In simple terms, a currency is defined as a form of money that is in use. There are many different types of currency! 180 main currencies of the world are identified as legal tender by the United Nations (UN).
Read more: Learn all about money’s history and how to manage it.
8 Major Currencies of the World
The major currencies are those used often in the foreign exchange market. The 8 most traded currencies are the United States dollar (USD), the Euro (EUR), the Japanese yen (JPY), the British pound sterling (GBP), the Australian dollar (AUD), the Canadian dollar (CAD), the Swiss franc (CHF), and the New Zealand dollar (NZD).
A currency pair shows the value of one currency against another. For example, EUR/USD 1.11 means that one euro is exchanged for 1.11 US dollars. EUR is the base currency and USD is the quote currency (counter currency). In simpler terms, you are selling the base currency in exchange for the quote.
On the other hand, USD/EUR 0.90 means that 1 USD is exchanged 0.90 euros.
Knowing these exchange rates is useful when planning to travel!
The 8 major currency pairs are Euro/Dollar (EUR/USD), Dollar/Japanese Yen (USD/JPY), British Pound Sterling/US Dollar (GBP/USD), Australian Dollar/US Dollar (AUD/USD), US Dollar/Canadian Dollar (USD/CAD), US Dollar/Swiss Franc (USD/CHF), New Zealand Dollar/US Dollar (NZD/USD), and Euro/Japanese yen (EUR/JPY).
The most traded currency pairs in the world, according to the Forex market, is the EUR/USD.
Most Expensive Currency
Though it is not a “major”, the Kuwaiti dinar (KWD) is currently the most valuable currency. It typically trades with the Bahraini dinar (BHD) for the top spot as the most expensive. 1 USD will give you 0.31 KWD. Or 1 KWD exchanges for 3.23 USD. (As of May 2020)
Sorry, I don’t have a Kuwaiti dinar to show. These 10 dinars are equal to $26.45 USD!
Popular Currencies
Every country does not have its own system of money. Countries can declare the currency of another country as their legal tender.
The most widely used currency is the Euro; It is the official currency used in 23 countries and even more territories. The countries include Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia Slovenia and Spain.
The United States dollar is the official currency of 9 countries: Ecuador, El Salvador, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Timor-Leste, United States of America, & Zimbabwe.
There are 8 countries in which the West African CFA franc is used: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, & Togo.
The Central African CFA franc in 6 countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, & Gabon.
The East Caribbean dollar is the currency used in 6 countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, & Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Read More: What Is Money Made Of? And How It’s Made!
List of Currencies (with Symbols)
This list shows the major currencies in use by every country (and some territories) with their ISO 4217 code and currency symbol.
| Country (*** = Territories) | Currency | Currency Symbol | ISO 4217 Currency Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Afghan afghani | ؋ | AFN |
| Akrotiri and Dhekelia*** | Euro | € | EUR |
| Albania | Albanian lek | L | ALL |
| Alderey*** | Alderney pound, British pound sterling | None, £ | None, GBP |
| Algeria | Algerian dinar | د.ج | DZD |
| American Samoa*** | United States dollar | $ | USD |
| Andorra | Euro | € | EUR |
| Angola | Angolan kwanza | Kz | AOA |
| Anguilla*** | East Caribbean dollar | $ | XCD |
| Antigua and Barbuda | East Caribbean dollar | $ | XCD |
| Argentina | Argentine peso | $ | ARS |
| Armenia | Armenian dram | ֏ | AMD |
| Aruba*** | Aruban florin | ƒ | AWG |
| Ascension Island*** | Saint Helena pound | £ | SHP |
| Australia | Australian dollar | $ | AUD |
| Austria | Euro | € | EUR |
| Azerbaijan | Azerbaijan manat | ₼ | AZN |
