ELI5: Why "Billion" Means Different Numbers in Different Countries.
Okay, I'll follow the previous analysis and generate a content idea based on that.
Content Idea Based on "Billion" Confusion (Short vs. Long Scale)
1. Title Idea:
- ELI5: Why Your "Billion" Isn't My "Billion" - Unpacking Global Number Systems
- The Billion Dollar Question: Short Scale vs. Long Scale Numbers Explained
- What Does "Billion" Actually Mean? A Guide to Global Number Differences
2. Content Format & Scheme:
- Format: Explainer article (blog post), infographic, or a short animated video.
- Scheme:
- Hook: Start with a relatable scenario of confusion (e.g., "Ever read an international news report and wondered if a 'billion dollars' meant the same thing everywhere? You're not alone!").
- The Core Problem: Clearly state the difference – in the US (and increasingly in the UK and other English-speaking countries), a billion is 1,000,000,000 (one thousand million). In many other parts of the world (e.g., Argentina, much of continental Europe), a billion is 1,000,000,000,000 (one million million).
- Introduce the Systems:
- Short Scale: Explain this is where each new term greater than million is 1,000 times the previous term (Million -> Billion (10^9) -> Trillion (10^12)). List common countries using it (USA, UK, Australia, Canada, etc.).
- Long Scale: Explain this is where each new term greater than million is 1,000,000 times the previous term (Million -> Milliard (10^9, meaning "thousand million") -> Billion (10^12, meaning "million million") -> Billiard (10^15) -> Trillion (10^18)). List common countries/regions using it (many European countries, Spanish-speaking Latin America, French-speaking countries often use "milliard" for 10^9).
- A Bit of History (Simplified): Briefly touch upon French mathematicians originating these terms, how the US adopted the "short scale" usage, and how it spread, with the UK officially switching in the 1970s. Mention that "milliard" is a key term in long-scale countries for what short-scale calls a "billion."
- Why Does It Matter? Discuss implications for international finance, scientific communication, news reporting, and everyday understanding when dealing with global information.
- Quick Reference/Visual: A simple table comparing the first few large numbers (Million, Billion, Trillion) in both short and long scale, showing the powers of 10 and the numerical value. A world map color-coded by predominant system could be very effective.
- Conclusion: Reiterate that neither system is "wrong," but awareness is key for clear communication in an interconnected world.
3. Target Audience:
- General Public/Curious Learners: People who enjoy "TIL" (Today I Learned) or ELI5-style content, interested in trivia, language, or general knowledge.
- Students: Especially those in mathematics, linguistics, international relations, journalism, or business.
- Professionals in International Fields: Business people, journalists, scientists, translators, diplomats who deal with international data or communication.
- Expatriates and Travelers: Individuals living or frequently traveling abroad who encounter these differences.
- Anyone Confused by Large Numbers in Global Contexts: The original poster and commenters who expressed this confusion are the prime audience.
Origin Reddit Post
r/explainlikeimfive
ELI5 Why don't we call the same number "billion" all over the world?
Posted by u/WinSevere7304•05/29/2025
I’m from Argentina, and here a billion is 1.000.000.000.000, like one million millions (I don’t know if that make sense in English). In the other hand, I know that in USA a billion is 1.000.0
Top Comments
u/HappyFailure
American, so probably biased by my experience, but I prefer the American naming system (the "short scale") to the "long scale" because if you're going to have to go arbitrarily high anyway, I
u/lightbulbdeath
This is long and short scale numbering. English speaking countries started following the short scale American billion (1,000 million), the Americans got it from the French, and the French wen
u/[deleted]
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u/oxygenum
Depends on area of intrest - I hear it quite often :)
But yes in Poland we follow this scheme:
10\^6 - milion
10\^ 9 - miliard
10\^12 - bilion
10\^15 - biliard
10\^18 - trylion
10\^21
u/luxmesa
Well, we don’t have a word for hundred thousand either. When speaking numbers in Japanese, the digits are grouped in groups of 4 rather than 3. So there’s a word for 10,000 and 100,000 is 10
u/fresheneesz
But.. we do have names for both. Billion and Trillion. What am I missing?
u/midasgoldentouch
Can’t believe the French did that, we’re buddies 😢
u/Mr_YUP
English is like that for a lot of stuff. It likes being specific with stuff it defines or names. It helps that stuff can slot in easily. Of course words can sound the same but spell different
u/[deleted]
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u/thatsnotmiketyson
Many countries have their own numbering system that predates even the introduction of Arabic numerals 0123456789.
