What Countries Still Have Colonies Today? A Guide to Non-Self-Governing Territories
Several countries still administer territories that are sometimes described as colonies, although “colony” is not the official legal label for most of them. The United Nations identifies 17 territories as Non-Self-Governing Territories, a designation for places whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self-government. Most are administered by the United Kingdom, the United States, or France. Their legal arrangements and levels of autonomy differ, so the term “colony” needs context.
Which Countries Still Have Colonies?
In everyday conversation, “countries with colonies” generally means states that govern overseas territories without those territories being independent countries. The United Nations’ official framework is more specific: its list of Non-Self-Governing Territories includes 17 places whose political status has not been recognized by the UN as fully self-governing.
These territories are linked to four administering states: the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and New Zealand. Western Sahara is also on the UN list, but it does not have a recognized administering power. Its status is disputed, and Morocco controls most of the territory.
The UN list is a useful starting point, but it is not a complete inventory of every overseas territory or dependency in the world. Some territories have substantial self-government, while others are administered more directly. Some places commonly called colonies are not on the list, often because their status or political circumstances differ.
| Administering state or status | UN-listed territories | Number |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Saint Helena, Turks and Caicos Islands | 10 |
| United States | American Samoa, Guam, United States Virgin Islands | 3 |
| France | French Polynesia, New Caledonia | 2 |
| New Zealand | Tokelau | 1 |
| Disputed status; no recognized administering power | Western Sahara | 1 |
These categories describe the UN’s list, not a claim that each territory has identical constitutional arrangements. The administering state’s relationship with a territory can differ significantly from one place to another.
What Does “Colony” Mean Today?
Historically, a colony was a territory controlled by a foreign power, often through settlement, military occupation, or an appointed administration. Modern international law and constitutional practice use more varied terms, including “overseas territory,” “unincorporated territory,” “self-governing territory,” and “Non-Self-Governing Territory.” A territory may have local elections and control over domestic matters while another country remains responsible for defense or foreign affairs.
Under the UN Charter, countries administering Non-Self-Governing Territories have responsibilities related to the welfare and political development of their inhabitants. The UN General Assembly’s 1960 Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples affirmed the right of peoples to self-determination. The UN’s list helps track places it considers to have not yet achieved a full measure of self-government.
That classification does not settle every question about sovereignty, nor does it mean that all residents favor independence. Political preferences can differ within a territory and may change over time. The UN describes options for achieving self-government that include independence, free association with another state, or integration with an independent state, depending on the people’s freely expressed wishes.
British Overseas Territories
The United Kingdom administers 10 of the 17 territories on the UN list. They are spread across the Caribbean, the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Pacific. Under UK constitutional arrangements, they are called British Overseas Territories, not colonies. Most have elected local legislatures and governments, but the UK retains responsibility for matters such as defense and international relations, with details varying by territory.
The territories include populated places such as Bermuda, Anguilla, and the Cayman Islands, as well as Pitcairn, a remote Pacific territory with a very small population. Saint Helena is in the South Atlantic; Gibraltar is at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula; and the Falkland Islands are in the South Atlantic. The Falklands are claimed by Argentina, while the United Kingdom administers them. The UN uses the name “Falkland Islands (Malvinas)” on its list.
Several British territories have held political status debates or referendums. In 2013, Falkland Islands voters overwhelmingly chose to remain a UK Overseas Territory in a referendum recognized by the UK but rejected by Argentina. Gibraltar’s voters have also rejected proposals to share sovereignty with Spain. These outcomes reflect local political views, but they do not erase competing sovereignty claims or change the UN’s classification by themselves.
U.S. Territories on the UN List
The United States administers American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, all of which the UN identifies as Non-Self-Governing Territories. They are U.S. territories, not states, and their constitutional and political arrangements differ. Residents generally have U.S. citizenship in Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands; people born in American Samoa are generally U.S. nationals, but not automatically U.S. citizens at birth.
Residents of these territories do not vote for president in the general election while living there. They also do not have voting representation in the U.S. Senate. Each territory elects a delegate or resident commissioner to the House of Representatives, but these representatives generally cannot cast final votes on legislation on the House floor. Local residents do vote in local elections, and the territories have different levels of local government.
U.S. territories are not all treated alike. Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, for example, are U.S. territories but do not appear on the UN’s current list of Non-Self-Governing Territories. That distinction is one reason a simple count of “U.S. colonies” can be misleading: the answer depends on whether the question refers to the UN list, constitutional status, or a broader historical use of the word.
French Territories and Tokelau
France administers French Polynesia and New Caledonia, both on the UN list. French Polynesia is a group of islands in the South Pacific with substantial autonomy within the French Republic. New Caledonia has a distinct political framework shaped by agreements and referendums on its future status. It remains under French sovereignty, while questions of independence and political identity continue to be debated.
Tokelau, a small group of Pacific atolls, is administered by New Zealand. It has local institutions and has held referendums on self-government in free association with New Zealand. The proposed change did not receive the required level of support in either referendum, so Tokelau remained a New Zealand-administered territory. Its situation demonstrates why “not independent” does not necessarily mean residents have never been offered a choice about political status.
Why Western Sahara Is Different
Western Sahara is the most distinct case on the UN list. Spain administered the territory during the colonial period and withdrew in 1975. Morocco claims and controls most of Western Sahara, while the Polisario Front seeks independence for the Sahrawi people. The UN has not identified a current administering power for the territory, and its final status remains unresolved.
The UN established a mission in 1991 to support a settlement process that included a proposed referendum on self-determination. The political process has not produced a final agreement. Because the territory’s control and sovereignty are contested, Western Sahara should not be described as an ordinary overseas dependency of a recognized administering state.
Why Some Overseas Territories Are Not on the List
The UN’s 17-territory list is often mistaken for a complete list of all places that might be called colonies. It is not. Greenland and the Faroe Islands, for instance, are self-governing parts of the Kingdom of Denmark, but they are not on the UN list. Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten are constituent countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and are also not on it.
Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory with a locally elected government and a long-running debate over statehood, independence, and its current status. It is not listed by the UN as a Non-Self-Governing Territory. That does not mean every observer agrees about how to describe its political relationship with the United States; it means the UN’s current list uses a specific classification that excludes it.
Other territories have been removed from the list after changes in political status. Hong Kong, for example, was removed in 1972 after China argued that it was not a colonial territory requiring decolonization. The list therefore reflects UN decisions and international political context, not a timeless or universally agreed definition of colonialism.
How to Assess a Territory’s Political Status
When evaluating whether a country “still has colonies,” it helps to ask what the word means in the specific context. A practical assessment considers who holds sovereignty, how much authority local institutions exercise, whether residents can choose among status options, and how the United Nations classifies the territory.
- Check the formal status: A territory may be called an overseas territory, dependency, or autonomous region in its administering state’s laws.
- Look at local powers: Elected institutions may manage domestic affairs while another government controls defense, citizenship, or foreign relations.
- Separate control from claims: A state’s control of a territory does not necessarily mean its sovereignty is internationally recognized.
- Consider residents’ views: Local preferences vary, and referendums or elections may not resolve every constitutional or international dispute.
- Use precise language: “UN-listed Non-Self-Governing Territory” is more specific than “colony” when discussing the UN’s official classification.
For readers asking which countries still have colonies today, the concise answer is that the United Kingdom, United States, France, and New Zealand administer 16 of the 17 territories on the UN’s list, while Western Sahara remains a separate, disputed case. Whether those places are called colonies depends on the definition being used; their distinct political arrangements and residents’ rights are best understood territory by territory.