Kilometres vs Miles — Which Countries Use Which?
The kilometre is the standard unit of distance in most of the world, part of the International System of Units (SI). However, a small number of countries still officially use miles as their primary road distance measurement, notably the United States and Myanmar. The vast majority of European countries use kilometres for road signs and speed limits.
The difference matters when travelling internationally, reading maps from different countries, or interpreting speed limits. For example, a 100 km/h motorway speed limit (common across Europe) is equivalent to approximately 62.1 mph.
Common reference points: a 5 km parkrun is about 3.1 miles; a marathon is 42.195 km or 26.219 miles.
Formula
To convert kilometres to miles, multiply by the exact conversion factor: miles = km × 0.621371. This factor is derived from the international definition of the mile as exactly 1,609.344 metres.
Related Calculators
- Miles to Kilometres — Convert miles to km. Handy for booking European hire cars and ferry crossings.
- KPH to MPH Converter — Convert kilometres per hour to miles per hour for UK driving.
- MPH to KPH Converter — Convert miles per hour to kilometres per hour for European driving.