Chinese number system is shi, bai, qian, wan, yi
Indian number system is lak
u/StanknBeans
I paid just over 25 kilodollars for a used car.
Yeah that has a nice ring to it.
u/CannotBeNull
Because they have different number systems, just like how:
- Dot/comma for decimal point or thousands separator
- A tonne and a metric tonne are different
u/xcid303
Isn't soccer just the abbreviation of Association Football?
u/Poponildo
I'm Brazilian and I didn't even know about this long-short scale thing until now. What the fuck?
u/Mwanasasa
Same reason we don't all use Arabic numerals. Another example is in Japan (as far as I know), they don't have a word for "hundred thousand," you have to say how many ten thousands.
u/[deleted]
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u/clever7devil
Wow... Wow.
I keep looking for an obituary but the old codger must just be having too much fun hate-watching humanity.
[For the uninitiated](https://youtu.be/oRLON3ddZIw?si=MSPsQxj_WPHJjv
u/giants4210
It’s like the British inventing the term “soccer” and then going back to calling it “football”
u/rambyprep
Most people in Britain always called it football, it was just the upper classes (and thus the media) who called it soccer.
u/Rdtackle82
That's brilliant, and hilarious hahaha.
u/StanknBeans
I paid just over 25 kilodollars for a used car.
Yeah that has a nice ring to it.
u/WinSevere7304
Oh I like that way, it simplifies the one thousand millions thing
u/MikeVegan
TIL I don't know what a billion is in my language/country.
u/xcid303
Isn't soccer just the abbreviation of Association Football?
u/robin_888
Contra point:
The long scale is linear in that every prefix (bi-, tri-, ...) denotes the respective multiple of 6 in the exponent:
1 million = 10e6 = 10^(1*6)
1 billion = 10e
u/AkiraDash
And it's incredibly annoying. Portugal uses the long scale but Brazil uses the short scale like the USA, so whenever I see someone mention a billion in portuguese I need to check if they actu
u/2drawnonward5
So three systems?
u/Senior-Book-6729
In Polish instead of billion we say miliard. „Bilion” is probably the same as Argentina since I know it exists as a number here too but I rarely hear it used.
u/AkiraDash
And it's incredibly annoying. Portugal uses the long scale but Brazil uses the short scale like the USA, so whenever I see someone mention a billion in portuguese I need to check if they actu
u/matlynar
Some decades ago, a 'billion' in British English was a 'million million'.
But in the USA, it was (only?) a thousand million. Probably because americans like doing things differently.
Over t
u/WinSevere7304
I learned it recently! I found it an interesting fact
u/[deleted]
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u/Slowhands12
There's basically two systems, one for the english & arabic speaking world, and one for continental europe (and by extension the spanish speaking world). The asian countries tend to use a
u/oxygenum
Depends on area of intrest - I hear it quite often :)
But yes in Poland we follow this scheme:
10\^6 - milion
10\^ 9 - miliard
10\^12 - bilion
10\^15 - biliard
10\^18 - trylion
10\^21
u/MiniPoodleLover
I think this is right, I don't know the origin of the difference though.
Interestingly, in India they made up their own other names such as lakh
As a math or computer guy I can also just say
u/Slowhands12
There's basically two systems, one for the english & arabic speaking world, and one for continental europe (and by extension the spanish speaking world). The asian countries tend to use a
u/Rdtackle82
That's brilliant, and hilarious hahaha.
u/EvolvedA
Same in German:
10^x
x=
6: Million
9: Milliarde
12: Billion
15: Billiarde
18: Trillion
21: Trilliarde
25: Quadrillion
u/[deleted]
[removed]
u/giants4210
It’s like the British inventing the term “soccer” and then going back to calling it “football”
u/jbarchuk
> Some decades ago, a 'billion' in British English was a 'million million'.
