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Date Format YMD

No

Sometimes

Yes

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Date Format by Country 2024

It is important for people to know what day it is, particularly when they travel overseas. That way, they do not get lost, end up in the wrong place, or miss a train or a plane. Unfortunately, it can be difficult for people to tell what date it is depending on the format that is used. There are several different date formats that countries use across the world, and people need to know what format is being used. Some people use a format that goes: day, then month, then year. There are other countries that use the format: year, then month, then day. There are even countries that use the format: month, then day, then year. Which countries use which format?

The United States Tend To Be an Outlier

Even though the United States is one of the largest countries on Earth, its date format is somewhat unusual compared to many other nations. In the United States, the date format follows the month-day-year sequence, meaning 1/10/2022 is read as January 10th, 2022. This format is consistent across all of the United States, and many of its island territories also adopt this convention. However, the U.S. is not the only country using this format; it is also used in countries like the Philippines and some in the Caribbean and Central America. When visiting U.S. territories or other regions using different date formats, it is important for visitors to seek clarification to ensure they understand the correct date, as variations can occur due to local influences and historical ties.

Most of the World Uses the Day, Month, Year Format

The vast majority of the world uses the format: day, then month, then year. Using the example above, 1/10/2022 would stand for the 1st of October, 2022. Clearly, this is very different than what it would mean in the United States. Just about every country in Europe uses this format. This includes the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Poland, Italy, the Netherlands, and numerous other countries. The vast majority of countries in South America also use this format. This includes Peru, Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela. Countries in Western Asia also follow this format. This includes Turkey, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and numerous other countries in the Middle East.

What Is the Most Common Date Format Used in Asia?

The other common date format that people will see is the year, then month, then day. For example, January 10th, 2022 would be written as 2022-01-10 in Asia. Most of the biggest countries in Asia use this date format. This includes China, Japan, and South Korea. In addition, this format will be seen in a few scattered countries in Central Asia, including Nepal, Sri Lanka, and a few others. This is the date format that is hardest to confuse because the year is written first; however, if the year is only represented by two numbers, it may be possible for people to get confused. The most important thing for people to remember when they are traveling is that they need to ask for clarification if something is unclear.

Notes:
- Abbreviations: d = day, m = month, and y = year
- Common separator marks include dashes (-), forward slashes (/) and periods (.)
- Parenthesis indicate multiple accepted variations. For example, dd.mm.(yy)yy means both dd.mm.yy and dd.mm.yyyy are acceptable.
- Capital letters represent the general order in which day, month, and year are shown. Ex: YMD = year, month, day.
- Knowledge of date orders helps prevent misunderstandings. For example, 02-06-12 means February 06, 2012 in MDY; June 02, 2012 in DMY; and June 12, 2002 in YMD.
- Lower-case letters represent the precise formula in use.
- A single letter indicates single-digits when possible, but double-digits otherwise. Ex: d-m-yy = 1-1-24, but also 10-31-24
- Two letters indicates a two-digit numerical abbreviation. Ex: mm-yy = 01-24
- Three letters indicate a three-letter written abbreviation. Ex: mmm-yyyy = Jan-2024
- Four letters indicate a four-digit year or the full name of the day or month. Ex: dddd mmmm yyyy = Monday 01 January 2024

