Crore — Definition, Formula & Examples

A crore is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to 10,000,000 (ten million). It is written as 1,00,00,000 using the Indian comma-placement convention.

In the South Asian numbering system, one crore denotes the quantity $10^7 = 10{,}000{,}000$ . It equals 100 lakhs, where one lakh is $10^5$ . The Indian grouping convention places commas after the first three digits from the right and then every two digits thereafter, so one crore is written 1,00,00,000.

Key Formula

1 \text{ crore} = 10^7 = 100 \text{ lakhs} = 10 \text{ million}

Where:

How It Works

The Indian numbering system groups digits differently from the Western system. Starting from the right, the first group has three digits (hundreds), and every subsequent group has two digits. So while the Western system reads 10,000,000 as "ten million," the Indian system reads 1,00,00,000 as "one crore." To convert crores to millions, multiply by 10. To convert millions to crores, divide by 10.

Worked Example

Problem: A city has a population of 3.5 crores. Express this in millions and in standard Western notation.

Step 1: Convert crores to the numerical value by multiplying by 10,000,000.

3.5 \times 10{,}000{,}000 = 35{,}000{,}000

Step 2: Convert to millions by dividing the result by 1,000,000, or simply multiply the crore value by 10.

3.5 \times 10 = 35 \text{ million}

Answer: 3.5 crores = 35,000,000 = 35 million.

Why It Matters

Crore appears throughout Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Nepali textbooks, financial reports, and news. If you encounter data from South Asian sources—population figures, government budgets, or cricket statistics—understanding crores lets you quickly interpret and compare those numbers with Western notation.

Common Mistakes

Mistake: Confusing crore with million and treating 1 crore as 1 million.

Correction: One crore is 10 million, not 1 million. Remember the relationship: 1 crore = 10 million, or equivalently, 1 million = 0.1 crore.