Rich PillockHow much is a billion? A million against a billion
A billion is a thousand million, 1,000,000,000: a million seconds is 11.6 days, and a billion seconds is 31.7 years. In Britain the word once meant a million million, until the Prime Minister told Parliament on 20 December 1974 that ministers would use it to mean 1,000 million.
Tool: How Long Would It Take to Spend a Billion?
How many millions are in a billion?
1,000. A billion is a thousand million, and a trillion is a thousand billion. The words sound like neighbours. They have never met.
| In figures | Counted in seconds | Spent at 1,000 a day, it lasts | In lost fortunes of £14 million | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A million | 1,000,000 | 11.6 days | 2.7 years | 0.07 |
| A billion | 1,000,000,000 | 31.7 years | 2,738 years | 71.4 |
| A trillion | 1,000,000,000,000 | 31,688 years | 2,737,851 years | 71,429 |
Source: arithmetic, shown on the page. Period: not dated: it is counting. A year is taken as 365.25 days, the figure the spending calculator on this site uses.
How long is a billion seconds?
A million seconds is 11.6 days. A billion seconds is 31.7 years. A trillion seconds is 31,688 years.
That is the whole trick of the word. A million seconds ago was the week before last. A billion seconds ago I was eighteen, and already sure of myself.
The counting sum
Was a British billion different?
Yes. In Britain a billion used to mean a million million, the number now called a trillion. On 20 December 1974 an MP, Mr. Maxwell-Hyslop, asked the Prime Minister to keep to the “British meaning of 1 million million”. The written answer began: “No. The word “billion” is now used internationally to mean 1,000 million and it would be confusing if British Ministers were to use it in any other sense.”
So since 1974 a British billion and an American billion have been the same: 1,000 million. Anything older and British that says “billion” may mean a thousand times more. Some old books are a thousand times richer than they sound. I have the opposite problem.
How long would a billion last?
Spent at 1,000 a day, in any money, a million is gone in 2.7 years. A billion lasts 2,738 years. A trillion lasts 2,737,851 years.
A billion is 71.4 of my fourteen millions. I find that a comfort. It would take seventy-one of me to lose one.
How big is a billion next to a country?
For scale, here is what whole economies turn over in a year, in US dollars, and how many billions that is.
| Economy | Year | Size (GDP) | How many billions |
|---|---|---|---|
| The world | 2025 | $118 trillion | 118,350 |
| United States | 2025 | $30.8 trillion | 30,770 |
| China | 2025 | $19.5 trillion | 19,498 |
| Germany | 2025 | $5.05 trillion | 5,051 |
| Japan | 2025 | $4.44 trillion | 4,435 |
| United Kingdom | 2025 | $4 trillion | 4,003 |
On that scale a million barely shows. I have asked for a bigger chart. The world economy is 118,350 billions a year.
Source: World Bank, GDP in current US dollars (NY.GDP.MKTP.CD), CC BY 4.0. Period: latest year for each country, 2025 for the world. Last updated: .
The tool that goes with this
ToolHow Long Would It Take to Spend a Billion?Pick an amount and a rate of spending. See how long it lasts.Questions people ask
How many zeros are in a billion?
9. It is written 1,000,000,000.
How many millions are in a billion?
1,000.
How long is a billion seconds?
About 31.7 years. A million seconds is about 11.6 days.
Is a UK billion different from a US billion?
Not any more. Both mean 1,000 million, and British ministers have used that meaning since 1974.
How much is a trillion?
A thousand billion: 1,000,000,000,000.
Sources
- Hansard: “Billion” (Definition), HC Deb 20 December 1974 vol 883 cc711-2W: the written answer in which the government adopted the thousand-million billion
- World Bank: GDP, current US dollars (NY.GDP.MKTP.CD): the size of each economy