Which convention should I use?

Match whichever country's calendar you're converting to or from — Thai/Lao/Cambodian sources use +543, Myanmar/Sri Lankan sources use +544.

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Buddhist Tools

Buddhist Era (BE) Converter

Convert between the Gregorian and Buddhist Era calendars (Thai +543 or +544).

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About the Buddhist Era (BE) Converter

Converts between the Gregorian calendar and the Buddhist Era (BE) calendar, using either the Thai/Lao/Cambodian (+543) or Myanmar/Sri Lankan (+544) convention.

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How to use it

Choose a direction: Gregorian to BE, or BE to Gregorian.
Select a convention.
Enter the year.
Read the converted year.

Formula

Thai/Lao/Cambodian: BE = Gregorian year + 543. Myanmar/Sri Lankan: BE = Gregorian year + 544.

Worked example

2026 CE is BE 2569 (Thai) or BE 2570 (Myanmar/Sri Lankan).

Interpreting your result

The 1-year gap is a genuine, real difference in epoch convention, not an error: Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia count the year of the Buddha's Parinibbana (passing) as year 0; Myanmar and Sri Lanka count it as year 1, putting their Buddhist Era a year ahead of Thailand's for the same Gregorian year.

Recommendations

• Thailand is the only country where BE is the primary official calendar today — most other Buddhist-majority countries use it alongside the Gregorian calendar, not instead of it.

Frequently asked questions

Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia treat the Buddha's Parinibbana year as year 0 (astronomical-style numbering); Myanmar and Sri Lanka treat it as year 1 — a genuine, real difference in epoch convention between traditions, not a mistake in either one.