Money & Economics · free reference

Part 2: World currencies and exchange rates

World currencies, Exchange rates, Banking around the world and World money organizations. Every fact lists its source, and you can share a link to any topic.

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World currencies

#world-currenciesLevels:3–56–8TeensLast checked Oct 27, 2026

In short: Countries have their own money: Mexico uses the peso, Japan uses the yen, and 21 countries of the European Union share the euro.[1][2]

Facts

  • The euro is the money of 21 of the 27 countries in the European Union.[2]3–5
  • In the Americas, Mexico uses the peso, Brazil uses the real and Canada uses its own dollar.[1]3–5
  • In Asia, China uses the yuan, Japan the yen, India the rupee and South Korea the won.[1]3–5
  • About 358 million people pay with euro cash.[2]6–8
  • The euro was launched on January 1, 1999, but euro bills and coins did not arrive until January 1, 2002.[2]6–8
Go deeper: for teens and grown-ups (2)
  • The IMF’s Special Drawing Right (SDR) is not a currency. Its value is based on a basket of five currencies: the U.S. dollar, the euro, the Chinese renminbi, the Japanese yen and the British pound.[3]Teens
  • The IMF created the SDR in 1969 as an extra reserve asset for its member countries.[3]Teens

Key words in three languages

EnglishSpanishPortuguese
currency[4]moneda[5]moeda[6]
euro[2]euro[5]euro[6]

Each word cites a page that uses it.

Practice this

Members-only lessons are marked. The practice pages by grade and The Business You Build check are free.

Sources (6)
  1. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System · Foreign Exchange Rates (H.10), weekly release · federalreserve.gov/releases/h10/current (page updated Oct 19, 2026; checked Oct 27, 2026)
  2. European Central Bank · Our money · ecb.europa.eu/euro/intro/html/index.en.html (checked Oct 27, 2026)
  3. International Monetary Fund · Special Drawing Rights (SDR) factsheet · imf.org/en/About/Factsheets/Sheets/2023/special-drawing-rights-sdr (checked Oct 27, 2026)
  4. Federal Reserve Education (Federal Reserve System) · What Is Money? · federalreserveeducation.org/teaching-resources/economics/money/what-is-money (checked Oct 27, 2026)
  5. Banco Central Europeo · Nuestro dinero · ecb.europa.eu/euro/intro/html/index.es.html (checked Oct 27, 2026)
  6. Banco Central Europeu · O nosso dinheiro · ecb.europa.eu/euro/intro/html/index.pt.html (checked Oct 27, 2026)

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Exchange rates

#exchange-ratesLevels:6–8TeensLast checked Oct 27, 2026

In short: An exchange rate is the price of one country’s money in another country’s money. On October 16, 2026, one U.S. dollar was worth about 18.50 Mexican pesos.[1][2]

Facts

  • An exchange rate is the price of one country’s money in another country’s money.[1]6–8
  • The Federal Reserve lists most exchange rates as how many units of another currency one U.S. dollar buys.[2]6–8
  • On October 16, 2026, one U.S. dollar was worth about 18.50 Mexican pesos.[2]6–8
  • On the same day, one U.S. dollar was worth about 158 Japanese yen.[2]6–8
Go deeper: for teens and grown-ups (2)
  • When a currency becomes worth more against another currency, it “appreciates.” When it becomes worth less, it “depreciates.”[1]Teens
  • The euro and the British pound are listed the other way around. On October 16, 2026, one euro was worth about $1.12 and one pound about $1.33.[2]Teens

Key words in three languages

EnglishSpanishPortuguese
exchange rate[1]tipo de cambio[3]taxa de câmbio[4]
currency[5]moneda[6]moeda[7]

Each word cites a page that uses it.

Practice this

Members-only lessons are marked. The practice pages by grade and The Business You Build check are free.

Sources (7)
  1. Banco de España · What are exchange rates? · bde.es/wbe/en/areas-actuacion/politica-monetaria/preguntas-frecuentes/tipos-cambio/que-son-los-tipos-de-cambio.html (checked Oct 27, 2026)
  2. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System · Foreign Exchange Rates (H.10), weekly release · federalreserve.gov/releases/h10/current (page updated Oct 19, 2026; checked Oct 27, 2026)
  3. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau · Glossary of English-Spanish financial terms (Spanish style guide and glossary) · files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_adult-fin-ed_spanish-style-guide-glossary.pdf (checked Oct 27, 2026)
  4. Wikipédia em português · Taxa de câmbio · pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxa_de_c%C3%A2mbio (checked Oct 27, 2026)
  5. Federal Reserve Education (Federal Reserve System) · What Is Money? · federalreserveeducation.org/teaching-resources/economics/money/what-is-money (checked Oct 27, 2026)
  6. Banco Central Europeo · Nuestro dinero · ecb.europa.eu/euro/intro/html/index.es.html (checked Oct 27, 2026)
  7. Banco Central Europeu · O nosso dinheiro · ecb.europa.eu/euro/intro/html/index.pt.html (checked Oct 27, 2026)

