Is zero an even number?
Yes, zero is an even number. An even number is any integer that can be divided by 2 with no remainder, and 0 divided by 2 is exactly 0.
Mathematicians define even numbers as integers that can be written as 2 times another integer. Zero fits, because 0 = 2 × 0. On the number line, even and odd numbers alternate, and zero sits between −1 and 1, both of which are odd.
Zero also follows all the patterns of even numbers. An even number plus an even number is even, and 0 + 2 = 2. An even number plus an odd number is odd, and 0 + 3 = 3. Treating zero as anything other than even would break these simple rules.
Why people get confused
Studies have found that people take longer to decide whether zero is even than for other numbers, and some say it is neither even nor odd. This may be because zero feels like nothing rather than an amount. The question has real uses: some cities with odd-even driving rules have had to explain that license plates ending in 0 count as even.
Did You Know?
The idea of zero as a number in its own right was developed in India. The mathematician Brahmagupta wrote rules for calculating with zero in the year 628.