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List of Worldwide AC Voltages and Frequencies
by Ron Kurtus (updated 11 June 2019)
The voltage and frequency of alternating current (AC) electricity used in homes varies from country to country throughout the world. Typically, either 120-volt AC or 240-volt AC is used.
Most countries use 50Hz (50 Hertz or 50 cycles per second) as their AC frequency. Only a handful use 60Hz.
The standard in the United States is 120V and 60Hz AC electricity. However, due to fluctuations, the average measured voltage is 117 VAC.
Questions you may have include:
- What is the listing for the various countries?
This lesson will answer those questions. Useful tool: Units Conversion
Listing per country
Of the over 200 countries listed below, most use 220-240 VAC. Others use between 100-120VAC. Some countries, including the United States, use dual voltages. 43 countries use 60Hz, while the rest use 50Hz.
| Country |
Voltage |
Frequency |
| Afghanistan |
220V |
50Hz |
| Albania |
230V |
50Hz |
| Algeria |
230V |
50Hz |
| American Samoa |
120V |
60Hz |
| Andorra |
230V |
50Hz |
| Angola |
220V |
50Hz |
| Anguilla |
110V |
60Hz |
| Antigua |
230V |
60Hz |
| Argentina |
220V |
50Hz |
| Armenia |
230V |
50Hz |
| Aruba |
127V |
60Hz |
| Australia |
240V |
50Hz |
| Austria |
230V |
50Hz |
| Azerbaijan |
220V |
50Hz |
| Azores |
230V |
50Hz |
| Bahamas |
120V |
60Hz |
| Bahrain |
230V |
50Hz |
| Balearic Islands |
230V |
50Hz |
| Bangladesh |
220V |
50Hz |
| Barbados |
115V |
50Hz |
| Belarus |
230V |
50Hz |
| Belgium |
230V |
50Hz |
| Belize |
110/220V |
60Hz |
| Benin |
220V |
50Hz |
| Bermuda |
120V |
60Hz |
| Bhutan |
230V |
50Hz |
| Bolivia |
230V |
50Hz |
| Bosnia |
230V |
50Hz |
| Botswana |
230V |
50Hz |
| Brazil |
110/220V |
60Hz |
| Brunei |
240V |
50Hz |
| Bulgaria |
230V |
50Hz |
| Burkina Faso |
220V |
50Hz |
| Burundi |
220V |
50Hz |
| Cambodia |
230V |
50Hz |
| Cameroon |
220V |
50Hz |
| Canada |
120/240V |
60Hz |
| Canary Islands |
230V |
50Hz |
| Cape Verde |
230V |
50Hz |
| Cayman Islands |
120V |
60Hz |
| Central Africa |
220V |
50Hz |
| Chad |
220V |
50Hz |
| Channel Islands |
230V |
50Hz |
| Chile |
220V |
50Hz |
| China |
220V |
50Hz |
| Colombia |
110V |
60Hz |
| Comoros |
220V |
50Hz |
| Congo (Zaire) |
220V |
50Hz |
| Cook Islands |
240V |
50Hz |
| Costa Rica |
120V |
60Hz |
Côte d'Ivoire
(Ivory Coast) |
220V |
50Hz |
| Croatia |
230V |
50Hz |
| Cuba |
110/220V |
60Hz |
| Cyprus |
230V |
50Hz |
| Czech Republic |
230V |
50Hz |
| Denmark |
230V |
50Hz |
| Djibouti |
220V |
50Hz |
| Dominica |
230V |
50Hz |
| Dominican Republic |
110V |
60Hz |
| East Timor |
220V |
50Hz |
| Ecuador |
127V |
60Hz |
| Egypt |
220V |
50Hz |
| El Salvador |
115V |
60Hz |
