The purpose of ISO 3166 is to define internationally recognized codes of letters and/or numbers that we can use when we refer to countries and their subdivisions. However, it does not define the names of countries – this information comes from United Nations sources (Terminology Bulletin Country Names and the Country and Region Codes for Statistical Use maintained by the United Nations Statistics Divisions).
Using codes saves time and avoids errors as instead of using a country’s name (which will change depending on the language being used), we can use a combination of letters and/or numbers that are understood all over the world.
For example, all national postal organizations throughout the world exchange international mail in containers identified with the relevant country code. Internet domain name systems use the codes to define top-level domain names such as “.fr” for France, “.au” for Australia. In addition, in machine-readable passports, the codes are used to determine the nationality of the user and, when we send money from one bank to another, the country codes are a way to identify where the bank is based.
| Country Name |
2-Letter (alpha 2 code) |
3-Letter (alpha 3 code) |
| Aland Islands |
AX |
ALA |
| Albania |
AL |
ALB |
| Andorra |
AD |
AND |
| Armenia |
AM |
ARM |
| Austria |
AT |
AUT |
| Belarus |
BY |
BLR |
| Belgium |
BE |
BEL |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina |
BA |
BIH |
| Bulgaria, Republic of |
BG |
BGR |
| Croatia |
HR |
HRV |
| Czech Republic (Czechia) |
CZ |
CZE |
| Denmark |
DK |
DNK |
| Estonia |
EE |
EST |
| Faroe Islands |
FO |
FRO |
| Finland |
FI |
FIN |
| France |
FR |
FRA |
| Germany |
DE |
DEU |
| Gibraltar |
GI |
GIB |
| Greece |
GR |
GRC |
| Guernsey |
GG |
GGY |
| Holy See (Vatican City State) |
VA |
VAT |
| Hungary |
HU |
HUN |
| Iceland |
IS |
ISL |
| Ireland |
IE |
IRL |
| Isle of Man |
IM |
IMN |
| Italy |
IT |
ITA |
| Jersey |
JE |
JEY |
| Latvia |
LV |
LVA |
| Liechtenstein |
LI |
LIE |
| Lithuania |
LT |
LTU |
| Luxembourg |
LU |
LUX |
| Republic of North Macedonia |
MK |
MKD |
| Malta |
MT |
MLT |
| Moldova |
MD |
MDA |
| Monaco |
MC |
MCO |
| Montenegro |
ME |
MNE |
| Netherlands |
NL |
NLD |
| Norway |
NO |
NOR |
| Poland |
PL |
POL |
| Portugal |
PT |
PRT |
| Romania |
RO |
ROU |
| Russian Federation |
RU |
RUS |
| San Marino |
SM |
SMR |
| Serbia |
RS |
SRB |
| Slovakia (Slovak Republic) |
SK |
SVK |
| Slovenia |
SI |
SVN |
| Spain |
ES |
ESP |
| Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands |
SJ |
SJM |
| Sweden |
SE |
SWE |
| Switzerland |
CH |
CHE |
| Ukraine |
UA |
UKR |
| United Kingdom |
GB |
GBR |
Africa Country Abbreviations
| Country Name |
2-Letter (alpha 2 code) |
3-Letter (alpha 3 code) |
| Algeria |
DZ |
DZA |
| Angola |
AO |
AGO |
| Benin |
BJ |
BEN |
| Botswana |
BW |
BWA |
| Burkina Faso |
BF |
BFA |
| Burundi |
BI |