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Country
Date Format YMD
Date Format DMY
Date Format MDY
Common Usage
AfghanistanYesYesNoShort format: d/m/yyyy (read right to left) | Long format: yyyy mmmm d (read right to left)
AlbaniaYesYesNodd/mm/yyyy | Occasionally YMD
AlgeriaNoYesNodd/mm/yyyy
American SamoaNoNoYesmm/dd/yy
AndorraNoYesNo
AngolaNoYesNo
AnguillaNoYesNo
Antigua and BarbudaNoYesNo
ArgentinaSometimesYesNoNumeric format: yyyymmdd | Short format: dd/mm/yy | Medium format: dd/mm/yyyy | Long format: d' de 'mmmm' de 'yyyy (Example: 10 de agusto de 2023) | Full format: dddd d' de 'mmmm' de 'yyyy (Example: jueves 10 de agusto de 2023)
ArmeniaNoYesNodd.mm.yyyy
ArubaNoYesNo
AustraliaYesYesNommmm d, yyyy is sometimes used informally in the media. | yyyy-mm-dd (ISO 8601 date format) is recommended for government publications.
AustriaYesYesNod.m.(yy)yy or sometimes d. month (yy)yy)
AzerbaijanNoYesNodd.mm.yyyy
BahamasNoYesNo
BahrainNoYesNo
BangladeshNoYesNoNot officially standardised. Bengali calendar dates are also used.
BarbadosNoYesNo
BelarusNoYesNodd.mm.yyyy
BelgiumNoYesNodd/mm/yyyy or dd.mm.yyyy
BelizeNoYesNo
BeninNoYesNo
BermudaNoYesNo
BhutanYesNoNo
BoliviaNoYesNo
Bosnia and HerzegovinaNoYesNod. m. yyyy. or d. mmmm yyyy
BotswanaYesYesNoSetswana: yyyy-mm-dd | English: dd/mm/yyyy
BrazilNoYesNodd/mm/yyyy
British Virgin IslandsNoYesNo
BruneiNoYesNo
BulgariaNoYesNodd.mm.yyyy
Burkina FasoNoYesNo
BurundiNoYesNo
CambodiaNoYesNoShort format: dd/mm/yy | Long format: d mmmm yyyy
CameroonYesYesNo(d)d/(m)m/yyyy or d mmmm yyyy for most langauges | yyyy-mm-dd for Meta' and Ngomba
CanadaYesYesYesyyyy-mm-dd (ISO 8601) is officially recommended by the Government of Canada and Standards Council of Canada. | MDY (mmmm-dd-yyyy) is used by many English-language publications, media products, and government documents. | DMY (dd-mmmm-yyyy) is used by many French- and English-language formal letters, academic papers, media, and military and government documents, particularly those written in French. | Shelf-life dates on perishable goods may follow different formats.
Cape VerdeNoYesNo
Cayman IslandsNoYesYesDMY and MDY are used interchangeably, with month often spelled out to avoid confusion. Official forms generally tend towards DMY.
Central African RepublicNoYesNo
ChadNoYesNo
ChileNoYesNoDMY, most commonly d/mmmm/yyyy or dd/mm/yy.
ChinaYesNoNoNational standards are yyyy-mm-dd and yyyy年mm月dd日 or yy年m月d日. | Uyghur may use yyyy-d-mmm. | Casually, many people use yyyy/mm/dd or yy.m.d (with / or . as separators)
ColombiaNoYesNo
ComorosNoYesNo
Cook IslandsNoYesNo
Costa RicaNoYesNo
CroatiaNoYesNod. m. yyyy. or d. mmmm yyyy
CubaYesYesNo
CuracaoNoYesNo
CyprusNoYesNodd/mm/yyyy
Czech RepublicYesYesNod. m. yyyy or d. month yyyy
DenmarkYesYesNodd.mm.(yy)yy is the traditional Danish date format. | yyyy-mm-dd and yyyymmdd are accepted, but less common. | d. mmmm. yyyy and (when handwritten) d/m-yy or d/m yyyy are also accepted.
