OECD Style Guide (Fourth Edition)

4. Country and territory names, codes and currencies, and territorial disclaimers

Abstract

Referring to countries and territories incorrectly or depicting them in maps inaccurately can raise diplomatic sensitivities. To avoid this, follow the guidance provided by the Directorate for Legal Affairs and the Directorate for Communications regarding country and territory names and codes, currency codes and symbols, territorial disclaimers, and maps.

Country and territory names

• The OECD has specific naming and style conventions for Members, non-Members, Key Partners and accession candidate countries.

• The Directorate for Legal Affairs (LEG) provides a list of the official country and territory long names, short names, names in lists, tables, maps and graphics, and ISO codes, to be used in OECD content: https://portal.oecd.org/eshare/leg/Pages/Home.aspx#Countries%2c%20Territories%20and%20Diplomatic%20Sensitivities.

• If in doubt, or if asked to apply different naming, contact [e-mail] for clarification.

• Use these names in all content, regardless of format and of whether it is published externally or remains internal.

• Remember that there are small differences in spelling between many names in English and French; always check the spelling is correct for the language in which you are drafting and refer to the table at the end of this chapter.

See also: Abbreviations, acronyms and signs; The OECD and other international organisations.

Do

✔ Only use the country and territory names and codes included in the list provided by LEG.

✔ Use the long name the first time a country or territory is mentioned in the text of the document, define the short name for what follows, then use the short name thereafter.

The Republic of Türkiye (hereafter “Türkiye”) is a Member of the OECD. Türkiye was one of the 20 founders of the OECD in 1960.

✔ Add “the” before these countries: the Netherlands, the Russian Federation, the Slovak Republic, the United Kingdom and the United States. These countries always take the singular verb form.

✔ Use “euro area” when referring to the EU Member States that use the euro.

✔ Spell out country and territory names in full when used as nouns (the United States, the United Kingdom) but use abbreviations when used as adjectives (US companies, UAE delegates, UK unions).

✔ Always list countries and territories alphabetically (in English) in text unless the list provided by LEG indicates otherwise. Always check this list for any exceptions or changes; for example, the People’s Republic of China is listed under “C” (China, the People’s Republic of). If no letter is specified, the entry is under the first letter of the country or territory’s name (“R” for the Russian Federation).

✔ Countries and territories may be listed non-alphabetically if there is a specific reason for another order, such as a ranking.

The top three performing countries were Japan, Canada and New Zealand.

Don’t

✘ Use any names for countries or territories that differ from those in the list provided by LEG under any circumstances.

Visual representations of countries and territories

• Given the sensitive nature of any visual representation of a country or territory, such as a map, a flag, an emoji, an image, or a photo, use such representations only with moderation and caution.

Do

✔ Use the map model proposed by LEG https://portal.oecd.org/eshare/leg/Pages/Home.aspx. Follow the technical guidance and list of points to verify provided by LEG.

✔ If you must use a flag image, only use a flag to designate a country, never for a territory. Verify that the flag is the correct one for the country, as flags change over time.

Do not

✘ Import flag symbols into the back office of OECD.org (AEM). Only use the flag symbols provided by AEM itself.

✘ Use emojis to represent flags. See: https://com-apps.oecd.org/com-guidance-portal/en/how-to/how-to-create-consistent-content-on-oecd-social-media-platforms.

ISO country and territory codes

• ISO codes for countries and territories should generally be avoided, as the ISO country and territory names to which they relate do not align with OECD practice. In cases where the use of ISO codes is necessary, a table setting out the ISO codes and the country or territory names to which they relate (in line with LEG guidance) should be added in a reader’s guide.

• Consult LEG’s “List of names of countries and territories and related guidelines” available at https://portal.oecd.org/eshare/leg/Pages/Home.aspx.

ISO currency codes

• Currencies can be designated by terms, codes or symbols.

• To avoid confusion, use the ISO code for specific currencies and the term for generic references.

  The budget is USD 5 million but the budget is millions of dollars.

Do

✔ Use the currency code in publications, short content and web copy. Use the currency symbol if necessary due to space constraints in social media or in figures and tables.

✔ Place the code before the amount (USD 1 000), separated by a hard space; place symbol before the amount without a space ($1 000). Place the term after the amount (1 000 dollars), separated by a hard space.

✔ Define uncommon currency codes on first use in the text.

In order to finance the merger, the company raised KGS 5 million (Kyrgyz Republic soms).

✔ For uncommon currencies, indicate the equivalent in a more common currency (EUR, USD).

The bank allocated IQD 1 billion (USD 750 million) to the project.

✔ For web and social media content, currency symbols can be used, but replace with currency codes if there is a risk of confusion.

🙁 Australia contributed $100 million in aid, the United States contributed $100 million.

🙂 Australia contributed AUD 100 million in aid, the United States contributed USD 100 million.

✔ Refer to the tables below for the currency names, codes and symbols for OECD Members and the euro area.

Don’t

✘ Mix currency terms, codes and symbols. Be consistent.

🙁 Australia contributed AU$ 100 million in aid, the United States contributed 100 million US Dollars and the European Union 100 million EUR.

🙂 Australia contributed AUD 100 million in aid, the United States contributed USD 100 million, and the European Union contributed EUR 100 million.

