WORLD WIDE ELECTRIC POWER

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ELECTRIC POWER AROUND THE WORLD

The table below summarizes information on the electrical systems in use in most countries of the world.

The voltages listed here are the “nominal” figures reported to be in use at most residential or commercial sites in the country or area named. Most electrical power systems are prone to slight variations in voltage due to demand or other factors. Most appliances are built to tolerate current a certain percentage above or below the rated voltage to accommodate these differences. However, severe variations in current can damage electrical equipment.

The electric power frequency is shown in the number of hertz (cycles per second).  Even if voltages are similar, a 60-hertz clock or tape recorder will not function properly on 50 hertz current.  All systems described here use alternating current (AC) except in the few instances where direct current (DC) is noted.

The plug types listed indicate all types known to be in use in that country.  Not all areas of a country may use all types of plugs listed for that country, since there may be regional differences based on the power system in a certain area.

Finally, I've only included information that is likely to be relevant for travelers.  Just about everywhere listed here has higher voltage lines available for heavy duty appliances (not to mention commercial or industrial applications).  While this would be relevant for those moving to another country, I'm assuming most travelers will leave their clothes dryers, air conditioners and arc welders at home!

COUNTRY VOLTAGE FREQUENCY COMMENTS
Afghanistan 220V 50 Hz* *Charikar 60Hz
Albania 220V* 50 Hz *Voltage variations common
Algeria 127/220V 50 Hz *A variation of Type C with a ground post offset about 1/2-inch from center may also be found.
American Samoa 120V 60 Hz  
Angola 220V 50 Hz  
Anguilla 110V 60Hz  
Antigua 230V* 60 Hz *Airport area is reportedly Antigua power is 110v.
Argentina 220V 50 Hz *Neutral and line wires are reversed
Aruba 127V* 60 Hz *Lago Colony 115V
Australia 240V 50 Hz Outlets typically controlled by adjacent switch
Austria 230V 50 Hz  
Azores 220V* 50 Hz *Ponta Delgada 110V; to be converted to 220V
Bahamas 120V 60 Hz
Bahrain 230V* 50 Hz* *Awali 110V, 60 Hz
Balearic Islands 220V 50 Hz
Bangladesh 220V 50 Hz  
Barbados 115V 50 Hz  
Belgium 230V 50 Hz  
Belize 110/220V 60 Hz  
Benin 220V 50 Hz  
Bermuda 120V 60 Hz  
Bolivia 220/230V* 50 Hz *La Paz & Viacha 115V
Bosnia 220V 50 Hz  
Botswana 231V 50 Hz  
Brazil 110/220V* 60 Hz *127V found in states of Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Minas Gerais (though 220V may be found in some hotels).  Other areas are 220V only, with the exception of Fortaleza (240V).  Outlets are often a combination of type A and C and can accept either type plug.
Brunei 240V 50 Hz  
Bulgaria 220V 50 Hz *Outlets are reported as type F, though both type C and F plugs may be encountered.
Burkina Faso 220V 50 Hz  
Burundi 220V 50 Hz  
Cambodia 220V 50 Hz *Some outlets are a combination of type A and C and can accept either type plug.   Plug G may be found in some hotels.
Cameroon 220V 50 Hz  
Canada 120V 60 Hz  
Canary Islands 127V 50 Hz  
Cape Verde 220V 50 Hz  
Cayman Islands 120V 60 Hz  
Central African Republic 220V 50 Hz  
Chad 220V 50Hz  
Channel Islands 240V* 50 Hz *Guernsey 230V
Chile 220V 50 Hz  
China 220V 50 Hz The "official" plug type is like type A but slightly shorter and without holes in blades.   Type I is common.  Type G is primarily found in hotels across the coast from Hong Kong.
Colombia 110V 60Hz  
Comoros 220V 50 Hz  
Congo 220V 50 Hz  
Congo, Dem. Rep. of (former Zaire) 220V 50 Hz  
Costa Rica 120V 60 Hz  
Côte d'Ivoire 
(Ivory Coast)		 220V 50 Hz  
Croatia 220V 50Hz  
Cuba 110/220V 60Hz Most older hotels 110V.  Some newer hotels 220V.  Some outlets are a combination of type A and C and can accept either type plug.
Cyprus 240V 50 Hz  
Czech Republic 230V 50 Hz  
Denmark 230V 50 Hz Denmark's connectors have slight differences from those used elsewhere.  While pin diameter and spacing is standard, outlets may have different housing depths which could interfere with standard adaptors.
Djibouti 220V 50 Hz  
Dominica 230V 50 Hz  
Dominican Republic 110V 60 Hz  
Ecuador 120-127V 60 Hz  
Egypt 220V 50 Hz  
El Salvador 115V 60 Hz  
England (See United Kingdom)  
Equatorial Guinea 220V* 50 Hz *Voltage varies between 150 & 175V with frequent outages
Eritrea 220V 50 Hz  
Estonia 220V 50 Hz Type C may be found in older buildings.  Type E plugs may work in either C or F type outlets.
Ethiopia 220V 50 Hz  
Faeroe Islands 220V 50 Hz  
Fiji 240V 50 Hz  
Finland 230V 50 Hz
France 230V 50 Hz Type C plugs  may be found on some appliances, and will fit the Type E outlet.  Type C outlets may be found in older buildings.  Type A may be found in older buildings but is illegal.
French Guiana 220V 50 Hz  
Gaza 230V 50 Hz  

