Lakh and crore in the Indian numbering system
In India, large numbers are grouped differently: after the first three digits, commas come every two digits. 1 lakh = 1,00,000 (one hundred thousand) and 1 crore = 1,00,00,000 (ten million) = 100 lakh. News, salaries, property prices and budgets are usually stated in lakh and crore.
Quick conversions
10 lakh = 1 million. 1 crore = 10 million. 100 crore = 1 billion (sometimes called 1 arab). 1 lakh crore = 1 trillion. To convert crore to million, multiply by 10; to convert million to lakh, multiply by 10; to convert billion to crore, multiply by 100.
Worked example
A salary of ₹18 lakh a year is ₹18,00,000, or 1.8 million rupees. A company valued at ₹2,500 crore is worth 25 billion rupees (₹25,000,000,000), written ₹25,00,00,00,000 in Indian format.