BDI |
| Cameroon |
CM |
CMR |
| Cape Verde |
CV |
CPV |
| The Central African Republic |
CF |
CAF |
| Chad |
TD |
TCD |
| The Comoros |
KM |
COM |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of |
CD |
COD |
| Côte d’Ivoire |
CI |
CIV |
| Djibouti |
DJ |
DJI |
| Egypt |
EG |
EGY |
| Equatorial Guinea |
GQ |
GNQ |
| Eritrea |
ER |
ERI |
| Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland |
SZ |
SWZ |
| Ethiopia |
ET |
ETH |
| Gabon |
GA |
GAB |
| Gambia |
GM |
GMB |
| Ghana |
GH |
GHA |
| Guinea |
GN |
GIN |
| Guinea-Bissau |
GW |
GNB |
| Kenya |
KE |
KEN |
| Lesotho |
LS |
LSO |
| Liberia |
LR |
LBR |
| Madagascar |
MG |
MDG |
| Malawi |
MW |
MWI |
| Mali |
ML |
MLI |
| Mauritania |
MR |
MRT |
| Mauritius |
MU |
MUS |
| Mayotte |
YT |
MYT |
| Morocco |
MA |
MAR |
| Mozambique |
MZ |
MOZ |
| Namibia |
NA |
NAM |
| Niger |
NE |
NER |
| Nigeria |
NG |
NGA |
| Reunion |
RE |
REU |
| Rwanda |
RW |
RWA |
| Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha |
SH |
SHN |
| Sao Tome and Principe |
ST |
STP |
| Senegal |
SN |
SEN |
| Seychelles |
SC |
SYC |
| Sierra Leone |
SL |
SLE |
| Somalia |
SO |
SOM |
| South Africa |
ZA |
ZAF |
| South Sudan |
SS |
SSD |
| The Sudan |
SD |
SDN |
| Tanzania |
TZ |
TZA |
| Togo |
TG |
TGO |
| Tunisia |
TN |
TUN |
| Uganda |
UG |
UGA |
| Western Sahara |
EH |
ESH |
| Zambia |
ZM |
ZMB |
| Zimbabwe |
ZW |
ZWE |
| Country Name |
2-Letter (alpha 2 code) |
3-Letter (alpha 3 code) |
| Antarctica |
AQ |
ATA |
| Bouvet Island |
BV |
BVT |
| French Southern Territories |
TF |
ATF |
| Heard Island and McDonald Islands |
HM |
HMD |
| South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands |
GS |
SGS |
Australia & Oceania Country Codes
| Country Name |
2-Letter (alpha 2 code) |
3-Letter (alpha 3 code) |
| American Samoa |
AS |
ASM |
| Australia |
AU |
AUS |
| Cook Islands |
CK |
COK |
| Fiji |
FJ |
FJI |
| French Polynesia |
PF |
PYF |
| Guam |
GU |
GUM |
| Kiribati |
KI |
KIR |
| Marshall Islands |
MH |
MHL |
| Micronesia |
FM |
FSM |
| Nauru |
NR |
NRU |
| New Caledonia |
NC |
NCL |
| New Zealand |
NZ |
NZL |
| Niue |
NU |
NIU |
| Norfolk Island |
NF |
NFK |
| Northern Mariana Islands |
MP |
MNP |
| Palau |
PW |
PLW |
| Papua New Guinea |
PG |
PNG |
| Pitcairn Islands |
PN |
PCN |
| Samoa |
WS |
WSM |
| Solomon Islands |
SB |
SLB |
| Tokelau |
TK |
TKL |
| Tonga, Kingdom of |
TO |
TON |
| Tuvalu |
TV |
TUV |
| United States Minor Outlying Islands |
UM |
UMI |
| Vanuatu |
VU |
VUT |
| Wallis and Futuna |
WF |
WLF |
| Country Name |
2-Letter (alpha 2 code) |
3-Letter (alpha 3 code) |
| Afghanistan |
AF |
AFG |
| Azerbaijan |
AZ |
AZE |
| Bahrain |
BH |
BHR |
| Bangladesh |
BD |
BGD |
| Bhutan |
BT |
BTN |
| British Indian Ocean Territory |
IO |
IOT |
| Brunei Darussalam |
BN |
BRN |
| Cambodia |
KH |
KHM |
| China, People’s Republic of |
CN |
CHN |
| Christmas Island |
CX |