 
Gabon 220V 50 Hz  
Gambia 220V 50 Hz  
Germany 230V 50 Hz Type A may be found in older buildings but is illegal.
Ghana 230V 50 Hz  
Gibraltar 240V 50 Hz  
Great Britain (See United Kingdom)    
Greece 220V 50 Hz  
Greenland 220V 50 Hz  
Grenada (Windward Is.) 230V 50 Hz  
Guadeloupe 220V 50 Hz  
Guam 110V 60Hz  
Guatemala 120V 60 Hz  
Guinea 220V 50 Hz  
Guinea-Bissau 220V 50 Hz  
Guyana 240V* 60 Hz* *Inside the capital city of Georgetown, both 120V and 240V at either 50 or 60Hz are found, depending on the part of the city (50Hz most common).  Actual voltage may vary from area to area.
Haiti 110V 60 Hz  
Honduras 110V 60 Hz  
Hong Kong 220V* 50 Hz Type D replaced by Type G but still found.
Hungary 220V 50 Hz  
Iceland 220V 50 Hz  
India 230V* 50 Hz *DC power in use in some areas
Indonesia 127/220V* 50 Hz *Conversion to 220V in progress; complete in principal cities
Iran 220 50 Hz  
Iraq 220V 50 Hz  
Ireland (Eire) 230 50 Hz  
Isle of Man 240V 50 Hz  
Israel 230V 50 Hz *Many (but not all) modern electric outlets in Israel have larger holes that accept both Type H and C plugs.  Some extension cords and older outlets accept only the Type H plug.  One correspondent estimates a 50-70% chance that a randomly selected outlet will accept Type C.
Italy 230V 50 Hz Type L plugs/outlets may have different pin spacing, depending on age.  Some outlets have overlapping holes to accept either older or newer types.
Ivory Coast (See Côte d'Ivoire)    
Jamaica 110V 50 Hz  
Japan 100V 50/60 Hz* *Eastern Japan 50 Hz (Tokyo, Kawasaki, Sapporo, Yokohoma, and Sendai); Western Japan 60 Hz (Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Hiroshima)
Jordan 220V 50 Hz  
Kenya 240V 50 Hz  
Kazakhstan 220V 50 Hz  
Kiribati 240V 50 Hz  
Korea 220V 60 Hz *Type F likely to be found in offices and hotels.  110V power with plugs A & B was previously used but is being phased out.  Older buildings may still have this, and some hotels offer both 110V and 220V service.
Kuwait 240V 50 Hz  
Laos 220V 50 Hz  
Latvia 220V 50 Hz  
Lebanon 110/220V 50 Hz  
Lesotho 220V 50 Hz  
Liberia 120V 60 Hz  
Libya 127V* 50 Hz *Barce, Benghazi, Derna, Sebha & Tobruk 230V
Lithuania 220V 50 Hz  
Luxembourg 220V 50 Hz  
Macau 220V 50 Hz  
Macedonia 220V 50 Hz  
Madagascar 127/220V 50 Hz  
Madeira 220V 50 Hz  
Malawi 230V 50 Hz  
Malaysia 240V* 50 Hz *Penang 230V
Maldives 230V 50 Hz  
Mali 220V 50 Hz  
Malta 240V 50 Hz  
Martinique 220V 50 Hz  
Mauritania 220V 50 Hz  
Mauritius 230V 50 Hz  
Mexico 127V 60 Hz  
Micronesia (Federal States of) 120V 60 Hz  
Monaco 127/220V 50 Hz  
Montserrat (Leeward Is.) 230V 60 Hz  
Morocco 127/220V 50 Hz  
Mozambique 220V 50 Hz *Type M found especially near the border with South Africa, including the capitol, Maputo.
Myanmar (formerly Burma) 230V 50 Hz Type G* found primarily in better hotels.
Namibia 220V* 50 Hz *Keetmanshoop 230V
