Polymer Banknotes Around the World
Many countries are transitioning from paper to polymer banknotes to curb counterfeiting, reduce production costs, and extend the lifespan of the banknotes. Some countries have also introduced hybrid polymer banknotes for similar reasons.
This infographic illustrates the initial introduction of polymer banknotes in each country, noting any commemorative or celebratory events they marked. Presently, nearly 60 countries worldwide have issued polymer banknotes at least once. Australia notably introduced the world's first true polymer banknote with its ten-dollar note, celebrating the country's bicentennial. Additionally, 25 countries first introduced polymer banknotes for celebratory or commemorative purposes.
Dataset
Country | Year of first introduction | Notes/Details | Celebratory/commemorative | Event type |
---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | 1988 | Australia introduced the ten-dollar note to commemorate its bicentennial, marking the world's first true polymer banknote. | YES | Historical Milestones and Anniversaries |
Singapore | 1990 | Singapore issued a S$50 polymer banknote to commemorate the 25th anniversary of its independence. | YES | Independence and National Sovereignty |
Papua New Guinea | 1991 | Papua New Guinea issued its first 2 Kina polymer banknote to commemorate the 9th South Pacific Games held in the country. | YES | Sports Events |
Indonesia | 1993 | In 1993, a polymer Rp50,000 rupiah (approximately US$22) note was issued to celebrate 25 Years of Development. This special issue featured a hologram and the phrase Penerbitan Khusus (Special Issue). | YES | Historical Milestones and Anniversaries |
Kuwait | 1993 | In both 1993 and 2001, the Central Bank of Kuwait issued commemorative KD 1 polymer banknotes to celebrate its liberation from Iraq. | YES | Independence and National Sovereignty |
Brunei | 1996 | Brunei introduced its first polymer banknotes in denominations of 1, 5, and 10 dollars. | NO | N/A |
Thailand | 1997 | Thailand issued its first polymer banknote in a 50 Baht denomination. On 1 October 2004, it was replaced by a redesigned version printed on paper. | NO | N/A |
Malaysia | 1998 | Malaysia issued a RM 50 commemorative banknote in conjunction with the XVI Commonwealth Games, marking the first polymer banknote ever issued by Bank Negara Malaysia. | YES | Sports Events |
Sri Lanka | 1998 | Sri Lanka issued a SL Rs. 200 commemorative banknote in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of independence, which is, so far, the only polymer banknote issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. | YES | Independence and National Sovereignty |
New Zealand | 1999 | New Zealand converted all of its banknotes to polymer. | NO | N/A |
Romania | 1999 | To celebrate the total solar eclipse of August 11, 1999, the National Bank of Romania (BNR) issued a commemorative two thousand Romanian lei banknote. This event marked the last eclipse of the millennium. | YES | Scientific and Astronomical Events |
Taiwan | 1999 | Taiwan issued its first polymer banknote, a NT$50 note, to commemorate 50 years since the issuance of the New Taiwan dollar. | YES | Institutional Anniversaries and Economic Milestones |
Brazil | 2000 | Brazil introduced a R$10 polymer banknote as a special edition to commemorate the country's 500th anniversary. | YES | Historical Milestones and Anniversaries |
China | 2000 | In 2000, an orange polymer note with a face value of 100 was issued to commemorate the new millennium. The obverse features a dragon, while the reverse showcases the China Millennium Monument at the Center for Cultural and Scientific Fairs. | YES | Scientific and Astronomical Events |
United Kingdom | 1999 | In the United Kingdom, the first polymer banknotes were issued by the Northern Bank in Northern Ireland. Two million special edition notes were produced to mark the millennium, featuring an illustration of the Space Shuttle on one side. | YES | Scientific and Astronomical Events |
Bangladesh | 2000 | In 2000, the government issued polymer ?10 notes as an experiment, similar to the Australian dollar. However, these notes proved unpopular and were later withdrawn. | NO | N/A |