Currencies and their ISO codes for OECD Member countries and the euro area

 

Member country	Singular	Plural	Code	Symbol
Australia	Australian dollar	Australian dollars	AUD	$
Austria	euro	euros	EUR	€
Belgium	euro	euros	EUR	€
Canada	Canadian dollar	Canadian dollars	CAD	$
Chile	Chilean peso	Chilean pesos	CLP	$
Colombia	Colombian peso	Colombian pesos	COP	$
Costa Rica	Costa Rican colon	Costa Rican colones	CRC	₡
Czechia	koruna	koruny	CZK	Kč
Denmark	Danish krone	Danish kroner	DKK	Kr.
Estonia	euro	euros	EUR	€
Finland	euro	euros	EUR	€
France	euro	euros	EUR	€
Germany	euro	euros	EUR	€
Greece	euro	euros	EUR	€
Hungary	forint	forints	HUF	Ft
Iceland	Iceland krona	Iceland kronur	ISK	Kr
Ireland	euro	euros	EUR	€
Israel	new Israeli shekel	new Israeli shekels	ILS	₪
Italy	euro	euros	EUR	€
Japan	yen	yen	JPY	¥
Korea	won	won	KRW	₩
Latvia	euro	euros	EUR	€
Lithuania	euro	euros	EUR	€
Luxembourg	euro	euros	EUR	€
Mexico	Mexican peso	Mexican pesos	MXN	$
Netherlands	euro	euros	EUR	€
New Zealand	New Zealand dollar	New Zealand dollars	NZD	$
Norway	Norwegian krone	Norwegian kroner	NOK	Kr
Poland	zloty	zlotys	PLN	Zł
Portugal	euro	euros	EUR	€
Slovak Republic	euro	euros	EUR	€
Slovenia	euro	euros	EUR	€
Spain	euro	euros	EUR	€
Sweden	Swedish krona	Swedish kronor	SEK	Kr
Switzerland	Swiss franc	Swiss francs	CHF	Fr.
Türkiye	Turkish lira	Turkish liras	TRY	₺
United Kingdom	pound sterling	pounds sterling	GBP	£
United States	US dollar	US dollars	USD	$
Euro area	euro	euros	EUR	€

Currencies and their ISO codes for Key Partners

 

Key Partner	Singular	Plural	Code	Symbol
Brazil	Brazilian real	Brazilian reals	BRL	R$
China (People’s Republic of)	Yuan renminbi	Yuan renminbi	CNY	¥
India	Indian rupee	Indian rupees	INR	₹
Indonesia	rupiah	rupiahs	IDR	Rp
South Africa	rand	rand	ZAR	R

Naming sensitivities

• Always consult LEG’s “List of names of countries and territories” (available at https://portal.oecd.org/eshare/leg/Pages/Home.aspx) for the latest guidance on references to certain countries and territories (e.g. Chinese Taipei, Cyprus, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran), in texts, lists, figures, tables and maps.

• If in doubt, or if asked to apply different naming, contact LEG at [e-mail] and the Global Relations and Co-operation Directorate at [e-mail], for clarification.

Territorial disclaimers and footnotes

• All OECD content containing statistical data on Israel that has been provided by the Israeli authorities, mentioning Kosovo or referring to the Republic of Cyprus must include specific territorial disclaimers or footnotes, available at:

  https://portal.oecd.org/eshare/leg/Pages/Home.aspx.

Geographic and economic groupings

• Geographic and economic grouping terms, abbreviations and acronyms are regularly used in OECD work, facilitating reading by shortening the text.

• Brevity should not come at the expense of clarity. Use geographic groupings sparingly.

Do

✔ Spell out on first use, followed by the acronym or abbreviation in parentheses, then use the acronym subsequently. Note that in alphabetical listings, the grouping should be classed based on the first letter of its full name.

✔ Refer to the table below for correct acronyms, abbreviations and names.

Abbreviation or acronyms and full names for geographic and economic groupings

 

Abbreviation or acronym	Full name
APEC	Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
ASEAN	Association of Southeast Asian Nations
BRIC	Brazil, Russian Federation, India, China
BRICS	Brazil, Russian Federation, India, China, South Africa
BRIICS	Brazil, Russian Federation, India, Indonesia, China, South Africa
CEEC	Central and Eastern European Countries
CIS	Commonwealth of Independent States
EA17	Euro area countries that are also OECD Members
ECOWAS	Economic Community of West African States
EECCA	Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia
EU	European Union
EU22	OECD European Union countries
FSU	Former Soviet Union
G7, G8, G20	Group of Seven, Group of Eight, Group of Twenty
G77	The Group of 77
LAC	Latin America and the Caribbean
MENA	Middle East and North Africa
MERCOSUR	Southern Common Market
NAFTA	North American Free Trade Agreement
OACPS	Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
OECD, OECD area	Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, area encompassing OECD Member countries
OPEC	Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
SEA	Southeast Asia
SEE	Southeast Europe

Key differences between English and French

 

English	French
“a” vs. “e” endings
Australia, Colombia, Estonia	Australie, Colombie, Estonie
No hyphenation vs. hyphenation of two-word names
New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States	Nouvelle-Zélande, Royaume-Uni, États-Unis
Other minor differences in OECD Member names
Denmark, Israel, Japan, Korea	Danemark, Israël, Japon, Corée
Minor differences in non-Member names
Bahrain, Bhutan, Kyrgyzstan, Palau, etc.	Bahreïn, Bhoutan, Kirghizistan, Palaos, etc.
ISO currency code placement
The ISO currency code appears before the number (EUR 150, USD 235, CZK 1 700, etc.)	The ISO code appears after the number (150 EUR, 235 USD, 1 700 CZK, etc.)