Is 2 a prime number?
2 is a prime number, and the only even one.
The answer
Yes. 2 is a prime number: its only factors are 1 and 2. It is the only even prime number.
Why 2 is prime
There is no whole number between 1 and 2, so nothing else can go into 2 exactly. Its only factors are 1 and 2.
2 is the only even prime. Every other even number can be divided by 2, so it has at least three factors: 1, 2 and itself.
Where 2 comes among the primes
2 is the 1st prime number, the very first one.
There are 25 prime numbers up to 100: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83, 89 and 97.
Around 2
- 2 is in only one times table, its own, as 2 × 1. The next answer in it is 2 × 2 = 4.
- The nearest square number is 1 (1 × 1), 1 below it.
2 at a glance
Optional extra number facts:
- In words
- two
- In Roman numerals
- II
- Odd or even
- Even: it ends in 2
- Its factors add up to
- 3, or 1 without 2 itself. 2 is deficient: Deficient means this sum is less than the number.
Related pages
More numbers
Questions parents ask
Is 2 one of a pair of twin primes?
No. Twin primes are two primes 2 apart, such as 3 and 5. 0 and 4 are not prime, so 2 has no twin.
What is 2 × 2?
2 × 2 = 4. The square of a prime has exactly three factors: 1, 2 and 4.
What is the next prime number after 2?
3. 2 and 3 are the only two primes next to each other, because every other pair of neighbours includes an even number bigger than 2.
Continue your number practice
Explore the diagnostic for another set of practice questions.