How Currencies Have Come and Gone: 1850-2026

Around the world, 568 currencies have been issued since 1850, but 405 of them have been discontinued. Iñaki Aldasoro, Jon Frost, Rudraksh Kansal and Catherine Schenk tell the story in “Gaining (and losing) currency: a global database of currencies, 1850-2026” (Bank for International Settlements Working Paper 1392, November 2026). Here’s the total number of currencies existing at a given time since 1850. Much of the rise in total currencies over time is from nations of Africa and Asia. Around 1990, you can see a jump in number of currencies with the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In the early 2000s, you can see a fall in the number of currencies with the rise of the euro, along with some nations deciding to use the US dollar as their currency. The authors write: The median lifespan of a currency is 33 years, though there is substantial variation: from several currencies that lasted less than a year, to others that have circulated for several centuries. The most…

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