CXR |
| Cocos (Keeling) Islands |
CC |
CCK |
| Cyprus |
CY |
CYP |
| Georgia |
GE |
GEO |
| Hong Kong |
HK |
HKG |
| India |
IN |
IND |
| Indonesia |
ID |
IDN |
| Iran, Islamic Republic of |
IR |
IRN |
| Iraq |
IQ |
IRQ |
| Israel |
IL |
ISR |
| Japan |
JP |
JPN |
| Jordan |
JO |
JOR |
| Kazakhstan |
KZ |
KAZ |
| Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of |
KP |
PRK |
| Korea, Republic of |
KR |
KOR |
| Kuwait |
KW |
KWT |
| Kyrgyzstan |
KG |
KGZ |
| Lao People’s Democratic Republic |
LA |
LAO |
| Lebanon |
LB |
LBN |
| Macao |
MO |
MAC |
| Malaysia |
MY |
MYS |
| Maldives |
MV |
MDV |
| Mongolia |
MN |
MNG |
| Myanmar |
MM |
MMR |
| Nepal |
NP |
NPL |
| Oman |
OM |
OMN |
| Pakistan |
PK |
PAK |
| Palestinian Territory |
PS |
PSE |
| Philippines |
PH |
PHL |
| Qatar |
QA |
QAT |
| Saudi Arabia |
SA |
SAU |
| Singapore |
SG |
SGP |
| Sri Lanka |
LK |
LKA |
| Syrian Arab Republic |
SY |
SYR |
| Taiwan |
TW |
TWN |
| Tajikistan |
TJ |
TJK |
| Thailand |
TH |
THA |
| Timor-Leste |
TL |
TLS |
| Turkey |
TR |
TUR |
| Turkmenistan |
TM |
TKM |
| United Arab Emirates |
AE |
ARE |
| Uzbekistan |
UZ |
UZB |
| Vietnam |
VN |
VNM |
| Yemen |
YE |
YEM |
North American Country Codes
| Country Name |
2-Letter (alpha 2 code) |
3-Letter (alpha 3 code) |
| Anguilla |
AI |
AIA |
| Aruba |
AW |
ABW |
| Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba |
BQ |
BES |
| Canada |
CA |
CAN |
| Cuba |
CU |
CUB |
| Curaçao |
CW |
CUW |
| Dominica |
DM |
DMA |
| Dominican Republic |
DO |
DOM |
| El Salvador |
SV |
SLV |
| Greenland |
GL |
GRL |
| Grenada |
GD |
GRD |
| Guadeloupe |
GP |
GLP |
| Guatemala |
GT |
GTM |
| Haiti |
HT |
HTI |
| Honduras |
HN |
HND |
| Jamaica |
JM |
JAM |
| Martinique |
MQ |
MTQ |
| Mexico |
MX |
MEX |
| Montserrat |
MS |
MSR |
| Netherlands Antilles |
AN |
ANT |
| Nicaragua |
NI |
NIC |
| Panama |
PA |
PAN |
| Puerto Rico |
PR |
PRI |
| Saint Barthelemy |
BL |
BLM |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis |
KN |
KNA |
| Saint Lucia |
LC |
LCA |
| Saint Martin |
MF |
MAF |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon |
PM |
SPM |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
VC |
VCT |
| Sint Maarten (Netherlands) |
SX |
SXM |
| Trinidad and Tobago |
TT |
TTO |
| Turks and Caicos Islands |
TC |
TCA |
| United States Minor Outlying Islands |
UM |
UMI |
| United States of America |
US |
USA |
| United States Virgin Islands |
VI |
VIR |
South America Country Codes
| Country Name |
2-Letter (alpha 2 code) |
3-Letter (alpha 3 code) |
| Argentina |
AR |
ARG |
| Bolivia |
BO |
BOL |
| Brazil |
BR |
BRA |
| Chile |
CL |
CHL |
| Colombia |
CO |
COL |
| Ecuador |
EC |
ECU |
| Falkland Islands (Malvinas) |
FK |
FLK |
| French Guiana |
GF |
GUF |
| Guyana |
GY |
GUY |
| Paraguay |
PY |
PRY |
| Peru |
PE |
PER |
| Suriname |
SR |
SUR |
| Uruguay |
UY |
URY |
| Venezuela |
VE |
VEN |
