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Languages Spoken in Each Country of the World

Languages Spoken in Each Country of the World

About This Event

AfghanistanDari Persian, Pashtu (both official), other Turkic and minor languages

AlbaniaAlbanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek

AlgeriaArabic (official), French, Berber dialects

AndorraCatalán (official), French, Castilian, Portuguese

AngolaPortuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages

Antigua and BarbudaEnglish (official), local dialects

ArgentinaSpanish (official), English, Italian, German, French

ArmeniaArmenian 98%, Yezidi, Russian

AustraliaEnglish 79%, native and other languages

AustriaGerman (official nationwide); Slovene, Croatian, Hungarian (each official in one region)

AzerbaijanAzerbaijani Turkic 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6% (1995 est.)

BahamasEnglish (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)

BahrainArabic, English, Farsi, Urdu

BangladeshBangla (official), English

BarbadosEnglish

BelarusBelorussian (White Russian), Russian, other

BelgiumDutch (Flemish) 60%, French 40%, German less than 1% (all official)

BelizeEnglish (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole

BeninFrench (official), Fon, Yoruba, tribal languages

BhutanDzongkha (official), Tibetan dialects (among Bhotes), Nepalese dialects (among Nepalese)

BoliviaSpanish, Quechua, Aymara (all official)

Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnian, Croatian, Serbian

BotswanaEnglish 2% (official), Setswana 78%, Kalanga 8%, Sekgalagadi 3%, other (2001)

BrazilPortuguese (official), Spanish, English, French

BruneiMalay (official), English, Chinese

BulgariaBulgarian 85%, Turkish 10%, Roma 4%

Burkina FasoFrench (official); native African (Sudanic) languages 90%

BurundiKirundi and French (official), Swahili

CambodiaKhmer 95% (official), French, English

CameroonFrench, English (both official); 24 major African language groups

CanadaEnglish 59.3%, French 23.2% (both official); other 17.5%

Cape VerdePortuguese, Criuolo

Central African RepublicFrench (official), Sangho (lingua franca, national), tribal languages

ChadFrench, Arabic (both official); Sara; more than 120 languages and dialects

ChileSpanish

ChinaStandard Chinese (Mandarin/Putonghua), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages

ColombiaSpanish

ComorosArabic and French (both official), Shikomoro (Swahili/Arabic blend)

Congo, Democratic Republic of theFrench (official), Lingala, Kingwana, Kikongo, Tshiluba

Congo, Republic ofFrench (official), Lingala, Monokutuba, Kikongo, many local languages and dialects

Costa RicaSpanish (official), English

Côte d'IvoireFrench (official) and African languages (Dioula esp.)

CroatiaCroatian 96% (official), other 4% (including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, German)

CubaSpanish

CyprusGreek, Turkish (both official); English

Czech RepublicCzech

DenmarkDanish, Faroese, Greenlandic (Inuit dialect), German; English is the predominant second language

DjiboutiFrench and Arabic (both official), Somali, Afar

DominicaEnglish (official) and French patois

Dominican RepublicSpanish

East TimorTetum, Portuguese (official); Bahasa Indonesia, English; other indigenous languages, including Tetum, Galole, Mambae, and Kemak

EcuadorSpanish (official), Quechua, other Amerindian languages

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

El SalvadorSpanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)

Equatorial GuineaSpanish, French (both official); pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Igbo

EritreaAfar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages

EstoniaEstonian 67% (official), Russian 30%, other (2000)

EthiopiaAmharic, Tigrigna, Orominga, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, English, over 70 others

FijiEnglish (official), Fijian, Hindustani

FinlandFinnish 92%, Swedish 6% (both official); small Sami- (Lapp) and Russian-speaking minorities

FranceFrench 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects (Provençal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)

GabonFrench (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi

GambiaEnglish (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other indigenous

GeorgiaGeorgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azerbaijani 6%, other 7% (Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia)

GermanyGerman

GhanaEnglish (official), African languages (including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga)

GreeceGreek 99% (official), English, French

GrenadaEnglish (official), French patois

GuatemalaSpanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca)

GuineaFrench (official), native tongues (Malinké, Susu, Fulani)

Guinea-BissauPortuguese (official), Criolo, African languages

GuyanaEnglish (official), Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu

HaitiCreole and French (both official)

HondurasSpanish (official), Amerindian dialects; English widely spoken in business

