Plug and Socket Types. Why Different Plugs Used in Different Countries ?

World plugs and outlets(sockets), country frequencies and voltage levels, why does each country have different plug type?

The voltage supplied to households was established at 110 volts when engineers developed the first modern transmission grid in the United States in the 1880s. However, as individuals began to construct electrical networks in other nations, they made an effort to make improvements. Businesses in Europe discovered it would be less expensive to deliver power at 220 volts rather than 110 volts. Electric companies can offer the same power with less current at higher voltages, and thinner lines are possible with less current. Higher voltage could result in cost savings because the copper used to make electric cables is a costly material.

Difference for 2 & 3 Pole (Pin) Plugs

The term “2-pole” denotes that the device plug is not earthed and typically includes two electrically conducting pins.

All electrical equipment was initially equipped with 2-pole plugs, which meant that all mains sockets were designed for 2-pole plugs and that all electrical equipment was not earthed. However, the danger of experiencing an electric shock increased as the number of increasingly powerful gadgets increased. By adding an earth connection, primarily in the form of a third pin, this issue was resolved.

Three-pole plugs are earthed and typically have three pins, two of which are used to transport current and one of which is for personal safety.

Why Don’t Universal Sockets Exist in All Countries?

It is difficult to switch to a different electrical plug system once you’ve chosen one. Every wall socket in every house, workplace, and factory needs to be torn apart. Additionally, changes need to be made to the way electrical appliances are produced. To avoid accidents, you must complete everything at once, which will be both unpleasant and expensive.

Plug and Outlet(Socket) Types by Countries

Plug Type A

Plug Type B

Plug Type C

Plug Type D

Plug Type E

Plug Type F

Plug Type G

Plug Type H

Plug Type I

Plug Type J

Plug Type K

Plug Type L

Plug Type M

Plug Type N

Plug Type O

*Images taken from this site: https://www.iec.ch/world-plugs Please click for more information.

