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Electric Power Standards Around the World

Three-phase voltage, frequency and
number of wires

Although single-phase power is more prevalent today, three phase is still chosen as the power of choice for many different types of applications. Generators at power stations supply three-phase electricity. This is a way of supplying three times as much electricity along three wires as can be supplied through two, without having to increase the thickness of the wires. It is usually used in industry to drive motors and other devices.

Three-phase electricity is by its very nature a much smoother form of electricity than single-phase or two-phase power. It is this more consistent electrical power that allows machines to run more efficiently and last many years longer than their relative machines running on the other phases. Some applications are able to work with three-phase power in ways that would not work on single phase at all.

Mind you, since three-phase electricity is rarely used for domestic purposes, the table below is only relevant to electricians, electrical engineers and other technically skilled people. Travelers should take a look at the single-phase voltage table. Look-up table (single-phase voltage, frequency and plug/sockets)

COUNTRY THREE-PHASE VOLTAGE FREQUENCY NUMBER OF WIRES (not including the ground wire)
Afghanistan 380 V 50 Hz 4
Albania 400 V 50 Hz 4
Algeria 400 V 50 Hz 4
American Samoa 208 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Andorra 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Angola 380 V 50 Hz 4
Antigua 400 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Argentina 380 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Armenia 380 V 50 Hz 4
Aruba 220 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Australia 415 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Austria 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Azerbaijan 380 V 50 Hz 4
Azores 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Bahamas 208 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Bahrain 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Balearic Islands 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Bangladesh 380 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Barbados 200 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Belarus 380 V 50 Hz 4
Belgium 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Belize 190 V / 380 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Benin 380 V 50 Hz 4
Bermuda 208 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Bhutan 400 V 50 Hz 4
Bolivia 400 V 50 Hz 4
Bosnia & Herzegovina 400 V 50 Hz 4
Botswana 400 V 50 Hz 4
Brazil 220 V / 380 V / 440 V* 60 Hz 3, 4
Brunei 415 V 50 Hz 4
Bulgaria 400 V 50 Hz 4
Burkina Faso 380 V 50 Hz 4
Burundi 380 V 50 Hz 4
Cambodia 400 V 50 Hz 4
Cameroon 380 V 50 Hz 4
Canada 208 V / 240 V / 600 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Canary Islands 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Cape Verde 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Cayman Islands 208 V 60 Hz 3
Central African Republic 380 V 50 Hz 4
Chad 380 V 50 Hz 4
Channel Islands (Guernsey & Jersey) 400 V 50 Hz 4
Chile 380 V 50 Hz 3, 4
China, People's Republic of 380 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Colombia 440 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Comoros 380 V 50 Hz 4
Congo, People's Rep. of 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Congo, Dem. Rep. of (formerly Zaire) 380 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Cook Islands 415 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Costa Rica 240 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Côte d'Ivoire 
(Ivory Coast)
380 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Croatia 400 V 50 Hz 4
Cuba 190 V 60 Hz 3
Cyprus 400 V 50 Hz 4
Czech Republic 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Denmark 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Djibouti 380 V 50 Hz 4
Dominica 400 V 50 Hz 4
Dominican Republic 120/208 V / 277/480 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Ecuador 190 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Egypt 380 V 50 Hz 3, 4
El Salvador 200 V 60 Hz 3
Equatorial Guinea [unavailable] [unavailable] [unavailable]
Eritrea 400 V 50 Hz 4
Estonia 400 V 50 Hz 4
Ethiopia 380 V 50 Hz 4
Faeroe Islands 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Falkland Islands 415 V 50 Hz 4
Fiji 415 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Finland 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
France 400 V 50 Hz 4
French Guyana 380 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Gabon 380 V 50 Hz 4
Gambia 400 V 50 Hz 4
Gaza 400 V 50 Hz 4
Georgia 380 V 50 Hz 4
Germany 400 V 50 Hz 4
Ghana 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Gibraltar 400 V 50 Hz 4
Greece 400 V 50 Hz 4
Greenland 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Grenada (Windward Islands) 400 V 50 Hz 4
Guadeloupe 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Guam 190 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Guatemala 208 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Guinea 380 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Guinea-Bissau 380 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Guyana 190 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Haiti 190 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Honduras 190 V 60 Hz 3
Hong Kong 380 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Hungary 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Iceland 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
India 400 V 50 Hz 4
Indonesia 400 V 50 Hz 4
Iran 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Iraq 400 V 50 Hz 4
Ireland (Eire) 400 V 50 Hz 4
Isle of Man 400 V 50 Hz 4
Israel 400 V 50 Hz 4
Italy 400 V 50 Hz 4
Jamaica 190 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Japan 200 V 50 Hz / 60 Hz** 3
Jordan 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Kenya 415 V 50 Hz 4
Kazakhstan 380 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Kiribati [unavailable] [unavailable] [unavailable]
Korea, South 380 V 60 Hz 4
Kuwait 415 V 50 Hz 4
Kyrgyzstan 380 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Laos 400 V 50 Hz 4
Latvia 400 V 50 Hz 4
Lebanon 400 V 50 Hz 4
Lesotho 380 V 50 Hz 4
Liberia 208 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Libya 220 V / 400 V 50 Hz 4
Liechtenstein 400 V 50 Hz 4
Lithuania 400 V 50 Hz 4
Luxembourg 400 V 50 Hz 4
Macau 380 V 50 Hz 3
Macedonia 400 V 50 Hz 4
Madagascar 220 V / 380 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Madeira 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Malawi 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Malaysia 415 V 50 Hz 4
Maldives 400 V 50 Hz 4
Mali 380 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Malta 400 V 50 Hz 4
Martinique 380 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Mauritania 220 V 50 Hz 3
Mauritius 400 V 50 Hz 4
Mexico 220 V / 480 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Moldova 380 V 50 Hz 4
Monaco 400 V 50 Hz 4
Mongolia 400 V 50 Hz 4
Montenegro 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Montserrat (Leeward Islands) 400 V 60 Hz 4
Morocco 380 V 50 Hz 4
Mozambique 380 V 50 Hz 4
Myanmar (formerly Burma) 400 V 50 Hz 4
Namibia 380 V 50 Hz 4
Nauru 415 V 50 Hz 4
Nepal 400 V 50 Hz 4
Netherlands 400 V 50 Hz 3
Netherlands Antilles 220 V / 380 V 50 Hz 3, 4
New Caledonia 380 V 50 Hz 3, 4
New Zealand 415 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Nicaragua 208 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Niger 380 V 50 Hz 4
Nigeria 400 V 50 Hz 4
Norway 400 V 50 Hz 3
Oman 415 V 50 Hz 4
Pakistan 400 V 50 Hz 3
Palau 208 V 60 Hz 3
Panama 190 V 60 Hz 3
Papua New Guinea 415 V 50 Hz 4
Paraguay 380 V 50 Hz 4
Peru 220 V 60 Hz 3
Philippines 380 V 60 Hz 3
Poland 400 V 50 Hz 4
Portugal 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Puerto Rico 208 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Qatar 415 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Réunion Island 400 V 50 Hz 4
Romania 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Russian Federation 400 V 50 Hz 4
Rwanda 400 V 50 Hz 4
St. Kitts and Nevis (Leeward Islands) 400 V 60 Hz 4
St. Lucia (Windward Islands) 400 V 50 Hz 4
St. Vincent (Windward Islands) 400 V 50 Hz 4
San Marino 400 V 50 Hz 4
Saudi Arabia 190 V / 380 V*** 60 Hz*** 4
Senegal 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Serbia 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Seychelles 240 V 50 Hz 3
Sierra Leone 400 V 50 Hz 4
Singapore 400 V 50 Hz 4
Slovakia 400 V 50 Hz 4
Slovenia 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Somalia 380 V 50 Hz 3, 4
South Africa 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Spain 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Sri Lanka 400 V 50 Hz 4
Sudan 400 V 50 Hz 4
Suriname 220 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Swaziland 400 V 50 Hz 4
Sweden 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Switzerland 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Syria 380 V 50 Hz 3
Tahiti 380 V 50 Hz / 60 Hz **** 3, 4
Tajikistan 380 V 50 Hz 3
Taiwan 190 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Tanzania 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Thailand 380 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Togo 380 V 50 Hz 4
Tonga 415 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Trinidad & Tobago 200 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Tunisia 400 V 50 Hz 4
Turkey 400 V 50 Hz 3, 4
Turkmenistan 380 V 50 Hz 3
Uganda 415 V 50 Hz 4
Ukraine 380 V 50 Hz 4
United Arab Emirates 415 V 50 Hz 3, 4
United Kingdom 400 V 50 Hz 4
United States of America 120/208 V / 277/480 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Uruguay 220 V 50 Hz 3
Uzbekistan 380 V 50 Hz 4
Venezuela 240 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Vietnam 380 V 50 Hz 4
Virgin Islands 190 V 60 Hz 3, 4
Western Samoa 400 V 50 Hz 3
Yemen, Rep. of 400 V 50 Hz 4
Zambia 400 V 50 Hz 4
Zimbabwe 415 V 50 Hz 3, 4

