Why does +1 cover so many countries?

+1 is a shared plan, not one country's code. It covers the US, Canada, and 17 Caribbean nations. The network tells them apart by the 3-digit area code. 212 is New York, 416 is Toronto, and 876 is Jamaica.

What's the difference between a country code and an ISO country code?

They do different jobs. A calling code like +27 sends phone calls to the right place. An ISO code like ZA, ZAF, or 710 names a country in software, shipping, and money. It has nothing to do with phones. So South Africa is +27 by phone and ZA by ISO.

Are country codes the same as area codes?

No. They work at different levels — a country code picks the country, an area code picks the city inside it. Take New York: +1 is the country code and 212 is the area code. In London, +44 is the country and 20 is the area code.

Can one country have more than one country code?

Most countries have just one. But a few work in a different way. Countries in the +1 plan, like the Dominican Republic, use several area codes (+1-809, +1-829, +1-849). Lookup tools often list these on their own. UK territories do the same. Guernsey is +44-1481 and Jersey is +44-1534.

International Dialing Reference

Country calling codes the complete lookup.

Every international call needs the right country code. We list 200+ codes across 6 regions. Click any country to see its full guide. You can also find the best time to call.

200+

Countries & territories

6

Regions covered

500+

Direct connections

24/7

Johannesburg support

The basics

What is a country calling code?

A country calling code is a short prefix. You dial it before an international number. It tells the network which country to reach. Every country has one. A few share a code — the US and Canada both use +1.

Codes run 1 to 3 digits long. Older codes tend to be shorter, like the US's +1.
Newer or smaller markets got longer codes, like Kenya's +254.
A country code is not the same as an area code — the area code comes after it and picks a city inside that country.
To call Johannesburg from abroad, dial +27 11, then the local number. +27 is South Africa, 11 is Johannesburg.

+27

Country code

The prefix for the country. Shows which country to call. 1-3 digits.

+27 11

Area code

Shows a city or region inside the country. Comes after the country code.

+27 11 555 0100

Local number

The person's own number. Drop the leading 0 when dialling abroad.

Anatomy of a number

How an international number is built.

Every internationally dialled number is made of three parts. Once you can see them, dialling any country becomes the same three moves in a different order.

Access

+

+ or 00 / 011

Country code

44

From the table above

Area or mobile prefix

20

Drop the leading 0

Subscriber number

7946 0123

The local part

Example · London +44 20 7946 0123 dialled from anywhere

The global standard

ITU-T E.164 — the backbone

One shared rulebook sets every country code: ITU-T Recommendation E.164. Extra digits for regions and territories build on that rulebook to make the 238 codes you see in the table.

Shared codes

Why some countries share +1 or +7

Some codes cover a whole group of countries. +1 covers the US, Canada, and the Caribbean. +7 covers Russia and Kazakhstan together.

Mobile vs landline

The code is the same — the next digit differs

Country codes don't change between mobile and landline. What changes is the first digit of the national number most countries use a different mobile prefix (e.g. 07 in the UK, 08 in South Africa).

Code structure

Country codes are 1, 2 or 3 digits long.

Code length depends on when a country was assigned its prefix. Older assignments are shorter. For example, the US got +1 (single digit) while newer markets like Kenya received a 3-digit code (+254). All codes follow the ITU-T E.164 international standard.

1

Single-digit

+1 · +7

2

Two-digit

+27 · +44 · +49 · +91

3

Three-digit

+212 · +254 · +966 · +971

Country Codes

All country codes by region.

Find any country's dial code, ISO code, and region. Click a tile to open its full guide.

Showing 239 countries & territories across 6 regions.

Best Time To Call

When to dial each country.

Don't call at the wrong time. Each card shows the live local time for that country. It also shows if it is within work hours (09:00–17:00 local). Pick a country. Call with confidence.

Showing 239 countries & territories across 6 regions. Business-hour window: 09:00 17:00 local.

Dialling guide

How to make an international call.

Follow these four steps. Do them in order. Your call will go through every time.

1

Find the country code

Look it up in the table above.
Every country has one unique code.
Codes are 1 to 3 digits long.

2

Dial your exit code

From South Africa, dial 00.
From the US, dial 011.
On mobile, just press +.

3

Add the country code

Type it right after the exit code.
Do not add spaces or dashes.
Example: +27 for South Africa.

4

Dial the local number

Local numbers start with a 0.
Drop that 0 before you dial.
Then enter the rest of the number.

Good to know.

Use + on mobile

It works from any country. No exit code needed.

Drop the leading 0

Remove it from local numbers when dialling out.

