This
list of circulating currencies contains the 182 current official or
de facto currencies of the 192
United Nations member states, 1
UN observer state, 4 partially recognized sovereign states, 6
unrecognized countries, and 32
dependencies. Only dependencies and unrecognized countries that use a currency other than that of the
sovereign state that administers them or has
de jure jurisdiction over them are listed here. Currencies used in places of extraterritoriality like the United Nations or the
Sovereign Military Order of Malta and
scrips used by private entities like the
Disney dollar and the
ora are not under the purview of this list.
A currency is a unit of exchange and hence a kind of money and medium of exchange. Currency includes paper or polymer banknotes and metal coins. Countries generally have a monopoly on the issuing of currency, although some countries share currencies with other countries. Today, currencies are the dominant means of exchange. Different countries may use the same term to refer to their respective currencies, even though the currencies may have little else to do with each other. A place that is technically part of another country sometimes uses a different currency from that of the parent country.
