Languages In 36 editions of 36.

most-spoken language:

• English 16.5%,
• Mandarin Chinese 14.6%,
• Hindi 8.3%,
• Spanish 7%,
• French 3.6%,
• Arabic 3.6%,
• Bengali 3.4%,
• Russian 3.4%,
• Portuguese 3.3%,
• Indonesian 2.6% (2020 est.)

most-spoken first language:

Mandarin Chinese 12.3%, Spanish 6%, English 5.1%, Arabic 5.1%, Hindi 3.5%, Bengali 3.3%, Portuguese 3%, Russian 2.1%, Japanese 1.7%, Punjabi, Western 1.3%, Javanese 1.1% (2018 est.) note 1: the six UN languages - Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), English, French, Russian, and Spanish (Castilian) - are the mother tongue or second language of about 45% of the world's population, and are the official languages in more than half the states in the world; some 400 languages have more than a million first-language speakers (2018) note 2: all told, there are estimated to be just over 7,115 languages spoken in the world (2020); approximately 80% of these languages are spoken by less than 100,000 people; about 150 languages are spoken by less than 10 people; communities that are isolated from each other in mountainous regions often develop multiple languages; Papua New Guinea, for example, boasts about 840 separate languages (2018) note 3: approximately 2,300 languages are spoken in Asia, 2,140, in Africa, 1,310 in the Pacific, 1,060 in the Americas, and 290 in Europe (2020)

• Arabic (official), French (lingua franca), Berber or Tamazight (official);
• dialects include Kabyle Berber (Taqbaylit), Shawiya Berber (Tacawit), Mzab Berber, Tuareg Berber (Tamahaq)

• Portuguese 71.2% (official),
• Umbundu 23%,
• Kikongo 8.2%,
• Kimbundu 7.8%,
• Chokwe 6.5%,
• Nhaneca 3.4%,
• Nganguela 3.1%,
• Fiote 2.4%,
• Kwanhama 2.3%,
• Muhumbi 2.1%,
• Luvale 1%,
• other 3.6% (2014 est.)

note: most widely spoken languages; shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census

• French (official),
• Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south),
• tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)

• Setswana 77.3%,
• Sekalanga 7.4%,
• Shekgalagadi 3.4%,
• English (official) 2.8%,
• Zezuru/Shona 2%,
• Sesarwa 1.7%,
• Sembukushu 1.6%,
• Ndebele 1%,
• other 2.8% (2011 est.)

French (official), native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population

• Kirundi only 29.7% (official);
• French only .3% (official);
• Swahili only .2%;
• English only .1% (official);
• Kirundi and French 8.4%;
• Kirundi, French, and English 2.4%, other language combinations 2%, unspecified 56.9% (2008 est.)

note: data represent languages read and written by people 10 years of age or older; spoken Kirundi is nearly universal

Portuguese (official), Krioulo (a blend of Portuguese and West African languages)

24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official)

• French (official),
• Sangho (lingua franca and national language),
• tribal languages

French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more than 120 different languages and dialects

• Arabic (official),
• French (official),
• Shikomoro (official; a blend of Swahili and Arabic) (Comorian)

• French (official),
• Lingala (a lingua franca trade language),
• Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili),
• Kikongo,
• Tshiluba

• French (official),
• French Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages),
• many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread)

French (official), 60 native dialects of which Dioula is the most widely spoken

• French (official),
• Arabic (official),
• Somali,
• Afar

Arabic (official), Arabic, English, and French widely understood by educated classes

Spanish (official) 67.6%, other (includes Fang, Bubi, Portuguese (official), French (official)) 32.4% (1994 census)

• Tigrinya (official),
• Arabic (official),
• English (official),
• Tigre,
• Kunama,
• Afar,
• other Cushitic languages

English (official, used for government business), siSwati (official)

• Oromo (official working language in the State of Oromiya) 33.8%,
• Amharic (official national language) 29.3%,
• Somali (official working language of the State of Sumale) 6.2%,
• Tigrigna (Tigrinya) (official working language of the State of Tigray) 5.9%,
• Sidamo 4%,
• Wolaytta 2.2%,
• Gurage 2%,
• Afar (official working language of the State of Afar) 1.7%,
• Hadiyya 1.7%,
• Gamo 1.5%,
• Gedeo 1.3%,
• Opuuo 1.2%,
• Kafa 1.1%,
• other 8.1%,
• English (major foreign language taught in schools),
• Arabic (2007 est.)

