Decimal marks around the world
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A decimal separator is a symbol that separates the integer part from the fractional part of a number written in decimal form. Different nations choose different symbols for use as a separator. The choice of the symbol also affects the symbol selection for the thousands separator used in digit grouping.
Decimal separators
The International System of Units recognizes two decimal separators: the comma and the point.
The map below created by Reddit user CodArtwork shows how different nations separate the decimal from the integer when writing numbers.
Most European countries use the decimal comma. However, it’s essential to note that the UK is an exception because they follow the Imperial System, which uses the decimal point. Interestingly, Switzerland and Liechtenstein are different, using a point as a decimal separator and an apostrophe (‘) for thousands.
The United States and Canada use the decimal point (except for the Francophone area of Canada, where the comma is used as well). Central American nations mainly also use the decimal point. South American countries primarily use the comma.
Australia and New Zealand use the same system as the other Anglophone nations.
Different nations in Asia use various decimal separators, sometimes within the same country.
Separating thousands
To separate thousands, the International Bureau of Weights and Measures revealed that the right way to write numbers with over four figures is by dividing them into groups of three and leaving a space between them.
Despite this, it’s still often in nations that use decimal commas to find thousands separated by a dot. And in countries where a point is used as a decimal separator, a comma is commonly used to separate thousands.