| Equatorial Guinea |
220V |
50Hz |
| Eritrea |
230V |
50Hz |
| Estonia |
230V |
50Hz |
| Ethiopia |
220V |
50Hz |
| Faeroe Islands |
230V |
50Hz |
| Falkland Islands |
240V |
50Hz |
| Fiji |
240V |
50Hz |
| Finland |
230V |
50Hz |
| France |
230V |
50Hz |
| French Guyana |
220V |
50Hz |
| Gaza |
230V |
50Hz |
| Gabon |
220V |
50Hz |
| Gambia |
230V |
50Hz |
| Germany |
230V |
50Hz |
| Ghana |
230V |
50Hz |
| Gibraltar |
230V |
50Hz |
| Greece |
230V |
50Hz |
| Greenland |
230V |
50Hz |
| Grenada |
230V |
50Hz |
| Guadeloupe |
230V |
50Hz |
| Guam |
110V |
60Hz |
| Guatemala |
120V |
60Hz |
| Guinea |
220V |
50Hz |
| Guinea-Bissau |
220V |
50Hz |
| Guyana |
110/220V |
60Hz |
| Haiti |
110V |
60Hz |
| Honduras |
110V |
60Hz |
| Hong Kong |
220V |
50Hz |
| Hungary |
230V |
50Hz |
| Iceland |
230V |
50Hz |
| India |
240V |
50Hz |
| Indonesia |
230V |
50Hz |
| Iran |
230V |
50Hz |
| Iraq |
230V |
50Hz |
| Ireland (Eire) |
230V |
50Hz |
| Isle of Man |
230V |
50Hz |
| Israel |
230V |
50Hz |
| Italy |
230V |
50Hz |
| Jamaica |
110V |
50Hz |
| Japan |
100V |
50/60Hz |
| Jordan |
230V |
50Hz |
| Kenya |
240V |
50Hz |
| Kazakhstan |
220V |
50Hz |
|
|
| Country |
Voltage |
Frequency. |
| Kiribati |
240V |
50Hz |
| Korea, South |
220V |
60Hz |
| Kuwait |
240V |
50Hz |
| Kyrgyzstan |
220V |
50Hz |
| Laos |
230V |
50Hz |
| Latvia |
230V |
50Hz |
| Lebanon |
230V |
50Hz |
| Lesotho |
220V |
50Hz |
| Liberia |
220V |
50Hz |
| Libya |
127/230V |
50Hz |
| Lithuania |
230V |
50Hz |
| Liechtenstein |
230V |
50Hz |
| Luxembourg |
230V |
50Hz |
| Macau |
220V |
50Hz |
| Macedonia |
230V |
50Hz |
| Madagascar |
127/220V |
50Hz |
| Madeira |
230V |
50Hz |
| Malawi |
230V |
50Hz |
| Malaysia |
240V |
50Hz |
| Maldives |
230V |
50Hz |
| Mali |
220V |
50Hz |
| Malta |
230V |
50Hz |
| Martinique |
220V |
50Hz |
| Mauritania |
220V |
50Hz |
| Mauritius |
230V |
50Hz |
| Mexico |
127V |
60Hz |
| Micronesia |
120V |
60Hz |
| Moldova |
230V |
50Hz |
| Monaco |
230V |
50Hz |
| Mongolia |
230V |
50Hz |
| Montserrat Islands |
230V |
60Hz |
| Morocco |
220V |
50Hz |
| Mozambique |
220V |
50Hz |
| Myanmar (Burma) |
230V |
50Hz |
| Namibia |
220V |
50Hz |
| Nauru |
240V |
50Hz |
| Nepal |
230V |
50Hz |
| Netherlands |
230V |
50Hz |
| Netherlands Antilles |
127/220V |
50Hz |
| New Caledonia |
220V |
50Hz |
| New Zealand |
230V |
50Hz |
| Nicaragua |
120V |
60Hz |
| Niger |
220V |
50Hz |
| Nigeria |
240V |
50Hz |
| Norway |
230V |
50Hz |
| Okinawa |
100V |
60Hz |
| Oman |
240V |
50Hz |
| Pakistan |
230V |
50Hz |
| Palmyra Atoll |
120V |
60Hz |
| Panama |
110V |
60Hz |
| Papua New Guinea |
240V |
50Hz |
| Paraguay |
220V |
50Hz |
| Peru |
220V |
60Hz |
| Philippines |
110/220V |
60Hz |
| Poland |
230V |
50Hz |
| Portugal |
230V |
50Hz |
| Puerto Rico |