• French (official),
• Fang,
• Myene,
• Nzebi,
• Bapounou/Eschira,
• Bandjabi

• English (official),
• Mandinka,
• Wolof,
• Fula,
• other indigenous vernaculars

• Asante 16%,
• Ewe 14%,
• Fante 11.6%,
• Boron (Brong) 4.9%,
• Dagomba 4.4%,
• Dangme 4.2%,
• Dagarte (Dagaba) 3.9%,
• Kokomba 3.5%,
• Akyem 3.2%,
• Ga 3.1%,
• other 31.2% (2010 est.)

note: English is the official language

• French (official),
• Pular,
• Maninka,
• Susu,
• other native languages

note: about 40 languages are spoken; each ethnic group has its own language

• Crioulo (lingua franca),
• Portuguese (official; largely used as a second or third language),
• Pular (a Fula language),
• Mandingo

• English (official),
• Kiswahili (official),
• numerous indigenous languages

• Sesotho (official) (southern Sotho),
• English (official),
• Zulu,
• Xhosa

English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages few of which can be written or used in correspondence

• Arabic (official),
• Italian,
• English (all widely understood in the major cities);
• Berber (Nafusi, Ghadamis, Suknah, Awjilah, Tamasheq)

• French (official),
• Malagasy (official),
• English

• English (official),
• Chewa (common),
• Lambya,
• Lomwe,
• Ngoni,
• Nkhonde,
• Nyakyusa,
• Nyanja,
• Sena,
• Tonga,
• Tumbuka,
• Yao

note : Chewa and Nyanja are mutually intelligible dialects; Nkhonde and Nyakyusa are mutually intelligible dialects

• French (official),
• Bambara 46.3%,
• Peuhl/Foulfoulbe 9.4%,
• Dogon 7.2%,
• Maraka/Soninke 6.4%,
• Malinke 5.6%,
• Sonrhai/Djerma 5.6%,
• Minianka 4.3%,
• Tamacheq 3.5%,
• Senoufo 2.6%,
• Bobo 2.1%,
• unspecified 0.7%,
• other 6.3% (2009 est.)

note: Mali has 13 national languages in addition to its official language

• Arabic (official and national),
• Pular,
• Soninke,
• Wolof (all national languages),
• French

note: the spoken Arabic in Mauritania differs considerably from the modern standard Arabic used for official written purposes or in the media; the Mauritanian dialect, which incorporates many Berber words, is referred to as Hassaniya

• Creole 86.5%,
• Bhojpuri 5.3%,
• French 4.1%,
• two languages 1.4%,
• other 2.6% (includes English, the official language of the National Assembly, which is spoken by less than 1% of the population),
• unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.)

• Arabic (official),
• Berber languages (Tamazight (official), Tachelhit, Tarifit),
• French (often the language of business, government, and diplomacy)

note: the proportion of Berber speakers is disputed

Makhuwa 26.1%, Portuguese (official) 16.6%, Tsonga 8.6%, Nyanja 8.1, Sena 7.1%, Lomwe 7.1%, Chuwabo 4.7%, Ndau 3.8%, Tswa 3.8%, other Mozambican languages 11.8%, other 0.5%, unspecified 1.8% (2017 est.)

• Oshiwambo languages 49.7%,
• Nama/Damara 11%,
• Kavango languages 10.4%,
• Afrikaans 9.4% (also a common language),
• Herero languages 9.2%,
• Zambezi languages 4.9%,
• English (official) 2.3%,
• other African languages 1.5%,
• other European languages .7%,
• other 1% (2016 est.)

note: Namibia has 13 recognized national languages, including 10 indigenous African languages and 3 European languages

• French (official),
• Hausa,
• Djerma

English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani, over 500 additional indigenous languages

Kinyarwanda (official, universal Bantu vernacular) 93.2%, French (official) <.1, English (official) <.1, Swahili/Kiswahili (official, used in commercial centers) <.1, more than one language, other 6.3%, unspecified 0.3% (2002 est.)