DjiboutiYesYesNoIn Afar, French and Somali: | Short: dd/mm/yyyy or d/m/yy | Long: d mmmm yyyy or mmmm dd, yyyy | In Arabic (read right to left): | Short: yyyy/m/d | Long: yyyy mmmm d
DominicaNoYesNo
Dominican RepublicNoYesNo
DR CongoNoYesNo
EcuadorNoYesNo
EgyptNoYesNo
El SalvadorNoYesNo
Equatorial GuineaNoYesNodd/mm/yyyy or d mmmm yyyy
EritreaYesYesSometimesIn Bilen, English, Tigre and Tigrinya: | dd/mm/yyyy or d mmmm yyyy | In Arabic (read right to left): | yyyy/m/d or yyyy mmmm d In Afar & Saho: | dd/mm/yyyy or mmmm dd, yyyy
EstoniaSometimesYesNodd.mm.yyyy, d.m.(yy)yy or d. mmmm yyyy, with yyyy-mm-dd preferred for formal or international uses.
EswatiniYesYesNoYMD (in Swati), DMY (in English)
EthiopiaNoYesSometimesIn Amharic, Tigrinya and Wolaytta: | dd/mm/yyyy or dd mmmm yyyy | In Afar, Oromo and Somali: | dd/mm/yyyy or mmmm dd, yyyy
Falkland IslandsNoYesNo
Faroe IslandsNoYesNo
FijiNoYesNo
FinlandNoYesSometimesFinnish: d.m.yyyy or d. mmmm yyyy | Inari Sami: mmmm d. p. yyyy | Northern Sami: mmmm d. b. yyyy | Skolt Sami: mmmm d. p. yyyy | Swedish: | d mmmm yyyy | (Note: Month and year may be shortened)
FranceYesYesNoAlsatian, Catalan, Corsican, French and Occitan: dd/mm/yyyy | Breton, Basque, and Interlingua: yyyy-mm-dd
French GuianaNoYesNo
French PolynesiaNoYesNo
GabonNoYesNo
GambiaNoYesNo
GeorgiaNoYesNodd.mm.yyyy or dd-mm-yy
GermanyYesYesNoTraditional: dd.mm.yyyy | Official: yyyy-mm-dd or d.mmmm yyyy | Occasional: (d)d.(m)m.(yy)yy
GhanaYesYesYesdd/mm/yyyy | In Akan: yyyy/mm/dd | In Ewe: m/d/yyyy
GibraltarNoYesNo
GreeceNoYesNo
GreenlandNoYesYesd. mmmm yyyy or (less common) mmmm d.-at, yyyy
GrenadaNoYesNo
GuadeloupeNoYesNo
GuamNoNoYes
GuatemalaNoYesNoShort format: dd/mm/yyyy | Long format: d de mmmm de yyyy or dddd, d de mmmm de yyyy
GuernseyNoYesNo
GuineaYesYesSometimesIn French and Fulah: | dd/mm/yyyy or d mmmm yyyy | In N'ko (read right-to-left): | yyyy/mm/dd or yyyy, dd mmmm
Guinea BissauNoYesNo
GuyanaNoYesNo
HaitiNoYesNo
HondurasNoYesNo
Hong KongYesYesRarelyChinese: (yy)yy年(m)m月(d)d日 | British English: (d)d/(m)m/(yy)yy or d mmmm yyyy. Both dd-mmmm-yyyy and mmmm-dd-yyyy are also seen, with the latter more common in media.
HungaryYesNoNoyyyy. mm. (d)d. or yyyy. mmmm. dd. Month may be indicated by Roman numerals, though year and day are always Arabic numerals.
IcelandNoYesNodd.mm.yyyy
IndiaYesYesSometimesdd-mm-yyyy or yyyy-mm-dd. However, Bodo language favors mm/dd/yyyy and English-language media favor mmmm dd, yyyy.
IndonesiaNoYesRarelyMDY or DMY (gov't and academic media)
IranYesYesNoPersian calendar: yyyy/mm/dd or yy/m/d | Gregorian: dd/mm/yyyy | May be written yyyy mmmm d for right-to-left reading systems.
IraqNoYesNodd/mm/yyyy
IrelandNoYesNodd-mm-yyyy or dd/mm/yyyy
Isle of ManNoYesNo
IsraelNoYesNodd.mm.yyyy or dd/mm/yyyy
ItalyNoYesNodd/mm/yyyy
Ivory CoastNoYesNo
JamaicaYesYesNo
