911 by Country 2026

Countries That Use 911

Several countries and territories use 911 as an emergency number for police, fire, and medical services. These include the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Liberia, Costa Rica, Panama, Uruguay, Puerto Rico, Fiji, Belize, Samoa, Guam, Grenada, Micronesia, Aruba, Tonga, United States Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, American Samoa, Marshall Islands, Palau, Anguilla, and Tuvalu.

In many of these locations, 911 is the primary emergency number, while others also support additional numbers such as 112 or 999. This overlap allows emergency calls to connect regardless of which common number is dialed.

Countries That Use 112 or 999

Many countries use 112 or 999 as universal emergency numbers, often covering police, ambulance, and fire services. This includes countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Portugal, Greece, Poland, and many others.

In most of these countries, 112 works across mobile and landline networks and is widely used across Europe and parts of Africa and Asia. In some cases, 999 operates alongside 112, giving callers multiple ways to reach emergency services using a single unified system.

Countries With Separate Emergency Numbers

Many countries use different numbers for police, ambulance, and fire services rather than a single universal number. Examples include Brazil (190 police, 192 ambulance, 193 fire), India (100 police, 108 ambulance, 101 fire), Japan (110 police, 119 ambulance/fire), and China (110 police, 120 ambulance, 119 fire).

In these systems, callers must dial the specific number for the service they need. Some countries also support a universal backup number like 112 alongside separate service numbers, creating a hybrid system.

History of the 911 Emergency Call System

The first emergency number system anywhere in the world was deployed in London on July 1, 1937. The number was 999. In the United States, the first emergency number appeared in 1946. The number was 116, which was an emergency line for Los Angeles, California. The first 911 emergency phone service first went into use in Alabama in 1968 and 911 systems became widespread during the 1980s.