English

• Portuguese 98.4% (official),
• Forro 36.2%,
• Cabo Verdian 8.5%,
• French 6.8%,
• Angolar 6.6%,
• English 4.9%,
• Lunguie 1%,
• other (including sign language) 2.4% (2012 est.)

note: shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census

• French (official),
• Wolof,
• Pular,
• Jola,
• Mandinka,
• Serer,
• Soninke

• Seychellois Creole (official) 89.1%,
• English (official) 5.1%,
• French (official) 0.7%,
• other 3.8%,
• unspecified 1.4% (2010 est.)

• English (official, regular use limited to literate minority),
• Mende (principal vernacular in the south),
• Temne (principal vernacular in the north),
• Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)

• Somali (official, according to the 2012 Transitional Federal Charter),
• Arabic (official, according to the 2012 Transitional Federal Charter),
• Italian,
• English

• isiZulu (official) 24.7%,
• isiXhosa (official) 15.6%,
• Afrikaans (official) 12.1%,
• Sepedi (official) 9.8%,
• Setswana (official) 8.9%,
• English (official) 8.4%,
• Sesotho (official) 8%,
• Xitsonga (official) 4%,
• siSwati (official) 2.6%,
• Tshivenda (official) 2.5%,
• isiNdebele (official) 1.6%,
• other (includes Khoi, Nama, and San languages) 1.9% (2017 est.)

note: data represent language spoken most often at home

• English (official),
• Arabic (includes Juba and Sudanese variants),
• regional languages include Dinka,
• Nuer,
• Bari,
• Zande,
• Shilluk

• Arabic (official),
• English (official),
• Nubian,
• Ta Bedawie,
• Fur

• Kiswahili or Swahili (official),
• Kiunguja (name for Swahili in Zanzibar),
• English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education),
• Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar),
• many local languages

note: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu people living in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahili is Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a variety of sources including Arabic and English; it has become the lingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of most people is one of the local languages

• French (official, the language of commerce),
• Ewe and Mina (the two major African languages in the south),
• Kabye (sometimes spelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in the north)

• Arabic (official, one of the languages of commerce),
• French (commerce),
• Berber (Tamazight)

note: despite having no official status, French plays a major role in the country and is spoken by about two thirds of the population

• English (official language, taught in schools, used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio broadcasts),
• Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages and the language used most often in the capital),
• other Niger-Congo languages,
• Nilo-Saharan languages,
• Swahili (official),
• Arabic

• Standard Arabic,
• Hassaniya Arabic,
• Moroccan Arabic,
• Berber,
• Spanish,
• French

• Bemba 33.4%,
• Nyanja 14.7%,
• Tonga 11.4%,
• Lozi 5.5%,
• Chewa 4.5%,
• Nsenga 2.9%,
• Tumbuka 2.5%,
• Lunda (North Western) 1.9%,
• Kaonde 1.8%,
• Lala 1.8%,
• Lamba 1.8%,
• English (official) 1.7%,
• Luvale 1.5%,
• Mambwe 1.3%,
• Namwanga 1.2%,
• Lenje 1.1%,
• Bisa 1%,
• other 9.7%,
• unspecified 0.2% (2010 est.)

note: Zambia is said to have over 70 languages, although many of these may be considered dialects; all of Zambia's major languages are members of the Bantu family; Chewa and Nyanja are mutually intelligible dialects

Shona (official; most widely spoken), Ndebele (official, second most widely spoken), English (official; traditionally used for official business), 13 minority languages (official; includes Chewa, Chibarwe, Kalanga, Koisan, Nambya, Ndau, Shangani, sign language, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda, and Xhosa)

• Greenlandic (West Greenlandic or Kalaallisut is the official language),
• Danish,
• English

• Icelandic,
• English,
• Nordic languages,
• German

Norwegian, Russian

• Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 77% (Dari functions as the lingua franca),
• Pashto (official) 48%,
• Uzbek 11%,
• English 6%,
• Turkmen 3%,
• Urdu 3%,
• Pashayi 1%,
• Nuristani 1%,
• Arabic 1%,
• Balochi 1% (2017 est.)

note: data represent most widely spoken languages; shares sum to more than 100% because there is much bilingualism in the country and because respondents were allowed to select more than one language note: the Turkic languages Uzbek and Turkmen, as well as Balochi, Pashayi, Nuristani, and Pamiri are the third official languages in areas where the majority speaks them

• Armenian (official) 97.9%,
• Kurdish (spoken by Yezidi minority) 1%,
• other 1% (2011 est.)

note: Russian is widely spoken

• Azerbaijani (Azeri) (official) 92.5%,
• Russian 1.4%,
• Armenian 1.4%,
• other 4.7% (2009 est.)

note: Russian is widely spoken

• Bangla 98.8% (official, also known as Bengali), other 1.2% (2011 est.)

