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Countries That Use Rupees 2023

A rupee is a form of currency, similar to the pound sterling, the euro, and the US dollar, of some prominence throughout Asia and the greater Pacific region. The rupee is one )of the oldest forms of currency, appearing in historical (though occasionally disputed) references dating back to 340 BC and earlier. Although use of the rupee has faded from its historical peak, its use in India—the second-most-populous country in the world—ensures its place as one of the world's most important currencies.

Like other major currencies such as the peso and the franc, the rupee has several variations (typically one per country), which often have distinct monetary values. India has also created a digital rupee, a fully virtual rupee that is also official legal tender, to compete with BitCoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Unlike other major currencies, the word rupee has a wide range of alternate spellings and linguistic cognates, including roupie, rupie, rufiyaa, rupiah, and roepiah—however, the visually similar term ruble refers to an entirely different currency. The name rupee is also given to the fictional in-game currency used in Nintendo's Legend of Zelda videogame franchise.

Countries That Use Rupees:

Country/TerritoryRupee typeISO 4217 Code$1 USD (23 Nov 2022) =
BhutanIndian rupee/Bhutanese ngultrum*INR/BTN81.73 INR/BTN
IndiaIndian rupeeINR81.73 INR
IndonesiaIndonesian rupiahIDR15,631.68 IDR
MaldivesMaldivian rufiyaaMVR15.40 MVR
NepalNepalese rupeeNPR130.82 NPR
PakistanPakistani rupeePKR223.95 PKR
SeychellesSeychellois rupeeSCR13.42 SCR
Sri LankaSri Lankan rupeeLKR365.49 LKR

* Bhutan currently uses two main currencies: the Indian rupee and the Bhutanese ngultrum, whose value is pegged 1:1 with the Indian rupee.

Countries That Previously Used Rupees*:

Country/TerritoryRupee TypeYear ReplacedCurrent CurrencyISO 4217 code
AfghanistanAfghanistan Kabuli rupee1927Afghan afghaniAFN
BahrainPersian Gulf rupee1966Bahraini dinarBHD
BangladeshPakistani rupee1972Bangladeshi takaBDT
Burundi (as German East Africa)German East Africa rupie1916Burundian francBIF
Cocos (Keeling) IslandsIndian rupee1945Australian dollarAUD
DjiboutiIndian rupee1943Djiboutian francDJF
IraqIndian rupee1931Iraqi dinarIQD
Kenya (as British East Africa)East African rupee1920Kenyan shillingKES
KuwaitPersian Gulf rupee1961Kuwaiti dinarKWD
Myanmar (as Burma)Burmese rupee1952Burmese kyatMMK
OmanPersian Gulf rupee1970Omani rialOMR
QatarPersian Gulf rupee1966Qatari rialQAR
RwandaGerman East African rupie1916Rwandan francRWF
Somalia (as Italian/British Somaliland)Indian rupee1925/1951Somali shillingSOS
Tanzania (as Tanganyika)East Africa rupee1920Tanzania shillingTZS
ThailandIndian silver rupee**1902Thai bhatTHB
TibetTibetan silver rupee1951Chinese yuan renminbiCNY
Timor LesteIndonesian rupee2002US dollarUSD
UgandaEast Africa rupee1920Ugandan shillingUGX
United Arab Emirates (as the Trucial States)Persian Gulf rupee1966Emirati dirhamAED
YemenIndian rupee1951Yemeni rialYER
ZimbabweIndian rupee**2019Zimbabwean dollarZWD

* Notes:
— Currencies listed as currently in use are not necessarily the same currencies that replaced the rupee. In some cases, the currency that replaced the rupee has itself been replaced with one or more newer currencies. In these cases, only the currency presently in use is listed.
— Similarly, for countries that have used multiple variations of rupee during their history, the most recent version used is listed. For example, Bangladesh used the Indian rupee from 1835-1948, but replaced it with the Pakistani rupee from 1948-1972, so the Pakistani rupee is the variant listed.
— Countries marked ** had at least one additional form of official currency in addition to rupees.

