Where Is This Phone Number From? Area Code and Country Lookup
Enter the number to see where it's from
Find out which country and region a phone number belongs to, the carrier behind it and whether it has been reported.
Got a call from a country code or area code you don’t recognize? Enter the number in our free area code lookup below and we’ll tell you where it’s from — country, region when the numbering plan allows it, carrier and line type — and whether it appears in spam or scam reports. Numbers from every country are supported.
How to read where a phone number is from
Every international number follows the E.164 format defined by the ITU: a country code of one to three digits, then a national number of up to 15 digits in total. Reading it in order tells you a lot:
- Country code: +44 is the United Kingdom, +61 Australia, +34 Spain, +52 Mexico, +91 India, +234 Nigeria.
- Area code or mobile range: after the country code, the next digits usually tell you whether it’s a geographic landline (and which area) or a mobile number.
- Carrier: the range was allocated to one operator, although the number may have been ported to another since.
Area code lookup: what the first digits tell you
After the country code, the area code (or the mobile range) narrows it down. In the US and Canada it’s the three digits after +1 — 212 is New York City, 213 Los Angeles, 416 Toronto — and toll-free numbers use 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 and 833. An area code lookup tells you where the number was originally issued, not where the caller is today: people keep their number when they move, and VoIP numbers can be picked with any area code. That’s why we combine it with the carrier, the line type and spam reports. For the largest American cities, see the US area codes list.
The +1 trap: not every +1 number is from the US
The North American Numbering Plan shares the +1 country code between the United States, Canada and more than 20 countries and territories in the Caribbean. A number like +1 876 is from Jamaica and +1 809 from the Dominican Republic. They look like domestic calls, but calling back can be charged at international rates — which is exactly what some one-ring scams rely on.
To tell them apart, the report checks the official numbering registers of the US and Canada (NANPA and CNA), which also cover Puerto Rico, Guam and the US Virgin Islands, so a +1 number is placed in the right country before you call back.
Why the number shown may not be where the caller is
- Spoofing: caller ID can be faked, including «neighbor spoofing» that copies your own area code to make you answer.
- VOIP: an internet number from one country can be used from anywhere in the world.
- Roaming: a mobile number keeps its country code when its owner travels.
That’s why we combine the country with the line type and reputation: a local-looking number on a non-fixed VOIP line with fraud reports tells a very different story from a regular mobile line.
If the call turns out to be a scam, the report points you to the agency that handles it where you live and in the country the number belongs to, and lets you warn others with an anonymous rating that goes into the IntelMind community database.
Find out more about international prefixes
If you want to understand which prefixes are most used in phone fraud, read our guide to international phone prefixes and fraud. To check whether a specific number has been reported, use the scam number checker.
Go further than the country code
Frequently asked questions
How do I know where a phone number is from?
Look at the country code at the start of the number, then the area code or mobile range that follows. The quickest way is to paste the full number with its prefix in the lookup above, or pick the country and type the rest: we show the country, the region when the numbering plan allows it, the carrier and the line type.
What country is this phone number from?
The country code tells you: +1 is shared by the US, Canada and the Caribbean, +44 is the UK, +61 Australia, +91 India, +234 Nigeria and +52 Mexico. Our lookup reads it automatically and also tells you whether the number has been reported for spam or scams.
Why did I get a call from another country?
It may be a genuine contact, a business using an international call center, or a one-ring scam trying to make you call back a premium-rate number. Check the number before you call back, and be careful with unfamiliar country codes.
Can the number on my screen be fake?
Yes. Caller ID spoofing lets callers display a number that isn't theirs, including numbers that look local. The lookup tells you about the number shown, so combine it with common sense: never share codes or pay because of an unexpected call.
Is this country lookup free?
Completely free, and there is nothing to sign up for. You get the country, carrier, line type and spam reputation, plus the public web trail and a timestamped PDF. The ads you see on the site fund it.
Does it tell me the exact location of the caller?
No. A phone number reveals the country and sometimes the area where it was registered, not the live location of the person using it. Any site that promises real-time GPS location from a number alone is not telling the truth.
Related use cases