How many zeros are there in a billion?

There are two different scales to describe the number of zeros in a billion; the long scale has 12 zeros and the short scale has nine zeros. The long scale is common in Europe and South America, while the short scale is typically used in America, Arabic-speaking countries, and Russia.

The long scale definition describes that one billion is a million times larger than one million and that a billion means a million million. The short scale definition describes that the number one billion is a thousand times larger than one million and that a billion means a thousand million.