Introduction
The metric system of measurement was introduced after the French Revolution in 1789 and succeeded the decimalized system. Previously, many countries used the imperial system of measurement, called so because of its use by the dominant global empire at the time, Great Britain. This measurement spread to all its colonies, including the U.S. where it has remained the system of measurement despite independence. However, Britain now uses the metric system in line with the rest of Europe.
As such, there are only three countries in the world that do not use the metric system; the U.S, Liberia, and Myanmar. Liberia was a colony of the U.S. and so it inherited the imperial system from them, while Myanmar adopted it due to diplomatic isolation which prevented them from joining treaties that would have established the metric system. However, both of these countries are looking to move on from the imperial system and adopt the metric system, which would leave the U.S. as the sole country in the world to not have adopted the metric system.
If you would like to learn more about countries that don’t use the metric system, please refer to the data in the charts.
Country | Metric-System Country | Fahrenheit Country | Direction of the Traffic |
---|---|---|---|
Liberia | No | Yes | Right |
Myanmar | No | No | Right |
United States of America | No | Yes | Right |
Afghanistan | Yes | No | Right |
Albania | Yes | No | Right |
Algeria | Yes | No | Right |
Andorra | Yes | No | Right |
Angola | Yes | No | Right |
Anguilla | Yes | No | Left |
Antigua and Barbuda | Yes | Yes | Left |
Argentina | Yes | No | Right |
Armenia | Yes | No | Right |
Aruba | Yes | No | Right |
Ashmore and Cartier Islands | Yes | No | |
Australia | Yes | No | Left |
Australian Indian Ocean Territories | Yes | No | |
Austria | Yes | No | Right |
Azerbaijan | Yes | No | Right |
Bahrain | Yes | No | Right |
Bangladesh | Yes | No | Left |
Barbados | Yes | No | Left |
Belarus | Yes | No | Right |
Belgium | Yes | No | Right |
Belize | Yes | Yes | Right |
Benin | Yes | No | Right |
Bermuda | Yes | No | Left |
Bhutan | Yes | No | Left |
Bolivia | Yes | No | Right |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Yes | No | Right |
Botswana | Yes | No | Left |
Brazil | Yes | No | Right |
British Virgin Islands | Yes | Yes | Left |
Brunei | Yes | No | Left |
Bulgaria | Yes | No | Right |
Burkina Faso | Yes | No | Right |
Burundi | Yes | No | Right |
Cambodia | Yes | No | Right |
Cameroon | Yes | No | Right |
Canada | Yes | No | Right |
Cayman Islands | Yes | Yes | Left |
Central African Republic | Yes | No | Right |
Chad | Yes | No | Right |
Chile | Yes | No | Right |
Colombia | Yes | No | Right |
Comoros | Yes | No | Right |
Costa Rica | Yes | No | Right |
Croatia | Yes | No | Right |
Cuba | Yes | No | Right |
Curaçao | Yes | No | Right |
Cyprus | Yes | No | Left |
Czech Republic | Yes | No | Right |
Democratic Republic of the Congo | Yes | No | Right |
Denmark | Yes | No | Right |
Djibouti | Yes | No | Right |
Dominica | Yes | No | Left |
Dominican Republic | Yes | No | Right |
East Timor | Yes | No | Left |
Ecuador | Yes | No | Right |
Egypt | Yes | No | Right |
El Salvador | Yes | No | Right |
Equatorial Guinea | Yes | No | Right |
Eritrea | Yes | No | Right |
Estonia | Yes | No | Right |
Ethiopia | Yes | No | Right |
Faroe Islands | Yes | No | |
Federated States of Micronesia | Yes | Yes | Right |
Fiji | Yes | No | Left |
Finland | Yes | No | Right |
France | Yes | No | Right |
Gabon | Yes | No | Right |
Georgia | Yes | No | Right |
Germany | Yes | No | Right |
Ghana | Yes | No | Right |
Greece | Yes | No | Right |
Grenada | Yes | No | Left |
Guam | Yes | No | Right |
Guatemala | Yes | No | Right |
Guernsey | Yes | No | Left |
Guinea | Yes | No | Right |
Guinea-Bissau | Yes | No | Right |
Guyana | Yes | No | Left |
Haiti | Yes | No | Right |
Honduras | Yes | No | Right |
Hong Kong | Yes | No | Left |
Hungary | Yes | No | Right |
Iceland | Yes | No | Right |
India | Yes | No | Left |
Indonesia | Yes | No | Left |
Iran | Yes | No | Right |
Iraq | Yes | No | Right |
Ireland | Yes | No | Left |
Isle of Man | Yes | No | Left |
Israel | Yes | No | Right |
Italy | Yes | No | Right |
Ivory Coast | Yes | No | Right |
Jamaica | Yes | No | Left |
Japan | Yes | No | Left |
Jersey | Yes | No | Left |
Jordan | Yes | No | Right |
Kazakhstan | Yes | No | Right |
Kenya | Yes | No | Left |
Kosovo | Yes | No | Right |
Kuwait | Yes | No | Right |
Kyrgyzstan | Yes | No | Right |
Laos | Yes | No | Right |
Latvia | Yes | No | Right |
Lebanon | Yes | No | Right |
Lesotho | Yes | No | Left |
Libya | Yes | No | Right |
Liechtenstein | Yes | No | Right |
Lithuania | Yes | No | Right |
Luxembourg | Yes | No | Right |
Macau | Yes | No | Left |
Madagascar | Yes | No | Right |
Malawi | Yes | No | Left |
Malaysia | Yes | No | Left |