| B | |||
| Bahamas | Bahamian dollar | $ | BSD |
| Bahrain | Bahraini dinar | .د.ب | BHD |
| Bangladesh | Bangladeshi taka | ৳ | BDT |
| Barbados | Barbadian dollar | $ | BBD |
| Belarus | Belarusian ruble | Br | BYN |
| Belgium | Euro | € | EUR |
| Belize | Belize dollar | $ | BZD |
| Benin | West African CFA franc | Fr | XOF |
| Bermuda*** | Bermudian dollar | $ | BMD |
| Bhutan | Bhutanese ngultrum, Indian rupee | Nu., ₹ | BTN, INR |
| Bolivia | Bolivian boliviano | Bs. | BOB |
| Bonaire*** | United States dollar | $ | USD |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark | KM | BAM |
| Botswana | Botswana pula | P | BWP |
| Brazil | Brazilian real | R$ | BRL |
| British Indian Ocean Territory*** | United States dollar | $ | USD |
| British Virgin Islands*** | United States dollar | $ | USD |
| Brunei | Brunei dollar, Singapore dollar | $, $ | BND, SGD |
| Bulgaria | Bulgarian lev | лв. | BGN |
| Burkina Faso | West African CFA franc | Fr | XOF |
| Burundi | Burundi franc | Fr | BIF |
| C | |||
| Cambodia | Cambodian riel | ៛ | KHR |
| Cameroon | Central African CFA franc | Fr | XAF |
| Canada | Canadian dollar | $ | CAD |
| Cape Verde | Cape Verdean escudo | Esc or $ | CVE |
| Caribbean Netherlands*** | United States dollar | $ | USD |
| Cayman Islands*** | Cayman Islands dollar | $ | KYD |
| Central African Republic | Central African CFA franc | Fr | XAF |
| Chad | Central African CFA franc | Fr | XAF |
| Chatham Islands*** | New Zealand dollar | $ | NZD |
| Chile | Chilean peso | $ | CLP |
| China | Chinese Yuan Renminbi | ¥ or 元 | CNY |
| Christmas Island*** | Australian dollar | $ | AUD |
| Cocos (Keeling) Islands*** | Australian dollar | $ | AUD |
| Colombia | Colombian peso | $ | COP |
| Comoros | Comorian franc | Fr | KMF |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of the | Congolese franc | Fr | CDF |
| Congo, Republic of the | Central African CFA franc | Fr | XAF |
| Cook Islands*** | Cook Islands dollar | $ | none |
| Costa Rica | Costa Rican colon | ₡ | CRC |
| Côte d’Ivoire | West African CFA franc | Fr | XOF |
| Croatia | Croatian kuna | kn | HRK |
| Cuba | Cuban peso, Cuban convertible peso | $, $ | CUP, CUC |
| Curacao*** | Netherlands Antillean guilder | ƒ | ANG |
| Cyprus | Euro | € | EUR |
| Czech Republic | Czech koruna | Kč | CZK |
| D | |||
| Denmark | Danish krone | kr | DKK |
| Djibouti | Djiboutian franc | Fr | DJF |
| Dominica | East Caribbean dollar | $ | XCD |
| Dominican Republic | Dominican peso | $ | DOP |
| E | |||
| Ecuador | United States dollar | $ | USD |
| Egypt | Egyptian pound | £ or ج.م | EGP |
| El Salvador | United States dollar | $ | USD |
| Equatorial Guinea | Central African CFA franc | Fr | XAF |
| Eritrea | Eritrean nakfa | Nfk | ERN |
| Estonia | Euro | € | EUR |
| Eswatini | Swazi lilangeni, South African rand | L, R | SZL, ZAR |
| Ethiopia | Ethiopian birr | Br | ETB |
| F | |||
| Falkland Islands*** | Falkland Islands pound | £ | FKP |
| Faroe Islands*** | Faroese krona, Danish krone | kr, kr | none, Oyra, Øre |
| Fiji | Fijian dollar | $ | FJD |
| Finland | Euro | € | EUR |
| France | Euro | € | EUR |
| French Guiana*** | Euro | € | EUR |
| French Polynesia*** | CFP franc | ₣ | XPF |
| G | |||
| Gabon | Central African CFA franc | Fr | XAF |
| Gambia | Gambian dalasi | D | GMD |
| Georgia | Georgian lari | ₾ | GEL |
| Germany | Euro | € | EUR |
| Ghana | Ghanaian cedi | ₵ | GHS |
| Gibraltar*** | Gibraltar pound | £ | GIP |
| Greece | Euro | € | EUR |
| Greenland*** | Danish krone | kr | DKK |
| Grenada | East Caribbean dollar | $ | XCD |
| Guadeloupe*** | Euro | € | EUR |
| Guam*** | United States dollar | $ | USD |
| Guatemala | Guatemalan quetzal | Q | GTQ |
| Guernsey*** | Guernsey pound, British pound sterling | £, £ | none, GBP |
| Guinea | Guinean franc | Fr | GNF |
| Guinea-Bissau | West African CFA franc | Fr | XOF |