JapanYesNoNoOften in the form yyyy年mm月dd日 | May use Japanese era year.
JerseyNoYesNo
JordanNoYesNo
KazakhstanSometimesYesNoKazakh: | yyyy.dd.mm or yyyy 'ж'. d mmmm | Russian: | dd.mm.(yy)yy or d mmmm yyyy
KenyaYesYesYesyy/mm/dd or dd/mm/yyyy | In Swahili: m/d/yyyy
KiribatiNoYesNo
KuwaitNoYesNo
KyrgyzstanNoYesNodd.mm.yyyy
LaosNoYesNo
LatviaNoYesNodd.mm.yyyy or yyyy. d. mmmm
LebanonNoYesNo
LesothoYesYesNoSesotho: yyyy-mm-dd | English: dd/mm/yyyy
LiberiaNoYesNo
LibyaNoYesNo
LiechtensteinNoYesNodd.mm.yyyy
LithuaniaYesNoNoyyyy-mm-dd or yyyy <m.> <month in genitive> d <d.>
LuxembourgNoYesNodd.mm.yyyy
MacauYesYesNoChinese: YMD (年月日)| Portuguese and British English: DMY
MadagascarNoYesNo
MalawiNoYesNo
MalaysiaNoYesNodd-mm-yyyy
MaldivesYesYesNoyy/mm/dd or dd mmmm yyyy
MaliNoYesNo
MaltaNoYesNo
Marshall IslandsNoNoYes
MartiniqueNoYesNo
MauritaniaNoYesNo
MauritiusNoYesNo
MayotteNoYesNo
MexicoNoYesNo
MicronesiaNoNoYes
MoldovaNoYesNo
MonacoNoYesNo
MongoliaYesNoNoyyyy-mm-dd or yyyy оны (m)m сарын (d)d. | Casual use: yyyy/(m)m/(d)d or yyyy.(m)m.(d)d
MontenegroNoYesNod.m.yyyy. or dd.mm.yyyy
MontserratNoYesNo
MoroccoNoYesNo
MozambiqueNoYesNo
MyanmarYesYesNoYMD (Burmese calendar) or DMY (Gregorian calendar)
NamibiaYesYesNoDMY
NauruNoYesNo
NepalYesYesSometimesYMD in Nepali calendar, MDY common in English-language media.
NetherlandsNoYesNodd-mm-yyyy
New CaledoniaNoYesNo
New ZealandNoYesNo
NicaraguaNoYesNo
NigerNoYesNo
NigeriaNoYesSometimesEnglish, Hausa, Igbo: (d)d/(m)m/(yy)yy or d mmmm yyyy | Edo, Fulani, Ibibio, Kanuri and Yoruba: mmmm dd, yyyy
NiueNoYesNodd/mm/yyyy
North KoreaYesNoNo
North MacedoniaNoYesNodd.mm.yyyy
Northern Mariana IslandsNoNoYes
NorwayYesYesRarelydd.mm.yyyy or d.mm.yy. yyyy-mm-dd may be used for technical purposes, and d/m-y is widely accepted shorthand.
OmanNoYesNo
PakistanNoYesNo
PalauNoYesRarelyEnglish: (m)m/(d)d/(yy)yy | Japanese: (yy)yy/m(m)/(d)d
PalestineNoYesNodd/mm/yyyy
PanamaNoYesYesmm/dd/yyyy or d de mmmm de yyyy
Papua New GuineaNoYesNo
ParaguayNoYesNo
PeruNoYesNo
PhilippinesNoYesYesEnglish: mmmm d, yyyy or DMY (govt and official docs) | Filipino: ika-d ng mmmm, yyyy or mmmm d, yyyyc | Both: mm/dd/yyyy
PolandYesYesNoTraditional: dd/mm/yyyy. May be d <month in genitive> yyyy or d <month in Roman numerals> yyyy) | Official: YYYY-MM-DD (ISO 8601)
PortugalYesYesNodd/mm/yyyy or dd-mm-yyyy, with yyyy-mm-dd rising in frequency
Puerto RicoNoYesYesEnglish: mmmm d, yyyy | Spanish: d de mmmm de yyyy
QatarNoYesNo
Republic of the CongoNoYesNo
ReunionNoYesNo
RomaniaNoYesNodd.mm.yyyy or (d)d-mmm-yyyy or (d)d-month as Roman numeral-yyyy
RussiaYesYesNoyyyy-mm-dd, dd.mm.(yy)yy, or (most official) d <month in genitive> yyyy
RwandaYesYesNoKinyarwanda: yyyy/mm/dd or yyyy mmmm dd | English and French: dd/mm/yyyy or d mmmm yyyy
Saint BarthelemyNoYesNo
Saint Kitts and NevisNoYesNo
Saint LuciaNoYesNo
Saint MartinNoYesNo
Saint Pierre and MiquelonNoYesNo
Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesNoYesNo
SamoaNoYesNo
San MarinoNoYesNo
Sao Tome and PrincipeNoYesNo
Saudi ArabiaNoYesNodd/mm/yyyy
SenegalNoYesNo
SerbiaNoYesNod.m.yyyy. or d. mmmm yyyy
SeychellesNoYesNo
Sierra LeoneNoYesNo
SingaporeYesYesSometimesChinese: yyyy年m月d日 | English, Malay, Tamil: DMY | Alternate: MDY (esp. media and governmental websites
Sint MaartenNoYesNo
SlovakiaNoYesNod. m. yyyy
SloveniaNoYesNod. m. yyyy or d. mmmm yyyy
Solomon IslandsNoYesNo
SomaliaNoYesNodd/mm/yyyy
South AfricaYesYesSometimesEnglish: yyyy/mm/dd or dd mmmm yyyy | Afrikaans: yyyy-mm-dd or dd mmmm yyyy | Xhosa: yyyy-mm-dd or yyyy mmmm d | Zulu: MDY
South KoreaYesNoNoStandard: yyyy-mm-dd or (yy)yy년 (m)m월 (d)d일 | Casual: (yy)yy.(m)m.(d)d.
South SudanNoYesNo
SpainYesYesNoAsturian, Catalan, Galician, Spanish and Valencian: dd/mm/yyyy | Basque: yyyy/mm/dd
Sri LankaYesYesRarelySinhala: yyyy-mm-dd | Tamil: d-m-yyyy | English: MDY (media) or DMY (govt. and official)
SudanNoYesNo
SurinameNoYesNo
SwedenYesYesNoStandard: yyyy-mm-dd, with dd.mm.yyyy occasionally required by EU. | Alternates: d/m (casual), d mmmm yyyy or den d mmmm yyyy
SwitzerlandNoYesNodd.mm.yyyy or d. mmmm yyyy
SyriaNoYesNo
TaiwanYesNoNoyyyy/(m)m/(d)d or yyyy-mm-dd or yyyy年m月d日
TajikistanNoYesNodd.mm.yyyy
TanzaniaNoYesNo
ThailandNoYesNodd/mm/yyyy. May use Buddhist Era years instead of CE years.
Timor LesteNoYesNo
TogoNoYesYesFrench: dd/mm/yyyy | Ewe: mm/dd/(yy)yy
TokelauNoYesNo
TongaNoYesNo
Trinidad and TobagoNoYesNo
TunisiaNoYesNo
TurkeyNoYesNodd.mm.yyyy or d mmmm yyyy or dddd mmmm d, yyyy (Ex: Friday, June 9, 2023)
TurkmenistanNoYesNodd.mm.(yy)yy ý. or yyyy-nji ýylyň d-nji mmmm
Turks and Caicos IslandsNoYesNo
TuvaluNoYesNo
UgandaNoYesNo
UkraineNoYesNodd.mm.(yy)yy or dd/mm/yyyy
United Arab EmiratesNoYesNo
United KingdomYesYesNodd/mm/yyyy. Media may use dddd mmmm d, yyyy (Ex: Friday, June 9, 2023) | Use of YMD with yyyy year is rising, particularly in technical applications.
United StatesYesRarelyYesCivilian: m/d/yy or m/d/yyyy | Military, academic, govt. and other technical: d mmm(m) yyyy or yyyy-mm-dd
United States Virgin IslandsNoNoYes
UruguayNoYesNo
UzbekistanYesYesNoCyrillic: dd.mm.yyyy; Latin: dd/mm yyyy
VanuatuNoYesNo
Vatican CityNoNoYes
VenezuelaNoYesNo
VietnamYesYesSometimesVietnamese:| Long: Ngày (d)d tháng (m)m năm yyyy or ngày (d)d tháng (month in textform) năm yyyy | Short: (d)d/(m)m/yyyy separated by /, -, or | English: | yyyy-mm-dd, mmmm d, yyyy, or (historical): era names năm thứ _ tháng [m]m (or in textform) ngày(mồng) [d]d (or in textform).
Wallis and FutunaNoYesNo
YemenNoYesNo
ZambiaNoYesNo
ZimbabweYesNoNo
showing: 233 rows

What countries use the date format mm dd yy?

Nations that use the date format mdy include the United States and its territories, Vatican City, the Philippines, Kenya, Canada, Panama, Ghana, Togo, Puerto Rico, Micronesia, and Greenland.

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