* In Brazil there is no standard voltage. Most states use 127 V electricity (single-phase) and 220 V (three-phase) (Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Espírito Santo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Maranhão, Pará, Paraná, Rondônia, Roraima, Sergipe and Minas Gerais). Other – mainly northeastern – states are on 220 V (single-phase) and 380 V (three-phase) (Alagoas, Brasília, Ceará, Mato Grosso, Goiás, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, Santa Catarina and Tocantins). Although in most parts of the states of Bahia, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul 127 V (single-phase) and 220 V (three-phase) is used, the cities of Santos, Jequié, Jundiaí, São Bernardo do Campo, Novo Friburgo, Bagé, Caxias do Sul and Pelotas run on 220 V (single-phase) and 380 V (three-phase). The states of Pernambuco and Piauí use 220 V (single-phase) and 380 V (three-phase), except for the cities of Paulista and Teresina (127 V single-phase and 220 V three-phase).

** Although the mains voltage in Japan is the same everywhere, the frequency differs from region to region. Eastern Japan uses predominantly 50 Hz (Tokyo, Kawasaki, Sapporo, Yokohama, Sendai), whereas Western Japan prefers 60 Hz (Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Hiroshima).

*** In most parts of Saudi Arabia - such as the Dammam and al-Khobar area - 190 V three-phase electricity is used (110 V single-phase). 220 V (single-phase) and 380 V (three-phase) can be found as well.

**** In Tahiti the frequency is 60 Hz, except for the Marquesas archipelago where it is 50 Hz.

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