HungaryMagyar (Hungarian) 94%, other 6%

IcelandIcelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken

IndiaHindi 30%, English, Bengali, Gujarati, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Kannada, Assamese, Sanskrit, Sindhi (all official); Hindi/Urdu; 1,600+ dialects

IndonesiaBahasa Indonesia (official), English, Dutch, Javanese, and more than 580 other languages and dialects

IranPersian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%

IraqArabic (official), Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian

IrelandEnglish, Irish (Gaelic) (both official)

IsraelHebrew (official), Arabic, English

ItalyItalian (official); German-, French-, and Slovene-speaking minorities

JamaicaEnglish, Jamaican Creole

JapanJapanese

JordanArabic (official), English

KazakhstanKazak (Qazaq, state language) 64%; Russian (official, used in everyday business) 95% (2001 est.)

KenyaEnglish (official), Swahili (national), and numerous indigenous languages

KiribatiEnglish (official), I-Kiribati (Gilbertese)

Korea, NorthKorean

Korea, SouthKorean, English widely taught

KosovoAlbanian (official), Serbian (official), Bosnian, Turkish, Roma

KuwaitArabic (official), English

KyrgyzstanKyrgyz, Russian (both official)

LaosLao (official), French, English, various ethnic languages

LatviaLatvian 58% (official), Russian 38%, Lithuanian, other (2000)

LebanonArabic (official), French, English, Armenian

LesothoEnglish, Sesotho (both official); Zulu, Xhosa

LiberiaEnglish 20% (official), some 20 ethnic-group languages

LibyaArabic, Italian, and English widely understood in major cities

LiechtensteinGerman (official), Alemannic dialect

LithuaniaLithuanian 82% (official), Russian 8%, Polish 6% (2001)

LuxembourgLuxermbourgish (national) French, German (both administrative)

MacedoniaMacedonian 67%, Albanian 25% (both official); Turkish 4%, Roma 2%, Serbian 1% (2002)

MadagascarMalagasy and French (both official)

MalawiChichewa 57.2% (official), Chinyanja 12.8%, Chiyao 10.1%, Chitumbuka 9.5%, Chisena 2.7%, Chilomwe 2.4%, Chitonga 1.7%, other 3.6% (1998)

MalaysiaBahasa Melayu (Malay, official), English, Chinese dialects (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai; several indigenous languages (including Iban, Kadazan) in East Malaysia

MaldivesMaldivian Dhivehi (official); English spoken by most government officials

MaliFrench (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages

MaltaMaltese and English (both official)

Marshall IslandsMarshallese 98% (two major dialects from the Malayo-Polynesian family), English widely spoken as a second language (both official); Japanese

MauritaniaHassaniya Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, French, Wolof

MauritiusEnglish less than 1% (official), Creole 81%, Bojpoori 12%, French 3% (2000)

MexicoSpanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages

MicronesiaEnglish (official, common), Chukese, Pohnpeian, Yapase, Kosrean, Ulithian, Woleaian, Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi

MoldovaMoldovan (official; virtually the same as Romanian), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)

MonacoFrench (official), English, Italian, Monégasque

MongoliaMongolian, 90%; also Turkic and Russian (1999)

MontenegroSerbian/Montenegrin (Ijekavian dialect—official)

MoroccoArabic (official), Berber dialects, French often used for business, government, and diplomacy

MozambiquePortuguese 9% (official; second language of 27%), Emakhuwa 26%, Xichangana 11%, Elomwe 8%, Cisena 7%, Echuwabo 6%, other Mozambican languages 32% (1997)

MyanmarBurmese, minority languages

NamibiaEnglish 7% (official), Afrikaans is common language of most of the population and of about 60% of the white population, German 32%; indigenous languages: Oshivambo, Herero, Nama

NauruNauruan (official), English

NepalNepali 48% (official), Maithali 12%, Bhojpuri 7%, Tharu 6%, Tamang 5%, others. English spoken by many in government and business (2001)

NetherlandsDutch, Frisian (both official)

New ZealandEnglish, Maori (both official)

NicaraguaSpanish 98% (official); English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast (1995)

NigerFrench (official), Hausa, Djerma

NigeriaEnglish (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Fulani, and more than 200 others

NorwayBokmål Norwegian, Nynorsk Norwegian (both official); small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities (Sami is official in six municipalities)

OmanArabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects

PakistanUrdu 8%, English (both official); Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, Burushaski, and others 8%