Mexico | 2002 | Mexico switched the 20 peso denomination from paper to polymer banknotes. In 2020, they also issued a 100 peso polymer banknote with a vertical design. | NO | N/A |
Nepal | 2002 | The Kingdom of Nepal introduced a commemorative 10 rupees polymer banknote on the occasion of King Gyanendra's accession to the Nepalese throne after the Nepalese royal massacre. This note was rendered obsolete when the Kingdom fell and was replaced by 2008. | YES | Historical Milestones and Anniversaries |
Vietnam | 2003 | Vietnam adopted polymer banknotes for general circulation in the denominations of 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, 100,000, 200,000, and 500,000 ??ng. | NO | N/A |
Guatemala | 2007 | Guatemala introduced polymer banknotes in the denominations of 1 quetzal and 5 quetzales. | NO | N/A |
Hong Kong | 2007 | The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region issued polymer banknotes for the first time, in the denomination of HK$10. | NO | N/A |
Nigeria | 2007 | As part of the Nigerian economic reforms, the 20 naira note was issued for the first time on polymer substrate. | NO | N/A |
Israel | 2008 | Israel started to issue 20 ILS polymer banknotes due to the high deterioration rate of the 20 ILS paper banknotes. | NO | N/A |
Samoa | 2008 | The Samoan $5 Tala is Samoa's first polymer banknote. The front features the nation's iconic sandy beaches, while the reverse side depicts the Vailima residence of Robert Louis Stevenson, the famed Scottish author known locally as Tusitala, or Teller of Tales. | NO | N/A |
Nicaragua | 2008 | An announcement from the Central Bank of Nicaragua in 2008 stated that a new 200 C rdoba banknote would be put into circulation. | NO | N/A |
Chile | 2009 | The Central Bank of Chile introduced a new series of the Chilean peso, beginning with the redesigned 5000 Pesos banknote. | NO | N/A |
Dominican Republic | 2010 | The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic announced the introduction of a new polymer-based 20 pesos note. | NO | N/A |
Honduras | 2010 | In January 2010, a new 20-lempira note made from polymer was introduced to the market, with 60 million notes issued. | NO | N/A |
Canada | 2011 | The Bank of Canada introduced the Frontier Series $100 polymer banknote to modernize its currency and reduce counterfeiting. $50 banknotes were put into circulation in March 2012, the $20 note on November 7, 2012, and the $10 and $5 denominations on November 7, 2013. | NO | N/A |
Mozambique | 2011 | On October 1, 2011, Banco de Mo ambique issued a new family of banknotes that are similar to the 2006 series but with enhanced security features. The three smaller denominations are now printed on polymer, while the higher denominations remain printed on paper. | NO | N/A |
Lebanon | 2013 | The Banque du Liban issued a L50,000 polymer banknote to commemorate the country's 70th anniversary of independence. | YES | Independence and National Sovereignty |
Mauritius | 2013 | The Bank of Mauritius issued new 25-, 50-, and 500-rupee polymer banknotes, which circulate in parallel with the existing paper notes of the same denominations. The new polymer notes have almost the same design as the preceding paper banknotes but contain numerous new security features. | NO | N/A |
Cape Verde | 2014 | The Banco de Cabo Verde issued a new family of escudo banknotes honoring Cape Verdean figures in literature, music, and politics. Among these, the 200 escudos banknote is printed on polymer. | NO | N/A |
The Gambia | 2014 | The Central Bank of the Gambia issued a 20 Dalasis banknote printed on De La Rue's Safeguard polymer substrate. It commemorates 20 Years of Progress and Self-Reliance, coinciding with President Yahya Jammeh's 20 years in office. | YES | Historical Milestones and Anniversaries |
Mauritania | 2014 | The Central Bank of Mauritania issued a 1,000 Ouguiya banknote. | NO | N/A |
Poland | 2014 | The National Bank of Poland issued 50,000 20z?. polymer banknotes to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Polish Legions. | YES | Historical Milestones and Anniversaries |
Trinidad & Tobago | 2014 | The Central Bank of Trinidad & Tobago issued a TT$50 note printed on polymer to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Central Bank of Trinidad & Tobago. | YES | Institutional Anniversaries and Economic Milestones |
