Six independent countries call their currency the pound
Six sovereign states have an official currency whose English name is the pound. The English name is what counts, so a pound known at home by an Arabic name is on the list. Only independent countries count. Several Crown dependencies and overseas territories issue or use pounds of their own, and they are left out because they are not sovereign states. The six pounds are separate currencies. One was created in July 2011, when its country became independent. Another began a swap for new notes with two zeros removed in January 2026; it kept its name, so it stays on the list.
Name them all first, then the four older pounds and the two that date from 2007 and 2011.
A currency called the pound need not follow sterling
Each of the six is its own currency, issued by its own central bank. One has lost much of its value since a financial crisis in 2019, and one was created in 2011 and replaced another pound on this list at par. Sharing a name says nothing about sharing a value.
Check yourself
Can you name every country that uses a pound as its currency?
The United Kingdom, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Sudan and South Sudan. Egypt's pound dates from 1834, Sudan's was reintroduced in 2007, and South Sudan's came with independence in 2011. Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands and other British territories issue or use pounds but are not sovereign states, so they are left out.
Check yourself
Can you name the four countries, one in Europe and three in the Middle East and North Africa, whose currency is a pound?
Sterling floats freely. The Egyptian pound dates from 1834. Lebanon's pound has stayed official through the crisis that began in 2019, and Syria's stayed official when two zeros were removed from it in 2026.
Check yourself
Can you name the two African countries whose pounds date from 2007 and 2011?
Sudan reintroduced its pound in 2007, replacing the dinar. South Sudan created its own pound at independence in July 2011.