Countries & Voltages & Frequencies & Plug Types

Country	Voltage Level	Frequency	Plug Types
Afghanistan	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Albania	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Algeria	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
American Samoa	120 V	60 Hz	A / B / F / I
Andorra	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Angola	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Anguilla	110 V	60 Hz	A / B
Antigua and Barbuda	230 V	60 Hz	A / B
Argentina	220 V	50 Hz	C / I
Armenia	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Aruba	120 V	60 Hz	A / B / F
Australia	230 V	50 Hz	I
Austria	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Azerbaijan	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Azores	230 V	50 Hz	A / B / C / F
Bahamas	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Bahrain	230 V	50 Hz	G
Balearic Islands	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Bangladesh	220 V	50 Hz	A / C / D / G
Barbados	115 V	50 Hz	A / B
Belarus	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Belgium	230 V	50 Hz	C / E
Belize	110 V / 220 V	60 Hz	A / B / G
Benin	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Bermuda	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Bhutan	230 V	50 Hz	C / D / G
Bolivia	230 V	50 Hz	A / C
Bonaire	127 V	50 Hz	A / C
Bosnia & Herzegovina	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Botswana	230 V	50 Hz	D / G
Brazil	127 V / 220 V	60 Hz	C / N
British Virgin Islands	110 V	60 Hz	A / B
Brunei	240 V	50 Hz	G
Bulgaria	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Burkina Faso	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Burma (Myanmar)	230 V	50 Hz	A / C / D / G / I
Burundi	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Cambodia	230 V	50 Hz	A / C / G
Cameroon	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Canada	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Canary Islands	230 V	50 Hz	C / E / F
Cape Verde	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Cayman Islands	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Central African Republic	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Chad	220 V	50 Hz	C / E / F
Channel Islands (Guernsey & Jersey)	230 V	50 Hz	C / G
Chile	220 V	50 Hz	C / L
China, People’s Republic of	220 V	50 Hz	A / C / I
Christmas Island	230 V	50 Hz	I
Cocos (Keeling) Islands	230 V	50 Hz	I
Colombia	110 V	60 Hz	A / B
Comoros	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Congo-Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo)	230 V	50 Hz	C / E
Congo-Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo)	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Cook Islands	240 V	50 Hz	I
Costa Rica	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Croatia	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Cuba	110 V / 220 V	60 Hz	A / B / C / L
Curaçao	127 V	50 Hz	A / B
Cyprus, South	230 V	50 Hz	G
Cyprus, North	230 V	50 Hz	G
Czech Republic (Czechia)	230 V	50 Hz	C / E
Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Denmark	230 V	50 Hz	C / E / F / K
Djibouti	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Dominica	230 V	50 Hz	D / G
Dominican Republic	120 V	60 Hz	A / B / C
East Timor	220 V	50 Hz	C / E / F / I
Ecuador	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Egypt	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
El Salvador	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
England	230 V	50 Hz	G
Equatorial Guinea	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Eritrea	230 V	50 Hz	C / L
Estonia	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Ethiopia	220 V	50 Hz	C / F / G
Faeroe Islands	230 V	50 Hz	C / E / F / K
Falkland Islands	240 V	50 Hz	G
Fiji	240 V	50 Hz	I
Finland	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
France	230 V	50 Hz	C / E
French Guiana	230 V	50 Hz	C / E
French Polynesia	220 V	60 Hz	C / E
Gabon	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Gambia	230 V	50 Hz	G
Gaza	230 V	50 Hz	C / H
Georgia	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Germany	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Ghana	230 V	50 Hz	D / G
Gibraltar	230 V	50 Hz	G
Great Britain (GB)	230 V	50 Hz	G
Greece	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Greenland	230 V	50 Hz	C / E / F / K
Grenada	230 V	50 Hz	G
Guadeloupe	230 V	50 Hz	C / E
Guam	110 V	60 Hz	A / B
Guatemala	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Guinea	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Guinea-Bissau	220 V	50 Hz	C / E / F
Guyana	120 V / 240 V	60 Hz	A / B / D / G
Haiti	110 V	60 Hz	A / B
Holland (Netherlands)	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Honduras	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Hong Kong	220 V	50 Hz	G
Hungary	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Iceland	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
India	230 V	50 Hz	C / D / M
Indonesia	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Iran	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Iraq	230 V	50 Hz	C / D / G
Ireland	230 V	50 Hz	G
Ireland, Northern	230 V	50 Hz	G
Isle of Man	230 V	50 Hz	C / G
Israel	230 V	50 Hz	C / H
Italy	230 V	50 Hz	C / F / L
Jamaica	110 V	50 Hz	A / B
Japan	100 V	50 Hz / 60 Hz	A / B
Jordan	230 V	50 Hz	C / D / F / G / J
Kazakhstan	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Kenya	240 V	50 Hz	G
Kiribati	240 V	50 Hz	I
Korea, North	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Korea, South	220 V	60 Hz	C / F
Kosovo	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Kuwait	240 V	50 Hz	G
Kyrgyzstan	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Laos	230 V	50 Hz	A / B / C / E / F
Latvia	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Lebanon	230 V	50 Hz	C / D / G
Lesotho	220 V	50 Hz	M
Liberia	120 V / 220 V	60 Hz	A / B / C / F
Libya	230 V	50 Hz	C / L
Liechtenstein	230 V	50 Hz	C / J