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Banking around the world

#banking-around-the-worldLevels:6–8TeensLast checked Oct 27, 2026

In short: Most adults around the world now have an account at a bank or another financial service, but about 1.3 billion adults still do not.[1][2]

Facts

  • Around the world, 79 percent of adults now have an account at a bank or another financial service.[1]6–8
  • About 1.3 billion adults still have no access to financial services.[2]6–8
Go deeper: for teens and grown-ups (3)
  • In developing economies, 40 percent of adults saved money in a financial account in 2024.[1]Teens
  • Worldwide, 86 percent of adults owned a mobile phone, and 68 percent had a smartphone.[2]Teens
  • In Sub-Saharan Africa, account ownership grew to 58 percent of adults.[2]Teens

Key words in three languages

EnglishSpanishPortuguese
account[1]cuenta[3]not sourced yet
bank[4]banco[3]banco[5]

Each word cites a page that uses it.

Practice this

Each word cites a page that uses it.

Sources (5)
  1. World Bank · The Global Findex Database 2025 · worldbank.org/en/publication/globalfindex (checked Oct 27, 2026)
  2. World Bank · Press release: Mobile Phone Technology Powers Saving Surge in Developing Economies · worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2025/07/16/mobile-phone-technology-powers-saving-surge-in-developing-economies (page updated Jul 16, 2025; checked Oct 27, 2026)
  3. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau · Glossary of English-Spanish financial terms (Spanish style guide and glossary) · files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_adult-fin-ed_spanish-style-guide-glossary.pdf (checked Oct 27, 2026)
  4. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Money Smart News for Kids · What Is a Bank? · fdic.gov/resources/consumers/money-smart/money-smart-news/kids/documents/ch1.pdf (checked Oct 27, 2026)
  5. Wikipédia em português · Banco · pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banco (checked Oct 27, 2026)

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World money organizations

#world-money-organizationsLevels:6–8TeensGrown-upsLast checked Oct 27, 2026

In short: Countries work together through groups like the International Monetary Fund, which has 191 member countries, and the World Bank Group, which works for a world free of poverty.[1][2]

Facts

  • The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has 191 member countries.[1]6–8
  • The World Bank Group says its goal is a world free of poverty on a livable planet.[2]6–8
Go deeper: for teens and grown-ups (5)
  • The IMF was planned in July 1944 at the United Nations Bretton Woods Conference.[3]Teens
  • It was set up in the aftermath of the Great Depression of the 1930s.[1]Teens
  • The IMF lends money to member countries and keeps watch on economies so it can give countries advice.[1]Teens
  • The World Bank’s main lending arm, the IBRD, has 189 member countries.[4]Teens
  • The Bank for International Settlements acts as a bank for central banks. It was set up in 1930, has been based in Basel ever since, and is owned by 63 central banks.[5]Grown-ups

Key words in three languages

EnglishSpanishPortuguese
central bank[5]banco central[6]banco central[7]

Each word cites a page that uses it.

Practice this

Each word cites a page that uses it.

Sources (7)
  1. International Monetary Fund · About the IMF · imf.org/en/About (checked Oct 27, 2026)
  2. World Bank · Who We Are · worldbank.org/en/who-we-are (checked Oct 27, 2026)
  3. International Monetary Fund · IMF at a Glance · imf.org/en/About/Factsheets/IMF-at-a-Glance (checked Oct 27, 2026)
  4. World Bank · Member Countries · worldbank.org/en/about/leadership/members (checked Oct 27, 2026)
  5. Bank for International Settlements · About BIS · bis.org/about/index.htm (checked Oct 27, 2026)
  6. Banco Central Europeo · Nuestro dinero · ecb.europa.eu/euro/intro/html/index.es.html (checked Oct 27, 2026)
  7. Wikipédia em português · Banco central · pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banco_central (checked Oct 27, 2026)

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Questions parents ask

What is an exchange rate, explained for kids?

An exchange rate is the price of one country’s money in another country’s money.[1] On October 16, 2026, one U.S. dollar was worth about 18.50 Mexican pesos.[2] When a currency becomes worth more against another currency, it “appreciates.” When it becomes worth less, it “depreciates.”[1]

Read more: Exchange rates

How many countries use the euro?

The euro is the money of 21 of the 27 countries in the European Union.[3] About 358 million people pay with euro cash.[3] The euro was launched on January 1, 1999, but euro bills and coins did not arrive until January 1, 2002.[3]

Read more: World currencies

Sources for these answers (3)
  1. Banco de España · What are exchange rates? · bde.es/wbe/en/areas-actuacion/politica-monetaria/preguntas-frecuentes/tipos-cambio/que-son-los-tipos-de-cambio.html (checked Oct 27, 2026)
  2. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System · Foreign Exchange Rates (H.10), weekly release · federalreserve.gov/releases/h10/current (page updated Oct 19, 2026; checked Oct 27, 2026)
  3. European Central Bank · Our money · ecb.europa.eu/euro/intro/html/index.en.html (checked Oct 27, 2026)