Is the US the only country that doesn't use the metric system?

The Myth of American Exceptionalism: The Limited Adoption of the Metric System

Contrary to popular belief, the United States is not the only country that has not fully embraced the metric system. While it is true that the US, Liberia, and Myanmar are the only three nations without a mandated metric system, a closer examination of practical usage paints a less clear-cut picture.

The metric system, a standardized system of measurement based on multiples of ten, is widely used throughout the world. It is the official system of measurement in most developed countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union. However, even in countries with mandatory metric systems, there are varying degrees of compliance.

In the United States, the metric system has been used in some sectors for decades. The scientific community, for example, has predominantly used metric units for decades. However, in everyday life, imperial units (such as feet, pounds, and gallons) remain deeply ingrained in American culture.

The reasons for this resistance to the metric system in the US are complex. Some argue that imperial units are easier to understand and more ingrained in everyday language. Others point to the vast investment in infrastructure and equipment that would be required to make a complete switch to the metric system.

Beyond the US, there are several other countries that rely heavily on imperial units. The countries of the Caribbean Overseas Territories and States Associated with the United Kingdom (COFA), for instance, use a mix of metric and imperial units. This is due in part to their historical ties to the United Kingdom, which only fully adopted the metric system in the 1960s.

In conclusion, while the US may be the only country without a mandatory metric system, it is by no means an outlier in its continued use of imperial units. The practical usage of measurement systems around the world is more nuanced than a simple division between metric and non-metric countries. Factors such as culture, history, and economic considerations play a role in determining the prevalence of different measurement systems.