 Independence from France in 1960.
 Serbia February 15 1804 The beginning of First Serbian Uprising in 1804, it evolved into a Serbian Revolution, war for independence from Ottoman Empire; and the adoption of the first Constitution in 1835. Statehood Day
 Seychelles June 29 1976 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1976.
 Sierra Leone April 27 1961 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1961.
 Singapore August 9 1965 Marks city-state's secession/expulsion from the Malaysian Federation in 1965. National Day (Singapore)
 Slovakia July 17 1992 Declaration of Independence in 1992 (only a remembrance day), de jure independence came on January 1, 1993 after the division of Czechoslovakia (public holiday).
 Slovenia December 26 and June 25 1990 Date of the release of the official results of the independence plebiscite in 1990, confirming secession from Yugoslavia. (Statehood Day) Declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Independence and Unity Day
 Solomon Islands July 7 1978 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1978.
 Somalia July 1 1960 Union of the Trust Territory of Somalia (former Italian Somaliland) and British Somaliland to form the Somali Republic. Event annually commemorated on Independence Day.
 South Africa December 11 1931 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1931 in terms of the Balfour Declaration of 1926 which is not a public holiday. The Union of South Africa formed on May 31, 1910 and the Republic of South Africa declared on May 31, 1961 under minority rule during Apartheid. Majority rule achieved on April 27, 1994, which is celebrated annually as Freedom Day.
 South Sudan July 9 2011 Independence from Sudan in 2011.
 Sri Lanka February 4 1948 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1948. Independence Day (Sri Lanka)
 Sudan January 1 1956 Independence from Egypt and the United Kingdom in 1956.
 Suriname November 25 1975 Independence from the Netherlands in 1975.
 Swaziland September 6 1968 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1968.
 Sweden June 6 1523 Celebrates the election of King Gustav Vasa in 1523 and the new constitutions in 1809 and 1974. The election of King Gustav Vasa was the de facto end of the Kalmar Union and has been seen as a formal declaration of independence. National Day of Sweden
 Switzerland August 1 1291 Alliance against the Holy Roman Empire in 1291. Swiss National Day
 Syria April 17 1946 End of the French Mandate of Syria in 1946. Evacuation Day
 Tajikistan September 9 1991 Independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
 Tanzania December 9 1961 Independence of Tanganyika from the United Kingdom in 1961.
 Togo April 27 1960 Independence from France in 1960.
 Tibet February 13 1913 Independence from Manchu's Qing Dynasty in 1913. Later invaded in October 1950 by China and currently administered by China. Tibetan Independence Day
 Tonga June 4 1970 Termination of protectorate status under the United Kingdom in 1970.
 Trinidad and Tobago August 31 1962 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1962.
 Tunisia March 20 1956 Independence from France in 1956.
 Turkey October 29 1923 Foundation of the Grand National Assembly and declaration of independence from Istanbul Government. National Sovereignty Day
 Turkmenistan October 27 1991 Declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.[11] Independence Day (Turkmenistan)
 Tuvalu October 1 1978 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1978.
 Uganda October 9 1962 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1962.
 Ukraine August 24 1991 Declaration of Independence of Ukraine from the Soviet Union in 1991. Independence Day of Ukraine
 Ukraine January 22 1919 Unification of Ukraine on January 22, 1919.[12] Day of Unity of Ukraine
 United Arab Emirates December 2 1971 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1971. National Day
 United States July 4 1776 Declaration of Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain (now the United Kingdom) in 1776. Independence Day or Fourth of July
 Uruguay August 25 1825 Declaration of independence from Brazil in 1825. Recognized in 1828. Declaratoria de la Independencia)
 Uzbekistan September 1 1991 Independence from USSR in 1991.
 Vanuatu July 30 1980 Independence from the United Kingdom and France in 1980.
 Venezuela July 5 1811 Declaration of independence from Spain in 1811.
 Vietnam September 2 1945 Proclamation of independence from Japan and France in 1945. Independence Day (Vietnam)
 Yemen November 30 1967 South Yemen Declaration of independence from the United Kingdom in 1967.
 Zambia October 24 1964 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1964.
 Zimbabwe April 18 1980 Independence from the United Kingdom in 1980.
  Independence-related National Day
  Other National Day
  No official National Day

References

General
Specific
  1. Abkhazia , Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO).
  2. Pertama Dalam Sejarah PM Belanda Hadiri Resepsi HUT RI 17-8
  3. Xiaoyuan Liu – Reins of Liberation, p.6
  4. Stephen Kotkin, Bruce A. Elleman – Mongolia in the twentieth century: landlocked cosmopolitan, p.74
  5. David Sneath – The Headless State: Aristocratic Orders, Kinship Society, and Misrepresentations of Nomadic Inner Asia, p.36
  6. Duke University. School of Law – Unification of law, 1965, Volume 30, p.282
  7. Paraguay Independence Day
  8. In 1962, President Diosdado Macapagal signed a proclamation which declared Tuesday, June 12, 1962 as a special public holiday in commemoration of the declaration of independence from Spain on that date in 1898. That proclamation did not move the date of the Independence Day holiday in the Philippines.[9] The date of the holiday was moved in 1964, with the signing of Republic Act No. 4166.[10]
  9. Diosdado Macapagal, Proclamation No. 28 Declaring June 12 as Philippine Independence Day, Philippine History Group of Los Angeles, retrieved November 11, 2009
  10. "Republic Act No. 4166". August 4, 1964. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  11. Edgar, Adrienne Lynn (2004). Tribal Nation: The Making of Soviet Turkmenistan. Princeton: Princeton University Press. p. 1. ISBN 0-691-11775-6. On October 27, 1991, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic declared its independence from the Soviet Union.
  12. "Holidays". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
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