PalauPalauan 64.7%, English 9.4%, Sonsoralese, Tobi, Angaur (each official on some islands), Filipino 13.5%, Chinese 5.7%, Carolinian 1.5%, Japanese 1.5%, other Asian 2.3%, other languages 1.5% (2000)

Palestinian State (proposed)Arabic, Hebrew, English

PanamaSpanish (official), English 14%, many bilingual

Papua New GuineaTok Pisin (Melanesian Pidgin, the lingua franca), Hiri Motu (in Papua region), English 1%–2%; 715 indigenous languages

ParaguaySpanish, Guaraní (both official)

PeruSpanish, Quéchua (both official); Aymara; many minor Amazonian languages

PhilippinesFilipino (based on Tagalog), English (both official); eight major dialects: Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense

PolandPolish 98% (2002)

PortugalPortuguese (official), Mirandese (official, but locally used)

QatarArabic (official); English a common second language

RomaniaRomanian (official), Hungarian, German

RussiaRussian, others

RwandaKinyarwanda, French, and English (all official); Kiswahili in commercial centers

St. Kitts and NevisEnglish

St. LuciaEnglish (official), French patois

St. Vincent and the GrenadinesEnglish, French patois

SamoaSamoan, English

San MarinoItalian

São Tomé and PríncipePortuguese (official)

Saudi ArabiaArabic

SenegalFrench (official); Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka

SerbiaSerbian (official); Romanian, Hungarian, Slovak, and Croatian (all official in Vojvodina); Albanian (official in Kosovo)

SeychellesSeselwa Creole 92%, English 5%, French (all official) (2002)

Sierra LeoneEnglish (official), Mende (southern vernacular), Temne (northern vernacular), Krio (lingua franca)

SingaporeMandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%, Cantonese 5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil 3.2%, other Chinese dialects 1.8%, other 0.9% (2000)

SlovakiaSlovak 84% (official), Hungarian 11%, Roma 2%, Ukrainian 1% (2001)

SloveniaSlovenian 91%, Serbo-Croatian 5% (2002)

Solomon IslandsEnglish 1%–2% (official), Melanesian pidgin (lingua franca), 120 indigenous languages

SomaliaSomali (official), Arabic, English, Italian

South AfricaIsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2%

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

SpainCastilian Spanish 74% (official nationwide); Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2% (each official regionally)

Sri LankaSinhala 74% (official and national), Tamil 18% (national), other 8%; English is commonly used in government and spoken competently by about 10%

SudanArabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English

SurinameDutch (official), Surinamese (lingua franca), English widely spoken, Hindustani, Javanese

SwazilandEnglish, siSwati (both official)

SwedenSwedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities

SwitzerlandGerman 64%, French 20%, Italian 7% (all official); Romansch 0.5% (national)

SyriaArabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood

TaiwanChinese (Mandarin, official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects

TajikistanTajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business

TanzaniaSwahili, English (both official); Arabic; many local languages

ThailandThai (Siamese), English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects

TogoFrench (official, commerce); Ewé, Mina (south); Kabyé, Dagomba (north); and many dialects

TongaTongan (an Austronesian language), English

Trinidad and TobagoEnglish (official), Hindi, French, Spanish, Chinese

TunisiaArabic (official, commerce), French (commerce)

TurkeyTurkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli, Azeri, Kabardian

TurkmenistanTurkmen 72%; Russian 12%; Uzbek 9%, other 7%

TuvaluTuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui)

UgandaEnglish (official), Ganda or Luganda, other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili, Arabic

UkraineUkrainian 67%, Russian 24%, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian

United Arab EmiratesArabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu

United KingdomEnglish, Welsh, Scots Gaelic

United StatesEnglish 82%, Spanish 11% (2000)

UruguaySpanish, Portunol, or Brazilero

UzbekistanUzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%

VanuatuBislama 23% (a Melanesian pidgin English), English 2%, French 1% (all 3 official); more than 100 local languages 73%

Vatican City (Holy See)Italian, Latin, French, various other languages

VenezuelaSpanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects

VietnamVietnamese (official); English (increasingly favored as a second language); some French, Chinese, Khmer; mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)

Western Sahara (proposed state)Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic

YemenArabic

ZambiaEnglish (official); major vernaculars: Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga; about 70 other indigenous languages

ZimbabweEnglish (official), Shona, Ndebele (Sindebele), numerous minor tribal dialects

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