Divide by a million — that is the whole conversion
Move the decimal point six places to the left, or drop six zeros. 4,200,000 becomes 4.2 million; 500,000 becomes 0.5 million. Multiply by a million to reverse it.
Where the big words sit
| Name | Digits | Power of 10 | Zeros |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thousand | 1,000 | 103 | 3 |
| Million | 1,000,000 | 106 | 6 |
| Billion | 1,000,000,000 | 109 | 9 |
| Trillion | 1,000,000,000,000 | 1012 | 12 |
These are short-scale values, the standard in US and modern UK usage. A billion here is a thousand million, not a million million.
Same number, four scales
| Number | Million | Billion | Lakh | Crore |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100,000 | 0.1 | 0.0001 | 1 | 0.01 |
| 1,000,000 | 1 | 0.001 | 10 | 0.1 |
| 10,000,000 | 10 | 0.01 | 100 | 1 |
| 1,000,000,000 | 1,000 | 1 | 10,000 | 100 |
India, Pakistan and Nepal count in lakh (100,000) and crore (10,000,000), grouping digits by two rather than three. That is why a crore lands between a million and a billion.
The two mix-ups to avoid
- Old vs new "billion". Today a billion is 109 everywhere in mainstream finance. Older British and continental writing used the long scale, where a billion meant 1012. Check the source if a figure looks off by a thousand.
- Do not over-round. 1,234,567 is not "1.2 million" in a spreadsheet — that hides 34,567. Round only when you are presenting a rough figure, and say so.
Common questions
How do I convert a number to millions?
Divide it by 1,000,000. So 2,500,000 becomes 2.5 million, and 750,000 becomes 0.75 million. To go the other way, multiply the millions figure by 1,000,000.
How many zeros are in a million, billion and trillion?
A million has 6 zeros (1,000,000), a billion has 9 (1,000,000,000) and a trillion has 12. Each step up adds three zeros, so a billion is a thousand million and a trillion is a thousand billion.
What is a million in lakhs and crores?
One million equals 10 lakh, and one crore equals 10 million. The Indian system groups digits differently, which is why 1 crore (10,000,000) sits between a million and a billion.