| Guyana | Guyanese dollar | $ | GYD |
| H | |||
| Haiti | Haitian gourde | G | HTG |
| Honduras | Honduran lempira | L | HNL |
| Hong Kong*** | Hong Kong dollar | $ | HKD |
| Hungary | Hungarian forint | Ft | HUF |
| I | |||
| Iceland | Icelandic krona | kr | ISK |
| India | Indian rupee | ₹ | INR |
| Indonesia | Indonesian rupiah | Rp | IDR |
| Iran | Iranian rial | ﷼ | IRR |
| Iraq | Iraqi dinar | ع.د | IQD |
| Ireland | Euro | € | EUR |
| Isle of Man*** | Manx pound, British pound sterling | £, £ | none, GBP |
| Israel | Israeli new shekel | ₪ | ILS |
| Italy | Euro | € | EUR |
| J | |||
| Jamaica | Jamaican dollar | $ | JMD |
| Japan | Japanese yen | ¥ or 円 | JPY |
| Jersey*** | Jersey pound, British pound sterling | £, £ | none, GBP |
| Jordan | Jordanian dinar | د.ا | JOD |
| K | |||
| Kazakhstan | Kazakhstani tenge | ₸ | KZT |
| Kenya | Kenyan shilling | Sh | KES |
| Kiribati | Kiribati dollar, Australian dollar | $, $ | none, AUD |
| Kosovo*** | Euro | € | EUR |
| Kuwait | Kuwaiti dinar | د.ك | KWD |
| Kyrgyzstan | Kyrgyzstani som | c | KGS |
| L | |||
| Laos | Lao kip | ₭ | LAK |
| Latvia | Euro | € | EUR |
| Lebanon | Lebanese pound | ل.ل | LBP |
| Lesotho | Lesotho loti, South African rand | L, R | LSL, ZAR |
| Liberia | Liberian dollar | $ | LRD |
| Libya | Libyan dinar | ل.د | LYD |
| Liechtenstein | Swiss franc | Fr. | CHF |
| Lithuania | Euro | € | EUR |
| Luxembourg | Euro | € | EUR |
| M | |||
| Macau*** | Macanese pataca | P | MOP |
| Madagascar | Malagasy ariary | Ar | MGA |
| Malawi | Malawian kwacha | MK | MWK |
| Malaysia | Malaysian ringgit | RM | MYR |
| Maldives | Maldivian rufiyaa | .ރ | MVR |
| Mali | West African CFA franc | Fr | XOF |
| Malta | Euro | € | EUR |
| Marshall Islands | United States dollar | $ | USD |
| Martinique*** | Euro | € | EUR |
| Mauritania | Mauritanian ouguiya | UM | MRU |
| Mauritius | Mauritian rupee | Rs | MUR |
| Mayotte*** | Euro | € | EUR |
| Mexico | Mexican peso | $ | MXN |
| Micronesia | United States dollar | $ | USD |
| Moldova | Moldovan leu | L | MDL |
| Monaco | Euro | € | EUR |
| Mongolia | Mongolian tögrög | ₮ | MNT |
| Montenegro | Euro | € | EUR |
| Montserrat*** | East Caribbean dollar | $ | XCD |
| Morocco | Moroccan dirham | د.م. | MAD |
| Mozambique | Mozambican metical | MT | MZN |
| Myanmar (aka Burma) | Kyat | Ks | MMK |
| N | |||
| Namibia | Namibian dollar, South African rand | $, R | NAD, ZAR |
| Nauru | Australian dollar | $ | AUD |
| Nepal | Nepalese rupee | रू | NPR |
| Netherlands | Euro | € | EUR |
| New Caledonia*** | CFP franc | ₣ | XPF |
| New Zealand | New Zealand dollar | $ | NZD |
| Nicaragua | Nicaraguan cordoba | C$ | NIO |
| Niger | West African CFA franc | Fr | XOF |
| Nigeria | Nigerian naira | ₦ | NGN |
| Niue*** | Niue dollar, New Zealand dollar | $, $ | none, NZD |
| Norfolk Island*** | Australian dollar | $ | AUD |
| Northern Mariana Islands*** | United States dollar | $ | USD |
| North Korea | North Korean won | ₩ | KPW |
| North Macedonia | Macedonian denar | ден | MKD |
| Norway | Norwegian krone | kr | NOK |
| O | |||
| Oman | Omani rial | ر.ع. | OMR |
| P | |||
| Pakistan | Pakistani rupee | Rs | PKR |
| Palau | United States dollar | $ | USD |
| Palestine | Israeli new shekel, Jordanian dinar | ₪, د.ا | ILS, JOD |
| Panama | Panamanian balboa, United States dollar | B/., $ | PAB, USD |
| Papua New Guinea | Papua New Guinean kina | K | PGK |
| Paraguay | Paraguayan guarani | ₲ | PYG |
| Peru | Peruvian sol | S/. | PEN |
| Philippines | Philippine peso | ₱ | PHP |
| Pitcairn Islands*** | Pitcairn Islands dollar, New Zealand dollar | $, $ | none, NZD |
| Poland | Polish złoty | zł | PLN |
| Portugal | Euro | € | EUR |
| Puerto Rico*** | United States dollar | $ | USD |
| Q | |||
| Qatar | Qatari riyal | ر.ق | QAR |
| R | |||
| Reunion*** | Euro | € | EUR |
| Romania | Romanian leu | lei | RON |
| Russia | Russian ruble | ₽ | RUB |
