Put commas in the right places — Indian lakh/crore style or international — and get the rupee, short-form and words versions too.
How Indian number grouping works
The international system groups digits in threes: 1,234,567. The Indian system groups the first three, then every two: 12,34,567 (twelve lakh thirty-four thousand five hundred sixty-seven).
| Number | Indian | International | Read as |
|---|
| 100000 | 1,00,000 | 100,000 | 1 lakh |
| 1500000 | 15,00,000 | 1,500,000 | 15 lakh |
| 10000000 | 1,00,00,000 | 10,000,000 | 1 crore |
| 123456789 | 12,34,56,789 | 123,456,789 | 12.35 crore |
In Excel
Use the custom format [>=10000000]##\,##\,##\,##0;[>=100000]##\,##\,##0;##,##0 or set the locale to English (India).
How to use the Indian number formatter
- Type or paste a number — with or without commas, decimals or a ₹ sign.
- Read it in Indian format (12,34,56,789), international format (123,456,789), and in lakh/crore and million/billion units.
- Copy the version you need for a cheque, invoice, report or presentation.
- Paste an international-format number to convert it to Indian grouping, or vice versa.
Step-by-step: formatting 123456789
- Put the first comma after the last three digits: 123456,789.
- Then a comma after every two digits moving left: 12,34,56,789.
- Read the groups from the left: 12 crore, 34 lakh, 56 thousand, 789.
- International style groups in threes throughout: 123,456,789 = 123 million, 456 thousand, 789.
Lakh–crore to million–billion
| Indian | Digits | International |
|---|
| 1 lakh | 1,00,000 | 100 thousand (0.1 million) |
| 10 lakh | 10,00,000 | 1 million |
| 1 crore | 1,00,00,000 | 10 million |
| 100 crore | 1,00,00,00,000 | 1 billion |
| 1 lakh crore | 1,00,00,00,00,00,000 | 1 trillion |
Rule of thumb: divide crore by 10 to get million; multiply billion by 100 to get crore. ₹2,500 crore is ₹25 billion — to express it in dollars, divide by the exchange rate (see the USD to INR Converter page).
Worked examples
| Situation | Working | Answer |
|---|
| Company turnover ₹4,56,78,90,000 | 456 crore 78 lakh 90 thousand | ₹4,567.89 million / ₹4.57 billion |
| Population 1,42,86,27,663 | 142 crore 86 lakh | 1.43 billion |
| Budget outlay $3.2 billion at ₹84 | 3.2 × 84 = 268.8 billion rupees | ₹26,880 crore |
Tips and common mistakes
- In Excel use the custom format
[>=10000000]##\,##\,##\,##0;[>=100000]##\,##\,##0;##,##0, or set the system locale to English (India) and use the Comma Style button. - Google Sheets: File → Settings → Locale → India, then Format → Number → Custom.
- Write amounts in words with the Number to Words (Rupees) tool; convert between lakh, crore, million and billion with the lakh to million converter.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write 10 lakh in numbers?
10,00,000 in Indian style or 1,000,000 internationally.
How are commas placed in the Indian system?
After the first three digits from the right, then after every two digits: 1,23,45,678.
What is 1 crore in international format?
10,000,000 (ten million).