Vanuatu | 2014 | The Reserve Bank of Vanuatu introduced polymer banknotes in denominations of 200, 1,000 and 2,000 vatu. | NO | N/A |
Maldives | 2015 | In October 2015, the Maldives Monetary Authority issued a Rf. 5,000/- banknote in polymer to commemorate the 50th anniversary of independence. | YES | Independence and National Sovereignty |
Botswana | 2018 | The Bank of Botswana unveiled a 10 pula banknote in polymer in November 2017 which was issued to the public on 1 February 2018. | NO | N/A |
North Macedonia | 2018 | The National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia issued 10- and 50-denari polymer banknotes as part of a new series | NO | N/A |
Russia | 2018 | On 22 May 2018, a special banknote to celebrate the 2018 FIFA World Cup was issued. The banknote is printed on polymer. The main images of the obverse are a boy with a ball under his arm and a goalkeeper diving for a ball. | YES | Sports Events |
S o Tom and Pr ncipe | 2018 | The Banco Central de Sao Tome and Principe issued polymer banknotes in denominations of 5 and 10 dobras. | NO | N/A |
Uruguay | 2018 | The Central Bank of Uruguay (BCU) printed a special and experimental edition of polymer banknotes with a value of 50 UYU to test reception and to celebrate the bank's 50th anniversary, that was in 2017, producing 10,000,000 units. | YES | Institutional Anniversaries and Economic Milestones |
Albania | 2019 | The Bank of Albania introduced a new 200 Lek polymer banknote on 30 September 2019. | NO | N/A |
Libya | 2019 | The Central Bank of Libya has issued a 1 Dinar banknote on 17 February 2019, in commemoration of the 8th Anniversary of the Libyan Revolution of 2011. | YES | Historical Milestones and Anniversaries |
Morocco | 2019 | The Central Bank of Morocco introduced a 20 dirham polymer banknote to mark 20 years of enthronement of Mohammed VI | YES | Historical Milestones and Anniversaries |
The Solomons | 2019 | The Central Bank of Solomon Islands introduced a new design of the SI$5 banknote, which was issued in conjunction of World Tuna Day. | NO | N/A |
Angola | 2020 | National Bank of Angola issued 200, 500, 1000, 2000 Kwanzas banknotes on polymer substrate. | NO | N/A |
Namibia | 2020 | The Bank of Namibia issued a 30 dollar polymer banknote to commemorate 30 years of independence. | YES | Independence and National Sovereignty |
Saudi Arabia | 2020 | The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority has announced the five riyals banknote will be switched to polymer, replacing the current paper banknote. | NO | N/A |
United Arab Emirates | 2021 | The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates introduced the country's first polymer banknote - a redesigned Dh50 note to commemorate the golden jubilee of the country on 2 December 2021. | YES | Historical Milestones and Anniversaries |
Barbados | 2022 | The Central Bank of Barbados announced its intent to replace the current paper banknotes with a newly designed polymer version by the end of the year. The new designs of the polymer banknotes were revealed on 4 May 2022 and the notes were rolled out 5 December 2022 as scheduled | NO | N/A |
Egypt | 2022 | The Central Bank of Egypt started issuing the new LE10 banknote which has been planned since the year 2020. The existing version of the LE10 banknote printed on paper will continue to circulate in parallel with the new polymer banknotes. | NO | N/A |
Philippines | 2022 | The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas started issuing the 1000-piso polymer banknote, the country's first polymer banknote. These banknotes began the phased issuance to banks, with the release of a limited quantity. | NO | N/A |
Jamaica | 2023 | The Bank of Jamaica officially released a new banknote series that they've planned since the end of May 2022, and the new polymer series includes a $2000 note. | NO | N/A |
Tonga | 2023 | On 4 December 2023, the National Reserve Bank of Tonga introduced a new family of six banknotes to commemorate the birthday of the Kingdom s moderniser King Tupou I | YES | Historical Milestones and Anniversaries |
Data sources
Additional sources for fact-checking: National Banks https://banknotenews.com/ https://www.banknoteworld.com/