| Rwanda | Rwandan franc | Fr | RWF |
| S | |||
| Saba*** | United States dollar | $ | USD |
| Saint Barthelemy*** | Euro | € | EUR |
| Saint Helena*** | Saint Helena pound | £ | SHP |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | East Caribbean dollar | $ | XCD |
| Saint Lucia | East Caribbean dollar | $ | XCD |
| Saint Martin*** | Euro | € | EUR |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon*** | Euro | € | EUR |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | East Caribbean dollar | $ | XCD |
| Samoa | Samoan tālā | T | WST |
| San Marino | Euro | € | EUR |
| Sao Tome and Principe | Sao Tome and Principe dobra | Db | STN |
| Saudi Arabia | Saudi riyal | ر.س | SAR |
| Senegal | West African CFA franc | Fr | XOF |
| Serbia | Serbian dinar | дин. or din. | RSD |
| Seychelles | Seychellois rupee | Rs | SCR |
| Sierra Leone | Sierra Leonean leone | Le | SLL |
| Singapore | Singapore dollar, Brunei dollar | $, $ | SGD, BND |
| Sint Eustatius*** | United States dollar | $ | USD |
| Sint Maarten*** | Netherlands Antillean guilder | ƒ | ANG |
| Slovakia | Euro | € | EUR |
| Slovenia | Euro | € | EUR |
| Solomon Islands | Solomon Islands dollar | $ | SBD |
| Somalia | Somali shilling | Sh | SOS |
| South Africa | South African rand | R | ZAR |
| South Georgia Island*** | British pound sterling | £ | GBP |
| South Korea | South Korean won | ₩ | KRW |
| South Sudan | South Sudanese pound | £ | SSP |
| Spain | Euro | € | EUR |
| Sri Lanka | Sri Lankan rupee | Rs, රු or ரூ | LKR |
| Sudan | Sudanese pound | ج.س. | SDG |
| Suriname | Surinamese dollar | $ | SRD |
| Svalbard*** | Norwegian krone | kr | NOK |
| Sweden | Swedish krona | kr | SEK |
| Switzerland | Swiss franc | Fr. | CHF |
| Syria | Syrian pound | £ or ل.س | SYP |
| T | |||
| Taiwan*** | New Taiwan dollar | $ | TWD |
| Tajikistan | Tajikistani somoni | SM | TJS |
| Tanzania | Tanzanian shilling | Sh | TZS |
| Thailand | Thai baht | ฿ | THB |
| Timor-Leste (aka East Timor) | United States dollar | $ | USD |
| Togo | West African CFA franc | Fr | XOF |
| Tokelau*** | New Zealand dollar | $ | NZD |
| Tonga | Tongan pa’anga | T$ | TOP |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Trinidad and Tobago dollar | $ | TTD |
| Tristan da Cunha*** | British pound sterling | £ | GBP |
| Tunisia | Tunisian dinar | د.ت | TND |
| Turkey | Turkish lira | ₺ | TRY |
| Turkmenistan | Turkmen manat | m | TMT |
| Turks and Caicos Islands*** | United States dollar | $ | USD |
| Tuvalu | Tuvaluan dollar, Australian dollar | $, $ | TVD, AUD |
| U | |||
| Uganda | Ugandan shilling | Sh | UGX |
| Ukraine | Ukrainian hryvnia | ₴ | UAH |
| United Arab Emirates | UAE dirham | د.إ | AED |
| United Kingdom | British pound sterling | £ | GBP |
| United States of America | United States dollar | $ | USD |
| Uruguay | Uruguayan peso | $ | UYU |
| US Virgin Islands*** | United States dollar | $ | USD |
| Uzbekistan | Uzbekistani s’om | so’m or сўм | UZS |
| V | |||
| Vanuatu | Vanuatu vatu | Vt | VUV |
| Vatican City (Holy See) | Euro | € | EUR |
| Venezuela | Venezuelan bolivar | Bs.S. or Bs. | VES |
| Vietnam | Vietnamese dong | ₫ | VND |
| W | |||
| Wallis and Futuna*** | CFP franc | ₣ | XPF |
| Y | |||
| Yemen | Yemeni rial | ر.ي | YER |
| Z | |||
| Zambia | Zambian kwacha | ZK | ZMW |
| Zimbabwe | United States dollar | $ | USD |
What types of currency are used in your area?
FAQ
The eight major currencies are currently the United States dollar (USD), the Euro (EUR), the Japanese yen (JPY), the British pound sterling (GBP), the Australian dollar (AUD), the Canadian dollar (CAD), the Swiss franc (CHF), and the New Zealand dollar (NZD).
The most stable currency this year has been the Swiss Franc.
the 8 major currencies of the world, may need to be updated to include RMB.
the 8 major currencies of the world, may need to be updated to include RMB and IMF’s SDR.