At that time what was 1,000,000,000? Because if it doesn't go thousand, million, billion, trillion, quadrillion
u/Sagiita
Millardo is the equivalent to billion in English.
u/HappyFailure
American, so probably biased by my experience, but I prefer the American naming system (the "short scale") to the "long scale" because if you're going to have to go arbitrarily high anyway, I
u/lightbulbdeath
This is long and short scale numbering. English speaking countries started following the short scale American billion (1,000 million), the Americans got it from the French, and the French wen
u/thewolf9
Mille, million, milliard. We have words for all three in French.
u/fresheneesz
But.. we do have names for both. Billion and Trillion. What am I missing?
u/thewolf9
Mille, million, milliard. We have words for all three in French.
u/clever7devil
Wow... Wow.
I keep looking for an obituary but the old codger must just be having too much fun hate-watching humanity.
[For the uninitiated](https://youtu.be/oRLON3ddZIw?si=MSPsQxj_WPHJjv
u/[deleted]
[removed]
u/SplashOnTheLens
Mexican here. I honestly think Americans do it for practicity. You are almost never going to speak about 1.000.000.000.000, but sometimes you might end up having to say 1.000.000.000. So it b
u/thewolf9
Mille, million, milliard. We have words for all three in French.
u/Slowhands12
There's basically two systems, one for the english & arabic speaking world, and one for continental europe (and by extension the spanish speaking world). The asian countries tend to use a
u/[deleted]
[removed]
u/Poponildo
I'm Brazilian and I didn't even know about this long-short scale thing until now. What the fuck?
u/HappyFailure
American, so probably biased by my experience, but I prefer the American naming system (the "short scale") to the "long scale" because if you're going to have to go arbitrarily high anyway, I
u/alonamaloh
I work with scientists from many different countries, and when talking about money, I use "gigadollar" to refer to 1,000,000,000 USD. If your audience is a bunch of science geeks, "gigadollar
u/insaneplane
France got the bomb, but don't you grieve,
'cause they're on our side, I believe...
u/lightbulbdeath
This is long and short scale numbering. English speaking countries started following the short scale American billion (1,000 million), the Americans got it from the French, and the French wen
u/insaneplane
France got the bomb, but don't you grieve,
'cause they're on our side, I believe...
u/midasgoldentouch
Can’t believe the French did that, we’re buddies 😢
u/WinSevere7304
This makes sense, honestly it would be easier to say “in billon” than “mil millones” jajaja
u/Slowhands12
Well Brazil uses the thousand million, Portugal uses the million million. It has more to do with the influence of the US rather than specifically language.
u/2drawnonward5
So three systems?
u/Senior-Book-6729
In Polish instead of billion we say miliard. „Bilion” is probably the same as Argentina since I know it exists as a number here too but I rarely hear it used.
u/kenerling
Just for the necessary nuance:
What we call a billion (1000 million) in English is a "milliard" in French.
What we call a trillion (a million millions) is "billion" in French *historicall
u/MikeVegan
TIL I don't know what a billion is in my language/country.
u/kenerling
Just for the necessary nuance:
What we call a billion (1000 million) in English is a "milliard" in French.
What we call a trillion (a million millions) is "billion" in French *historicall
u/rambyprep
Most people in Britain always called it football, it was just the upper classes (and thus the media) who called it soccer.
u/robin_888
Contra point:
The long scale is linear in that every prefix (bi-, tri-, ...) denotes the respective multiple of 6 in the exponent:
1 million = 10e6 = 10^(1*6)
1 billion = 10e
u/EvolvedA
Same in German:
10^x
x=
6: Million
9: Milliarde
12: Billion
15: Billiarde
18: Trillion
21: Trilliarde
25: Quadrillion