The 15 plug types explained
Fifteen plug types are in common use, lettered A to O. Three of them turn up far more often than the rest: Type C is used in 88 of the 139 countries PlugAtlas covers, Type F in 52 and Type G in 37. At the other end, Type H and Type O each belong to a single country.
All 15 types in one table
Each letter names a physical design, and most letters correspond to one national standard. The table gives the pin count, whether the type is earthed, the standard it follows and the number of countries that use it. The counts add up to well over 139, because 119 of the 139 countries use more than one type.
| Type | Pins · earthed | Standard | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type C | 2 · no | EN 50075 (Europlug, CEE 7/16) | 88 (63 %) |
| Type F | 2 · yes | CEE 7/4 (Schuko) | 52 (37 %) |
| Type G | 3 · yes | BS 1363 | 37 (27 %) |
| Type A | 2 · no | NEMA 1-15 | 31 (22 %) |
| Type B | 3 · yes | NEMA 5-15 | 28 (20 %) |
| Type D | 3 · yes | BS 546 (5 A) | 21 (15 %) |
| Type E | 2 · yes | CEE 7/5 (French) | 18 (13 %) |
| Type M | 3 · yes | BS 546 (15 A) / SANS 164-1 / IS 1293 | 10 (7 %) |
| Type I | 3 · yes | AS/NZS 3112 | 6 (4 %) |
| Type L | 3 · yes | CEI 23-50 | 6 (4 %) |
| Type J | 3 · yes | SN 441011 | 4 (3 %) |
| Type K | 3 · yes | DS 60884-2-D1 | 3 (2 %) |
| Type N | 3 · yes | IEC 60906-1 / NBR 14136 / SANS 164-2 | 2 (1 %) |
| Type H | 3 · yes | SI 32 | 1 (1 %) |
| Type O | 3 · yes | TIS 166-2549 | 1 (1 %) |
Shares are of the 139 countries covered, not of the world’s sockets. A country counts once for a type whether that type is in every building or only in older ones.
Two pins, three pins, and earthing
A, C, E and F are the four two-pin types. Only A and C are unearthed. Type E and Type F still provide an earth, just not through a third pin on the plug. On Type E the earth pin sits in the socket and enters a hole in the plug; Type F uses metal clips on the sides of the plug and socket. The other 11 types carry a third pin for earth.
Earthed types are so widespread that nearly every country has at least one in use. In our data the exception is Paraguay, whose only listed type is the unearthed Type C.
The 11 three-pin designs differ mainly in where that third pin goes. Type G puts three rectangular pins in a triangle and is the only type here whose plug contains a fuse. Type L lines up three round pins in a row, Type H spreads them in a Y, Type N sets them in a shallow V, and Type J places the earth pin off-centre.
Which plug goes into which socket
A plug and a socket with the same letter always match. Several sockets also accept other plugs. The flat two-pin Type C plug is the most accommodating: besides its own socket it goes into Type E, F, H, J, K, L, N and O sockets, 9 socket types in all. A Type A plug also fits a Type B socket, which is the same design with an earth pin added. The plug fitted to most appliances in Type E and F countries carries both the Type E hole and the Type F clips; it is usually written E/F (CEE 7/7) and fits E, F and K sockets.
| Socket | Also takes |
|---|---|
| Type B | Type A |
| Type E | Types C and E/F hybrid |
| Type F | Types C and E/F hybrid |
| Type H | Type C |
| Type J | Type C |
| Type K | Types C and E/F hybrid |
| Type L | Type C |
| Type N | Type C |
| Type O | Type C |
The reverse is not true. A three-pin plug never goes into a two-pin socket in these rules, and a Type B plug does not fit a Type A socket, because the earth pin has nowhere to go. The adapter checker applies exactly this table.
Lookalikes: D and M
Type D and Type M look alike: three round pins in a triangle. The difference is size. Type D follows the 5 A version of BS 546 and Type M the 15 A version, so the pins of M are larger. Neither plug fits the other socket. Type D is listed in 21 countries and Type M in 10; 8 countries list both: Bhutan, Botswana, India, Macau, Namibia, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The other close pair is Type E and Type F. The plugs share the same two round pins, and the E/F hybrid plug fits both sockets, so in practice the two sockets take the same everyday plugs.
The rare types
Seven types appear in six countries or fewer. Type H (SI 32) is used only in Israel. Type O (TIS 166-2549) is used only in Thailand. Type N (IEC 60906-1 / NBR 14136 / SANS 164-2) is used in two countries: Brazil and South Africa. Type K (DS 60884-2-D1) is used in three countries: Denmark, the Maldives and Senegal. Type J (SN 441011) is used in four countries: Jordan, Liechtenstein, the Maldives and Switzerland. Type I (AS/NZS 3112) is used in six countries: Argentina, Australia, China, Fiji, New Zealand and Uruguay. Type L (CEI 23-50) is used in six countries: Chile, Ethiopia, Italy, the Maldives, San Marino and Uruguay.
Of the 20 countries that use one of these rare types, 16 also use Type C, so a flat two-pin plug often still fits. Israel lists Types C and H, and Thailand Types A, B, C and O; the full set for each country is on its page.
How many people each type serves
Counting countries flatters small nations, so the chart adds up the population of every country that uses each type. A country with two types counts towards both, and the totals say nothing about how many sockets of each type there are.
- Type C5.84 bn
- Type A2.75 bn
- Type D2.24 bn
- Type M1.70 bn
- Type F1.60 bn
- Type I1.49 bn
- Type G1.19 bn
- Type B1.07 bn
- Type E0.56 bn
- Type N0.28 bn
- Type L0.21 bn
- Type O0.07 bn
- Type K0.02 bn
- Type J0.02 bn
- Type H0.01 bn
Type C comes first by this measure too, with 5.84 billion people in the countries that use it. Type A ranks 2nd (2.75 billion), ahead of its 4th place by country count, because China and the United States both use it. Type G, 3rd by country count, is 7th here with 1.19 billion.
Sources
- Wikidata (CC0): electrical plug type (P2853), mains voltage (P2884) and frequency, retrieved 28 October 2026, checked against national and technical sources
- Wikipedia, Mains electricity by country (CC BY-SA 4.0): cross-check of plug types, voltage and frequency, facts only
- PlugAtlas sources and method, including the socket fit rules
- Wikidata population (P1082), latest dated value per country