Australian vs. American "Billion" and "Trillion": No Difference Anymore

There is no difference. Both Australia and the United States (and all English-speaking countries) now use the short scale:

• Million = 10⁶ (1,000,000)
• Billion = 10⁹ (1,000,000,000) — 1 thousand million
• Trillion = 10¹² (1,000,000,000,000) — 1 million million

Historical Note

Until the 1970s, the UK and Commonwealth (including Australia) used the long scale:

• Billion = 10¹² (million million)
• Trillion = 10¹⁸ (million billion)

UK officially switched to short scale in 1974 (Treasury / PM Harold Wilson). Australia followed suit in government, finance, and media shortly after. By the 1990s, short scale was universal in English.

Where Long Scale Persists

Many non-English European languages still use long scale:

• French: milliard (10⁹), billion (10¹²)
• German: Milliarde (10⁹), Billion (10¹²)
• Spanish: millardo (10⁹), billón (10¹²)
• Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, etc.

Bottom line: In any modern Australian or American context — finance, news, science, government — "billion" = 1,000,000,000 and "trillion" = 1,000,000,000,000. No conversion needed.