• Sharchhopka 28%,
• Dzongkha (official) 24%,
• Lhotshamkha 22%,
• other 26% (includes foreign languages) (2005 est.)

• Standard Chinese or Mandarin (official; Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect),
• Yue (Cantonese),
• Wu (Shanghainese),
• Minbei (Fuzhou),
• Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese),
• Xiang,
• Gan,
• Hakka dialects,
• minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry)

note: Zhuang is official in Guangxi Zhuang, Yue is official in Guangdong, Mongolian is official in Nei Mongol, Uighur is official in Xinjiang Uygur, Kyrgyz is official in Xinjiang Uygur, and Tibetan is official in Xizang (Tibet)

• Georgian (official) 87.6%,
• Azeri 6.2%,
• Armenian 3.9%,
• Russian 1.2%,
• other 1% (2014 est.)

note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia

• Hindi 43.6%,
• Bengali 8%,
• Marathi 6.9%,
• Telugu 6.7%,
• Tamil 5.7%,
• Gujarati 4.6%,
• Urdu 4.2%,
• Kannada 3.6%,
• Odia 3.1%,
• Malayalam 2.9%,
• Punjabi 2.7%,
• Assamese 1.3%,
• Maithili 1.1%,
• other 5.6% (2011 est.)

note: English enjoys the status of subsidiary official language but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; there are 22 other officially recognized languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is not an official language

Japanese

• Kazakh (official, Qazaq) 83.1% (understand spoken language) and trilingual (Kazakh, Russian, English) 22.3% (2017 est.);
• Russian (official, used in everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic communication") 94.4% (understand spoken language) (2009 est.)

Korean

Korean, English (widely taught in elementary, junior high, and high school)

• Kyrgyz (official) 71.4%,
• Uzbek 14.4%,
• Russian (official) 9%,
• other 5.2% (2009 est.)

Dhivehi (official, dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English (spoken by most government officials)

• Mongolian 90% (official) (Khalkha dialect is predominant),
• Turkic,
• Russian (1999)

• Nepali (official) 44.6%,
• Maithali 11.7%,
• Bhojpuri 6%,
• Tharu 5.8%,
• Tamang 5.1%,
• Newar 3.2%,
• Bajjika 3%,
• Magar 3%,
• Doteli 3%,
• Urdu 2.6%,
• Avadhi 1.9%,
• Limbu 1.3%,
• Gurung 1.2%,
• Baitadeli 1%,
• other 6.4%,
• unspecified 0.2% (2011 est.)

note: 123 languages reported as mother tongue in 2011 national census; many in government and business also speak English

Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Saraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashto (alternate name, Pashtu) 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries), Burushaski, and other 8%

• Russian (official) 85.7%,
• Tatar 3.2%,
• Chechen 1%,
• other 10.1% (2010 est.)

note: data represent native language spoken

• Sinhala (official and national language) 87%,
• Tamil (official and national language) 28.5%,
• English 23.8% (2012 est.)

note: data represent main languages spoken by the population aged 10 years and older; shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census; English is commonly used in government and is referred to as the "link language" in the constitution

• Tajik (official) 84.4%,
• Uzbek 11.9%,
• Kyrgyz .8%,
• Russian .5%,
• other 2.4% (2010 est.)

note: Russian widely used in government and business

• Turkmen (official) 72%,
• Russian 12%,
• Uzbek 9%,
• other 7%

• Uzbek (official) 74.3%,
• Russian 14.2%,
• Tajik 4.4%,
• other 7.1%

note: in the autonomous Karakalpakstan Republic, both the Karakalpak language and Uzbek have official status

English (official)

English (official), Antiguan creole

• Papiamento (official) (a creole language that is a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English, and, to a lesser extent, French, as well as elements of African languages and the language of the Arawak) 69.4%,
• Spanish 13.7%,
• English (widely spoken) 7.1%,
• Dutch (official) 6.1%,
• Chinese 1.5%,
• other 1.7%,
• unspecified 0.4% (2010 est.)