Maldives | Yes | No | Left |
Mali | Yes | No | Right |
Malta | Yes | No | Left |
Marshall Islands | Yes | Yes | Right |
Mauritania | Yes | No | Right |
Mauritius | Yes | No | Left |
Mexico | Yes | No | Right |
Moldova | Yes | No | Right |
Monaco | Yes | No | Right |
Mongolia | Yes | No | Right |
Montenegro | Yes | No | Right |
Montserrat | Yes | Yes | Left |
Morocco | Yes | No | Right |
Mozambique | Yes | No | Left |
Namibia | Yes | No | Left |
Nauru | Yes | No | Left |
Nepal | Yes | No | Left |
Netherlands | Yes | No | Right |
New Caledonia | Yes | No | Right |
New Zealand | Yes | No | Left |
Nicaragua | Yes | No | Right |
Niger | Yes | No | Right |
Nigeria | Yes | No | Right |
Norfolk Island | Yes | No | Left |
North Korea | Yes | No | Right |
Northern Mariana Islands | Yes | No | Right |
Norway | Yes | No | Right |
Oman | Yes | No | Right |
Pakistan | Yes | No | Left |
Palau | Yes | Yes | Right |
Palestine | Yes | No | Right |
Panama | Yes | No | Right |
Papua New Guinea | Yes | No | Left |
Paraguay | Yes | No | Right |
People's Republic of China | Yes | No | Right |
Peru | Yes | No | Right |
Philippines | Yes | No | Right |
Poland | Yes | No | Right |
Portugal | Yes | No | Right |
Puerto Rico | Yes | No | Right |
Qatar | Yes | No | Right |
Republic of Macedonia | Yes | No | Right |
Republic of the Congo | Yes | No | Right |
Romania | Yes | No | Right |
Russia | Yes | No | Right |
Rwanda | Yes | No | Right |
Saint Helena | Yes | No | Left |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | Yes | Yes | Left |
Saint Lucia | Yes | No | Left |
Saint Martin | Yes | No | Right |
Saint Pierre and Miquelon | Yes | No | Right |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Yes | No | Left |
Saint-Barthélemy | Yes | No | Right |
San Marino | Yes | No | Right |
Saudi Arabia | Yes | No | Right |
Senegal | Yes | No | Right |
Serbia | Yes | No | Right |
Seychelles | Yes | No | Left |
Siachen Glacier | Yes | No | |
Sierra Leone | Yes | No | Right |
Singapore | Yes | No | Left |
Sint Maarten | Yes | No | Right |
Slovakia | Yes | No | Right |
Slovenia | Yes | No | Right |
Solomon Islands | Yes | No | Left |
Somalia | Yes | No | Right |
Somaliland | Yes | No | Right |
South Africa | Yes | No | Left |
South Korea | Yes | No | Right |
South Sudan | Yes | No | Right |
Spain | Yes | No | Right |
Sri Lanka | Yes | No | Left |
Sudan | Yes | No | Right |
Suriname | Yes | No | Left |
Sweden | Yes | No | Right |
Switzerland | Yes | No | Right |
Syria | Yes | No | Right |
São Tomé and Príncipe | Yes | No | Right |
Taiwan | Yes | No | Right |
Tajikistan | Yes | No | Right |
Tanzania | Yes | No | Left |
Thailand | Yes | No | Left |
The Bahamas | Yes | Yes | Left |
The Gambia | Yes | No | Right |
Togo | Yes | No | Right |
Trinidad and Tobago | Yes | No | Left |
Tunisia | Yes | No | Right |
Turkey | Yes | No | Right |
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus | Yes | Yes | Left |
Turkmenistan | Yes | No | Right |
Turks and Caicos Islands | Yes | Yes | Left |
Uganda | Yes | No | Left |
Ukraine | Yes | No | Right |
United Arab Emirates | Yes | No | Right |
United Kingdom | Yes | No | Left |
United States Virgin Islands | Yes | No | Left |
Uruguay | Yes | No | Right |
Uzbekistan | Yes | No | Right |
Vanuatu | Yes | No | Right |
Vatican City | Yes | No | Right |
Venezuela | Yes | No | Right |
Vietnam | Yes | No | Right |
Western Sahara | Yes | No | Right |
Yemen | Yes | No | Right |
Zambia | Yes | No | Left |
Zimbabwe | Yes | No | Left |
Eswatini | Yes | No | |
Åland Islands | Yes | No |
Use of the Metric System by Country
Afghanistan
Åland Islands
Metric-System Country
Yes
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Metric-System Country
Yes
Australia
Australian Indian Ocean Territories
Metric-System Country
Yes
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
Colombia
Comoros
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cuba
Curaçao
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
East Timor
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Eswatini
Metric-System Country
Yes
Ethiopia
Faroe Islands
Metric-System Country
Yes
Federated States of Micronesia
Fiji
Finland
France
Gabon
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Grenada
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Isle of Man
Israel
Italy
Ivory Coast
Jamaica
Japan
Jersey
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Norfolk Island
North Korea
Northern Mariana Islands
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
People's Republic of China
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Republic of Macedonia
Republic of the Congo
Romania
Russia
Rwanda
Saint Helena
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint-Barthélemy
San Marino
São Tomé and Príncipe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Siachen Glacier
Metric-System Country
Yes