120V |
60Hz |
| Qatar |
240V |
50Hz |
| Réunion Island |
230V |
50Hz |
| Romania |
230V |
50Hz |
| Russian Federation |
230V |
50Hz |
| Rwanda |
230V |
50Hz |
| St. Kitts & Nevis Islands |
230V |
60Hz |
| St. Lucia Island |
240V |
50Hz |
| St. Vincent Island |
230V |
50Hz |
| Saudi Arabia |
127/220V |
60Hz |
| Senegal |
230V |
50Hz |
| Serbia & Montenegro |
230V |
50Hz |
| Seychelles |
240V |
50Hz |
| Sierra Leone |
230V |
50Hz |
| Singapore |
230V |
50Hz |
| Slovakia |
230V |
50Hz |
| Slovenia |
230V |
50Hz |
| Somalia |
220V |
50Hz |
| South Africa |
230V |
50Hz |
| Spain |
230V |
50Hz |
| Sri Lanka |
230V |
50Hz |
| Sudan |
230V |
50Hz |
| Suriname |
127V |
60Hz |
| Swaziland |
230V |
50Hz |
| Sweden |
230V |
50Hz |
| Switzerland |
230V |
50Hz |
| Syria |
220V |
50Hz |
| Tahiti |
110/220V |
60Hz |
| Tajikistan |
220V |
50Hz |
| Taiwan |
110V |
60Hz |
| Tanzania |
230V |
50Hz |
| Thailand |
220V |
50Hz |
| Togo |
220V |
50Hz |
| Tonga |
240V |
50Hz |
| Trinidad & Tobago |
115V |
60Hz |
| Tunisia |
230V |
50Hz |
| Turkey |
230V |
50Hz |
| Turkmenistan |
220V |
50Hz |
| Uganda |
240V |
50Hz |
| Ukraine |
230V |
50Hz |
| United Arab Emirates |
220V |
50Hz |
| United Kingdom (UK) |
230/240V |
50Hz |
| United States (USA) |
120/240V |
60Hz |
| Uruguay |
220V |
50Hz |
| Uzbekistan |
220V |
50Hz |
| Venezuela |
120V |
60Hz |
| Vietnam |
220V |
50Hz |
| Virgin Islands |
110V |
60Hz |
| Western Samoa |
230V |
50Hz |
| Yemen |
230V |
50Hz |
| Zambia |
230V |
50Hz |
| Zimbabwe |
220V |
50Hz |
|
Summary
The voltage and frequency of AC electricity varies from country to country throughout the world. Most use 220V and 50Hz. About 20% of the countries use 110-120 V and/or 60Hz to power their homes. 220-240 V and 60Hz are the most efficient values, but only a few countries use that combination. The United States uses 120V and 60Hz AC electricity.
Observe the world around you
Resources and references
Ron Kurtus' Credentials
Websites
Plug, socket & voltage by country - WolrdStandards.eu
Mains electricity by country - Wikipedia
Utility frequency - Wikipedia
Guide to International Travel With Electric Appliances - Good information from Lewis N. Clark
DC and AC Electricity Resources
Physics Resources
Books
(Notice: The School for Champions may earn commissions from book purchases)
Basic Electricity by Bureau of Naval Personnel; Dover Pubns; (1970) $14.95 - Provides thorough coverage of the basic theory of electricity and its applications
Teach Yourself Electricity and Electronics by Stan Gibilisco; McGraw-Hill; (2001) $34.95 - Guide for professionals, hobbyists and technicians desiring to learn AC and DC circuits
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List of Worldwide AC Voltages and Frequencies