English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)

English (official), Bajan (English-based creole language, widely spoken in informal settings)

• English 62.9% (official),
• Spanish 56.6%,
• Creole 44.6%,
• Maya 10.5%,
• German 3.2%,
• Garifuna 2.9%,
• other 1.8%,
• unknown 0.3%,
• none 0.2% (cannot speak) (2010 est.)

note: shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census

English (official)

• English (official) 90.9%,
• Spanish 4%,
• Filipino 3.3%,
• other 1.7%,
• unspecified 0.1% (2010 est.)

Spanish (official), English

Spanish (official)

• Papiamento (official) (a creole language that is a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English, and, to a lesser extent, French, as well as elements of African languages and the language of the Arawak) 79.9%,
• Dutch (official) 8.8%,
• Spanish 5.6%,
• English (official) 3.1%,
• other 2.9%,
• unspecified .3% (2001 census)

note: data represent most spoken language in household

English (official), French patois

Spanish (official)

Spanish (official), Nawat (among some Amerindians)

English (official), French patois

• Spanish (official) 69.9%,
• Maya languages 29.7% (Q'eqchi' 8.3%, K'iche 7.8%, Mam 4.4%, Kaqchikel 3%, Q'anjob'al 1.2%, Poqomchi' 1%, other 4%),
• other 0.4% (includes Xinca and Garifuna) (2018 est.)

note: the 2003 Law of National Languages officially recognized 23 indigenous languages, including 21 Maya languages, Xinca, and Garifuna

French (official), Creole (official)

Spanish (official), Amerindian dialects

English, English patois

English

• Spanish (official) 95.3%,
• Miskito 2.2%,
• Mestizo of the Caribbean coast 2%,
• other 0.5% (2005 est.)

note: English and indigenous languages found on the Caribbean coast

• Spanish (official),
• indigenous languages (including Ngabere (or Guaymi), Buglere, Kuna, Embera, Wounaan, Naso (or Teribe), and Bri Bri),
• Panamanian English Creole (similar to Jamaican English Creole; a mixture of English and Spanish with elements of Ngabere; also known as Guari Guari and Colon Creole),
• English,
• Chinese (Yue and Hakka),
• Arabic,
• French Creole,
• other (Yiddish, Hebrew, Korean, Japanese)

note: many Panamanians are bilingual

Spanish, English

French (primary), English

English (official)

English (official), French patois

• French (official),
• English,
• Dutch,
• French Patois,
• Spanish,
• Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles)

• English,
• Vincentian Creole English,
• French patois

• English (official) 67.5%,
• Spanish 12.9%,
• Creole 8.2%,
• Dutch (official) 4.2%,
• Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 2.2%,
• French 1.5%,
• other 3.5% (2001 est.)

• English (official),
• Trinidadian Creole English,
• Tobagonian Creole English,
• Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi),
• Trinidadian Creole French,
• Spanish,
• Chinese

English (official)

• English 71.6%,
• Spanish or Spanish Creole 17.2%,
• French or French Creole 8.6%,
• other 2.5% (2010 est.)

• Albanian 98.8% (official - derived from Tosk dialect),
• Greek 0.5%,
• other 0.6% (including Macedonian, Romani, Vlach, Turkish, Italian, and Serbo-Croatian),
• unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.)

• Catalan (official),
• French,
• Castilian,
• Portuguese

• German (official nationwide) 88.6%,
• Turkish 2.3%,
• Serbian 2.2%,
• Croatian (official in Burgenland) 1.6%,
• other (includes Slovene, official in southern Carinthia, and Hungarian, official in Burgenland) 5.3% (2001 est.)

• Russian (official) 70.2%,
• Belarusian (official) 23.4%,
• other 3.1% (includes small Polish- and Ukrainian-speaking minorities),
• unspecified 3.3% (2009 est.)

• Dutch (official) 60%,
• French (official) 40%,
• German (official) less than 1%

• Bosnian (official) 52.9%,
• Serbian (official) 30.8%,
• Croatian (official) 14.6%,
• other 1.6%,
• no answer 0.2% (2013 est.)

• Bulgarian (official) 76.8%,
• Turkish 8.2%,
• Romani 3.8%,
• other 0.7%,
• unspecified 10.5% (2011 est.)