Lithuania	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Luxembourg	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Macau	220 V	50 Hz	G
Macedonia, North	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Madagascar	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Madeira	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Malawi	230 V	50 Hz	G
Malaysia	230 V	50 Hz	G
Maldives	230 V	50 Hz	C / D / G / L
Mali	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Malta	230 V	50 Hz	G
Marshall Islands	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Martinique	230 V	50 Hz	C / E
Mauritania	220 V	50 Hz	C / E / F
Mauritius	230 V	50 Hz	C / G
Mayotte	230 V	50 Hz	C / E
Mexico	127 V	60 Hz	A / B
Micronesia	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Moldova	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Monaco	230 V	50 Hz	C / E / F
Mongolia	230 V	50 Hz	C / F (most sockets in Mongolia are universal ones, which accept either types A / C, or types A / B / C / D / E / F / G / I / O)
Montenegro	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Montserrat	230 V	60 Hz	A / B
Morocco	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Mozambique	220 V	50 Hz	C / F / M
Myanmar (Burma)	230 V	50 Hz	A / C / D / G / I
Namibia	220 V	50 Hz	D / M
Nauru	240 V	50 Hz	I
Nepal	230 V	50 Hz	C / D / M
Netherlands	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
New Caledonia	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
New Zealand	230 V	50 Hz	I
Nicaragua	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Niger	220 V	50 Hz	C / D / E
Nigeria	230 V	50 Hz	D / G
Niue	230 V	50 Hz	I
Norfolk Island	230 V	50 Hz	I
North Korea	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
North Macedonia	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Northern Ireland	230 V	50 Hz	G
Norway	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Oman	240 V	50 Hz	G
Pakistan	230 V	50 Hz	C / D
Palau	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Palestine	230 V	50 Hz	C / H
Panama	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Papua New Guinea	240 V	50 Hz	I
Paraguay	220 V	50 Hz	A / C
Peru	220 V	60 Hz	A / B / C
Philippines	220 V	60 Hz	A / B / C
Pitcairn Islands	230 V	50 Hz	I
Poland	230 V	50 Hz	C / E
Portugal	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Puerto Rico	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Qatar	240 V	50 Hz	G
Romania	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Russia	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Rwanda	230 V	50 Hz	C / E / F / G
Réunion	230 V	50 Hz	C / E
Saba	110 V	60 Hz	A / B
Saint Barthélemy	230 V	60 Hz	C / E
Saint Helena	230 V	50 Hz	G
Saint Kitts and Nevis	230 V	60 Hz	D / G
Saint Lucia	230 V	50 Hz	G
Saint Martin	220 V	60 Hz	C / E
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	230 V	50 Hz	C / E
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	110 V / 230 V	50 Hz	A / B / G
Samoa	230 V	50 Hz	I
San Marino	230 V	50 Hz	C / F / L
Saudi Arabia	220 V	60 Hz	G
Scotland	230 V	50 Hz	G
Senegal	230 V	50 Hz	C / D / E
Serbia	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Seychelles	240 V	50 Hz	G
Sierra Leone	230 V	50 Hz	D / G
Singapore	230 V	50 Hz	G
Sint Eustatius	110 V / 220 V	60 Hz	A / B / C / F
Sint Maarten	110 V	60 Hz	A / B
Slovakia	230 V	50 Hz	C / E
Slovenia	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Solomon Islands	230 V	50 Hz	G / I
Somalia	220 V	50 Hz	C / G (most sockets in Somalia are universal ones, which accept types A / B / C / D / E / F / G / I / O. Sometimes there is even additional compatibility with types J, K and L.)
Somaliland	220 V	50 Hz	C / G (most sockets in Somaliland are universal ones, which accept types A / B / C / D / E / F / G / I / O. Sometimes there is even additional compatibility with types J, K and L.)
South Africa	230 V	50 Hz	C / M / N
South Korea	220 V	60 Hz	C / F
South Sudan	230 V	50 Hz	C / D
Spain	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Sri Lanka	230 V	50 Hz	D / G
Sudan	230 V	50 Hz	C / D
Surinam	127 V / 220 V	60 Hz	A / B / C / F
Swaziland	230 V	50 Hz	M
Sweden	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Switzerland	230 V	50 Hz	C / J
Syria	220 V	50 Hz	C / E / L
São Tomé and Príncipe	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Tahiti	220 V	60 Hz	C / E
Taiwan	110 V	60 Hz	A / B
Tajikistan	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Tanzania	230 V	50 Hz	D / G
Thailand	230 V	50 Hz	A / B / C / O
Togo	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Tokelau	230 V	50 Hz	I
Tonga	240 V	50 Hz	I
Trinidad & Tobago	115 V	60 Hz	A / B
Tunisia	230 V	50 Hz	C / E
Turkiye	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
Turkmenistan	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Turks and Caicos Islands	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Tuvalu	230 V	50 Hz	I
Uganda	240 V	50 Hz	G
Ukraine	230 V	50 Hz	C / F
United Arab Emirates (UAE)	230 V	50 Hz	G
United Kingdom (UK)	230 V	50 Hz	G
United States of America (USA)	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
United States Virgin Islands	110 V	60 Hz	A / B
Uruguay	220 V	50 Hz	C / F / L
Uzbekistan	220 V	50 Hz	C / F
Vanuatu	230 V	50 Hz	I
Vatican City	230 V	50 Hz	C / F / L
Venezuela	120 V	60 Hz	A / B
Vietnam	220 V	50 Hz	A / B / C
Virgin Islands (British)	110 V	60 Hz	A / B
Virgin Islands (USA)	110 V	60 Hz	A / B
Wales	230 V	50 Hz	G
Wallis and Futuna	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
West Bank	230 V	50 Hz	C / H
Western Sahara	220 V	50 Hz	C / E
Yemen	230 V	50 Hz	A / D / G
Zambia	230 V	50 Hz	C / D / G
Zimbabwe	230 V	50 Hz	D / G

Universal Travel Adaptors

When you need to travel to another country and you have to take electronic devices designed according to the plug or socket system of your own country, you can use the universal travel adapter to make your work easier.

Thus, you can connect your own electronic devices to the electrical system of the country you are traveling to, charge or run them.