Nauru 240V 50 Hz  
Nepal 220V 50 Hz  
Netherlands 230V 50 Hz Type A has been reported but is not common.
Netherlands Antilles 127/220V* 50 Hz *St. Martin 120V 60 Hz; Saba &(St. Eustatius 110V 60 Hz A, maybe B
New Caledonia 220V 50 Hz
New Zealand 230V 50 Hz
Nicaragua 120V 60 Hz  
Niger 220V 50 Hz  
Nigeria 230V 50 Hz  
Northern Ireland (see United Kingdom)    
Norway 230V 50 Hz  
Okinawa 100V* 60 Hz *Military facilities 120V
Oman 240V* 50 Hz *Voltage variations common
Pakistan 220V 50 Hz  
Panama 110V* 60 Hz *Panama City 120V
Papua New Guinea 240V 50 Hz  
Paraguay 220V 50 Hz  
Peru 220V* 60 Hz* *Talara 110/220V; Arequipa 50 Hz
Philippines 220V* 60 Hz  
Poland 220V 50 Hz  
Portugal 220V 50 Hz  
Puerto Rico 120V 60 Hz  
Qatar 240V 50 Hz  
Réunion Island 220V  50Hz No information on plug type available.
Romania 220V 50 Hz  
Russian Federation 220V 50 Hz  
Rwanda 220V 50 Hz  
St. Kitts and Nevis (Leeward Is.) 230V 60 Hz  
St. Lucia (Windward Is.) 240V 50 Hz  
St. Vincent (Windward Is.) 230V 50 Hz  
Saudi Arabia 127V 60 Hz
Scotland (See United Kingdom)    
Senegal 220V 50 Hz  
Seychelles 240V 50 Hz  
Sierra Leone 230V 50 Hz  
Singapore 220V 50 Hz Type A adaptors are widely available from shops as an extension set of
2 to 5 sets of sockets; most commonly used for audio and video
equipment. 
Slovak Republic 220V 50 Hz  
Slovenia 220V 50 Hz  
Somalia 220V* 50 Hz *Berbera 230V; Merca 110/220V
South Africa 220/230V* 50 Hz *Grahamstad & Port Elizabeth 250V; also found in King Williams
Spain 220V 50 Hz  
Sri Lanka 230V 50 Hz  
Sudan 240V 50 Hz  
Suriname 127V 60 Hz  
Swaziland 230V 50 Hz  
Sweden 230V 50 Hz  
Switzerland 230V 50 Hz Type C plugs  are common on appliances, and will fit the Type J outlet.
Syria 220V 50 Hz  
Tahiti 110/220V 60 Hz Information is based mainly on hotel experiences reported by travelers.
Tajikistan 220V 50 Hz  
Taiwan 110V 60 Hz  
Tanzania 230V 50 Hz  
Thailand 220V 50 Hz *Some outlets are a combination of type A and C and can accept either type plug.
Togo 220V* 50 Hz *Lome 127V
Tonga 240V 50 Hz  
Trinidad & Tobago 115V 60 Hz  
Tunisia 127/220V 50 Hz  
Turkey 220V 50 Hz  
Turkmenistan 220V 50 Hz  
Uganda 240V* 50 Hz *Voltage variances are common
United Arab Emirates 220V* 50 Hz  
United Kingdom 230V* 50 Hz *Outlets typically controlled by adjacent switch
United States of America 120V 60 Hz  
Uruguay 220V 50 Hz Type F becoming more common as a result of computer use.
Venezuela 120V 60 Hz* *Valencia 50 Hz; also found in Maracay
Vietnam 127/220V* 50 Hz *To be standardized at 220V.  Type G found in newer hotels, primarily those built by Singaporean and Hong Kong developers.
Virgin Islands (British and U.S.) 110V 60 Hz  
Wales (See United Kingdom)    
Western Samoa 230V 50 Hz  
Yemen, Rep. of 220/230V 50 Hz  
Yugoslavia (Former) 220V 50 Hz  
Zambia 220V 50 Hz  
Zimbabwe 220V 50 Hz