Call in work hours

09:00 to 17:00 local time is best.

Check the code first

A wrong code reaches the wrong country.

Don't confuse these

Country code vs ISO code vs area code.

People often mix these up. All three name countries, but each comes from a different system and does a different job. Here is how each one works, using South Africa as an example.

Country code

+27

Phone dialing prefix

The short prefix you dial before any international number. It tells the phone network which country to connect you to. Country codes are 1 to 3 digits long.

ISO country code

ZA / ZAF / 710

Country identifier for software and trade

A separate set of codes used in software, currencies, shipping, and internet domains. They have nothing to do with phone calls. South Africa is ZA (2-letter), ZAF (3-letter), or 710 (numeric).

Area code

+27 11

City or region prefix inside a country

Used after the country code to identify a city or region. For South Africa, Johannesburg is 11 and Cape Town is 21. The country code stays the same — only the area code changes.

Regions

Country codes by region.

Codes are grouped by region. Countries close to each other often share the first digit of their code. Here is a quick guide to each major region.

Africa

+20 (Egypt), +27 (South Africa), +234 (Nigeria), +254 (Kenya), +212 (Morocco)

African country codes mostly start with 2.
South Africa (+27) is one of the most-called places in Africa.
Nigeria (+234) and Kenya (+254) are the other major hubs.
Smaller nations often have three-digit codes.

Europe

+44 (UK), +49 (Germany), +33 (France), +39 (Italy), +34 (Spain), +31 (Netherlands)

European codes start with 3 or 4.
The UK uses +44, Germany uses +49, France uses +33.
Most Western European countries have two-digit codes.
Eastern European nations often have two or three.

Americas

+1 (USA, Canada, Caribbean), +52 (Mexico), +55 (Brazil), +57 (Colombia)

The Americas region is unique.
The US, Canada, and 23 Caribbean and Pacific islands share one code, +1.
Area codes tell them apart.
Mexico uses +52. Brazil uses +55.

Asia

+7 (Russia), +81 (Japan), +86 (China), +91 (India), +966 (Saudi Arabia), +971 (UAE)

Asian codes mostly start with 7, 8 or 9.
Russia and Kazakhstan share +7. India uses +91. China uses +86. Japan uses +81.
Middle Eastern countries often have three-digit codes, like Saudi Arabia (+966) and the UAE (+971).

Oceania

+61 (Australia), +64 (New Zealand), +679 (Fiji), +675 (Papua New Guinea)

Oceania codes start with 6.
Australia uses +61. New Zealand uses +64.
Pacific island nations have three-digit codes.
Australia's outer territories share the +61 code.

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Shared codes

Country codes that cover more than one country.

Some codes cover more than one country. +1 is used by the US, Canada, and 23 others. The area code tells each country apart. See all shared codes below.

Code	Covers	Why it's shared
+1	United States, Canada, plus 23 Caribbean & Pacific territories	Area codes tell countries apart inside the shared plan.
+7	Russia, Kazakhstan	Carried over from the old Soviet phone network.
+44	United Kingdom; Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man use +44 extra codes	UK territories share UK-style numbers under the same plan.
+39	Italy, Vatican City	Vatican has its own code (+379) but most calls go through +39.
+47	Norway, Svalbard and Jan Mayen	Svalbard is Norwegian territory, so it uses the Norwegian code.
+61	Australia, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands	Australia's external territories share the same code.
+212	Morocco, Western Sahara	Western Sahara numbers are dialled as Moroccan numbers in practice.
+262	Réunion, Mayotte	Two French Indian Ocean islands share one code.
+590	Guadeloupe, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin (French side)	Three French Caribbean islands share this code.
+599	Curaçao, Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba)	Kept from the old Netherlands Antilles phone plan.

FAQ

Common questions about country codes.

Quick answers to your top questions about country codes and TKOS. Still need help? Our team is one click away.

A country code is the short prefix at the start of a phone number. It tells the network which country to call.

Codes are 1 to 3 digits long. South Africa is +27, the UK is +44, and the US is +1.

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Country calling codes the complete lookup.

What is a country calling code?

Country code

Area code

Local number

How an international number is built.

Country codes are 1, 2 or 3 digits long.

All country codes by region.

When to dial each country.

How to make an international call.

Country code vs ISO code vs area code.

Country codes by region.

Country codes that cover more than one country.

Common questions about country codes.

Q1.What is a country code?

Q2.Why does +1 cover so many countries?

Q3.What's the difference between a country code and an ISO country code?

Q4.Are country codes the same as area codes?

Q5.Can one country have more than one country code?

Start free. Grow on the same network.