Which units mg/dL or mmol/L is used in which country?

Country (A-H)	Unit of Measure	Country (J-Z)	Unit of Measure
Algeria	mg/dL	Jamaica	mg/dL
Angola	md/dL	Japan	mg/dL
Aruba	mg/dL	Jordan	mg/dL
Argentina	mg/dL	Kazakhstan	mmol/L
Australia	mmol/L	Kenya	mmol/L
Austria	mg/dL	Korea	mg/dL
Bahrain	mg/dL	Kosova	mmol/L
Barbados	mg/dL	Kuwait	mg/dL
Bangladesh	mmol/L	Latvia	mmol/L
Belarus	mmol/L	Lebanon	mg/dL
Belgium	mg/dL	Libya	mg/dL
Bolivia	mg/dL	Lithuania	mmol/L
Bosnia & Herzegovina	mmol/L	Luxembourg	mg/dL, mmol/L
Botswana	mmol/L	Macedonia	mg/dL
Brazil	mg/dL	Malaysia	mmol/L
Bulgaria	mmol/L	Malta	mmol/L
Cambodia	mg/dL	Mauritius	mmol/L
Cameroon	mg/dL	Mexico	mg/dL
Canada	mmol/L	Montenegro	mmol/L
Caribbean	mg/dL, mmol/L	Morocco	mg/dL
Cayman	mg/dL	Netherlands	mmol/L
Chile	mg/dL	New Zealand	mmol/L
China	mmol/L	Nigeria	mg/dL
Columbia	mg/dL	Norway	mmol/L
Congo	mg/dL	Oman	mg/dL
Costa Rica	mg/dL	Pakistan	mg/dL
Curacao	mg/dL	Paraguay	mg/dL
Croatia	mmol/L	Peru	mg/dL
Cyprus	mg/dL	Philippines	mg/dL
Czech Republic	mmol/L	Poland	mg/dL
Denmark	mmol/L	Portugal	mg/dL
Dominican Rep.	mg/dL	Puerto Rico	mg/dL
Ecuador	mg/dL	Qatar	mg/dL
Egypt	mg/dL	Romania	mmol/L, mg/dL
El Salvador	mg/dL	Russia	mmol/L
Estonia	mmol/L	Saudi Arabia	mg/dL
Ethiopia	mg/dL	Serbia	mmol/L
Finland	mmol/L	Singapore	mmol/L
France	mg/dL	Slovakia	mmol/L
Georgia	mg/dL	Slovenia	mmol/L
Germany	mg/dL, mmol/L	South Africa	mmol/L
Greece	mg/dL	Spain	mg/dL
Guatemala	mg/dL	Sub-Saharan Africa	mg/dL, mmol/L
Guinea	mg/dL	Sudan	mg/dL
Honduras	mg/dL	Sweden	mmol/L
Hong Kong	mmol/L	Switzerland	mmol/L
Hungary	mmol/L	Syria	mg/dL
Iceland	mmol/L	Taiwan	mg/dL
India	mg/dL	Thailand	mg/dL
Indonesia	mg/dL	Tunisia	mg/dL
Iran	mg/dL	Turkey	mg/dL
Iraq	mg/dL	Trinidad & Tobago	mg/dL
Ireland	mmol/L	Ukraine	mmol/L
Israel	mg/dL	UAE	mg/dL
Italy	mg/dL	United Kingdom	mmol/L
Ivory Coast	mg/dL	USA	mg/dL
Jamaica	mg/dL	Uruguay	mg/dL
Japan	mg/dL	Venezuela	mg/dL
Jordan	mg/dL	Vietnam	mmol/L
Kazakhstan	mmol/L	Yemen	mg/dL
Korea	mg/dL	Zambia	mmol/L
Kuwait	mg/dL
Lebanon	mg/dL

Why are two different units used to measure glucose in blood?

The difference in glucose measurement units—mg/dL versus mmol/L—is rooted in regional medical practices and measurement systems. Here's an explanation of the two, and considerations for which is easier to understand:

1. Why the Difference in Units? (both are metric)

mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter):
- Used in countries like the United States, Japan, and some parts of Latin America.
- It measures the mass (weight) of glucose (in milligrams) in a specific volume of blood (one deciliter).
- This aligns with the imperial system of measurement historically used in the U.S.
mmol/L (millimoles per liter):
- Used in most other countries, including Europe, Canada, Australia, and parts of Asia.
- It measures the concentration of glucose based on the number of molecules (millimoles) in a liter of blood.
- This is based on the metric system and the SI (International System of Units).

2. Which is Easier to Understand?

For Patients:
- mmol/L is difficult to understand for many patients as don't know what a millimole is, even though they do understand what a litre is. The number is smaller and uses a decimal point eg 3.8-5.5 mmol/L for fasting glucose.
- In mg/dL, values are much larger (e.g., 70-100 mg/dL for fasting glucose), with no decimal point. This means a small change in glucose is represented by a large change in the number, which can cause more concern for a patient than necessary. Although patients can guess what a milligram is if they don't know, it is harder to understand a what a deciliter (dL) is.

This has led to some meters having a simple low, medium and high colour symbol next to the result, which ironically harks back to the days of colour change test strips that came before meters (eg BETACHEK Visual, still available today).

For Medical Professionals:
- Medical professionals typically adapt to either system, but mmol/L is often preferred in scientific contexts due to its consistency with the SI system. It is important to use the units for your country so that your medical team can understand your results.

Conversion Between the Units mg/dL and mmol/L

The two units are mathematically related:

1 mmol/L = 18 mg/dL
For example, a glucose level of 5 mmol/L is equivalent to 90 mg/dL.

Global Trends

Many countries are moving toward adopting mmol/L to align with international standards, but the U.S. remains firmly rooted in mg/dL due to historical inertia in medical systems.

Units are Factory Set

If your blood glucose meter displays results in the wrong units you need to return the meter if possible as the units can not be changed.

And then there is the spelling; Litre or Liter...this article uses both until a clear winner is decided.