Is a Rupee Worth a Lot of Money?

Not as a rule. The value of a rupee varies significantly depending upon which country's version of the rupee one is valuing, but most countries that use the rupee are still developing economically—in fact, many rank among the least developed in the world. As a result, the rupee carries significantly less worth and has less trade value than the stronger forms of currency such as the euro, the dollar, or the pound, which are issued by developed countries with a high standard of living. At present, the most valuable rupee is the Seychellois rupee, which is equivalent to roughly 7.5 US cents. The least valuable rupee is the Indonesian rupiah, which is worth less than a hundredth of a US cent.

Notes: Rupee has multiple alternate spellings/analogs, including roupie, rupie, rufiyaa, rupiah, and roepiah. | Currencies currently in use are not necessarily the same currencies that replaced the rupee. In some cases, the currency that replaced the rupee has itself been replaced with one or more newer currencies. In these cases, only the currency presently in use is listed. | For countries that have used multiple variations of rupee during their history, the most recent version used is listed. For example, Bangladesh used the Indian rupee from 1835-1948, but replaced it with the Pakistani rupee from 1948-1972, so the Pakistani rupee is the variant listed. | Countries marked ** had at least one additional form of official currency in addition to rupees.

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Country
Rupee Type
Rupee Status
Current Currency
ISO 4217 Code
AfghanistanAfghanistan Kabuli rupeeReplaced 1927Afghan afghaniAFN
BahrainPersian Gulf rupeeReplaced 1966Bahraini dinarBHD
BangladeshPakistani rupeeReplaced 1972Bangladeshi takaBDT
BhutanBhutanese ngultrum and Indian rupeeCurrently in useBhutanese ngultrum and Indian rupeeBTN/INR
BurundiGerman East Africa rupieReplaced 1916Burundian francBIF
DjiboutiIndian rupeeReplaced 1943Djiboutian francDJF
IndiaIndian rupeeCurrently in useIndian rupeeINR
IndonesiaIndonesia rupiahCurrently in useIndonesian rupeeIDR
IraqIndian rupeeReplaced 1931Iraqi dinarIQD
KenyaEast Africa rupeeReplaced 1920Kenyan shillingKES
KuwaitPersian Gulf rupeeReplaced 1961Kuwaiti dinarKWD
MaldivesMaldivian rufiyaaCurrently in useMaldivian rufiyaaMVR
MauritiusMauritian rupeeCurrently in useMauritian rupeeMUR
MyanmarBurmese rupeeReplaced 1952Burmese kyatMMK
NepalNepalese rupeeCurrently in useNepalese rupeeNPR
OmanPersian Gulf rupeeReplaced 1970Omani rialOMR
PakistanPakistani rupeeCurrently in usePakistani rupeePKR
QatarPersian Gulf rupeeReplaced 1966Qatari rialQAR
RwandaGerman East African rupieReplaced 1916Rwandan francRWF
SeychellesSeychellois rupeeCurrently in useSeychellois rupeeSCR
SomaliaIndian rupeeReplaced 1925/1951Somali shillingSOS
Sri LankaSri Lankan rupeeCurrently in useSri Lankan rupeeLKR
TanzaniaEast Africa rupeeReplaced 1920Tanzanian shillingTZS
ThailandIndian silver rupee**Replaced 1902Thai bhatTHB
UgandaEast Africa rupeeReplaced 1920Ugandan shillingUGX
United Arab EmiratesPersian Gulf rupeeReplaced 1966Emirati dirhamAED
YemenIndian rupeeReplaced 1951Yemeni rialYER
ZimbabweIndian rupee**Replaced 2019Zimbabwean dollarUSD
showing: 28 rows

How many countries use Rupees?

Eight countries use the Rupees, which is ranked as the fourth most popular currency in the world.

Which countries use Rupees?

Countries that use the Rupee are Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources