Country rankings

Name Changes by Country

Turkey has the highest Year Changed (2,022), followed by Eswatini (2,018) and Czechia (2,016). Iran has the lowest (1,935).

Facts & Trivia10 countries · 4 metricsUpdated Nov 4, 2024Original page
9 sources
Year ChangedBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →
10 of 235 countries
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Year Changed

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 10 ranked

Highest first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one country; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
1,985
Middle half 1,971 – 2,015
Average
1,986
10 countries
Highest
2,022
Turkey
Lowest
1,935
Iran

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

10 countries · # = rank by Year Changed
#
1TurkeyTürkiyeTurkey2,022Although the "land of the Turks" had been known internationally as Turkey since 1923, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, initiated an official change from “Turkey” to “Türkiye” in 2022, stating that Türkiye best represented and expressed the culture, civilization, and val…
2EswatinieSwatiniSwaziland2,018In 2018, Swaziland's King Mswati III officially changed the name of the small South African country to eSwatini. Reasons for the change include celebrate its freedom from Britain (Swaziland was the country's colonial name), creating a firmer sense of belonging in the hearts of…
3CzechiaCzechiaCzech Republic2,016In 2016, the Czech government officially adopted the name Czechia, in part to make the name easier for businesses and athletic teams to use. The United Nations officially recognized Czechia as the official name in 2016, and organizations including Google, the European Union, A…
4Cape VerdeRepublic of Cabo VerdeCape Verde2,013In 2013, this island registered its name with the UN using the full Portuguese spelling, and honoring its nation’s official language. The previous name, as per the records, was a linguistic hybrid, which used ‘cape’ as the English translation of ‘cabo’, but kept the Portuguese…
5MyanmarMyanmarBurma1,989The ruling Junta military changed the name of the country from Burma to Myanmar in 1989, ostensibly to reinforce the country's independence (it is a former British colony) and to be more inclusive than Burma (Bama in Burmese)., Use of the name Myanmar is contested by a signif…
6ZimbabweZimbabweRhodesia1,980The British colony Rhodesia's name was a reference to the British businessman and politician Cecil Rhodes, who was largely responsible for the region falling under British rule in the late 1800s. Upon gaining its independence from the UK (declared in 1965, granted in 1980), Rh…
7Sri LankaSri LankaCeylon1,972Although it initially regained its independence in 1948, the former British Colony of Ceylon did not change its name to "Republic of Sri Lanka" until 1972, when its original constitution was replaced by a new one. In 1978, another new constitution was introduced and the name u…
8BangladeshBangladeshEast Pakistan1,971In 1971, the war between West Pakistan and East Pakistan ended and the region of East Pakistan became a separate nation, officially changing its name to "Bangladesh" in the process. Now known as the Liberation War of Bangladesh, the war had been sparked by Internal conflicts b…
9ThailandThailandSiam1,948In 1938, military leader Luang Phibunsongkhram (typically abbreviated Phibun) ascended to the position of Prime Minister in the Siamese government and installed a fascist-style regime. In 1939, Phibun initiated a change of name to Thailand, a nationalistic move intended to uni…
10IranIraqPersia1,935Up until March 1935, the Middle Eastern nation Iran was known as Persia. The name change was initiated by the then-ruler of the Middle Eastern nation, Reza Shah Pahlavi, to mark new beginnings for the country. However, in 1959, ruler Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (son of the previous …

What correlates with Year Changed?

Pearson r against 863 other country metrics sharing at least 10 countries. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Year Changed tend to score higher on these

  1. Hypertension Age-Standardized Prevalence Adults 30-79Hypertension Rates by Country
    r = +0.73 · very strong · n = 10
    Plot
  2. Rate of Self-Harm Gun Death IHMEGun Deaths by Country
    r = +0.72 · very strong · n = 10
    Plot
  3. Suicide RateGun Violence by Country
    r = +0.72 · very strong · n = 10
    Plot
  4. Hypertension Crude Prevalence Females 30-79Hypertension Rates by Country
    r = +0.71 · very strong · n = 10
    Plot
  5. Hypertension Crude Prevalance Adults 30-79Hypertension Rates by Country
    r = +0.69 · strong · n = 10
    Plot
  6. Use per CapitaPesticide Usage by Country
    r = +0.67 · strong · n = 10
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Year Changed tend to score lower on these

  1. % Of World Languages UNESCOLinguistic Diversity Index by Country
    r = −0.86 · very strong · n = 10
    Plot
  2. Airline PassengersAirline Passengers by Country
    r = −0.80 · very strong · n = 10
    Plot
  3. # of Reptile SpeciesSnake Population by Country
    r = −0.79 · very strong · n = 10
    Plot
  4. % Moderate to Severe BlindnessBlind Population by Country
    r = −0.78 · very strong · n = 10
    Plot
  5. People with Drug Use DisorderDrug Use by Country
    r = −0.75 · very strong · n = 10
    Plot
  6. Factionalized ElitesFailed States
    r = −0.72 · very strong · n = 10
    Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest Year Changed?
Turkey has the highest Year Changed, at 2,022, followed by Eswatini (2,018) and Czechia (2,016).
Which country has the lowest Year Changed?
Iran has the lowest Year Changed, at 1,935.
What is the median Year Changed across countries?
The median is 1,985 across the 10 countries with data.
Where does this name changes by country data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: List of countries which have changed their names in the past - Deccan Herald; Here are 8 Countries That Changed Their Names - Jagran Prakashan Ltd; 10 Countries That Have Officially Changed Their Name - TimesTravel; Czech Republic to be known as 'Czechia' - BBC.