LANGUAGES SPOKEN IN EACH COUNTRY OF THE WORLD

Languages Spoken 

in Each Country of the

         World



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

Albania Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek

Algeria Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects


Andorra Catalán (official), French, Castilian, Portuguese

Angola Portuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages

Antigua and Barbuda English (official), local dialects

Argentina Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French

Armenia Armenian 98%, Yezidi, Russian

Australia English 79%, native and other languages

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

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

Bahamas English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)

Bahrain Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu

Bangladesh Bangla (official), English

Barbados English

Belarus Belorussian (White Russian), Russian, other

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

Belize English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole

Benin French (official), Fon, Yoruba, tribal languages

Bhutan Dzongkha (official), Tibetan dialects (among Bhotes), Nepalese dialects
(among Nepalese)

Bolivia Spanish, Quechua, Aymara (all official)

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian

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

Brazil Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French

Brunei Malay (official), English, Chinese

Bulgaria Bulgarian 85%, Turkish 10%, Roma 4%

Burkina Faso French (official); native African (Sudanic) languages 90%

Burundi Kirundi and French (official), Swahili

Cambodia Khmer 95% (official), French, English

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

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

Cape Verde Portuguese, Criuolo

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

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

Chile Spanish

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

Colombia Spanish

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

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

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

Costa Rica Spanish (official), English

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

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

Cuba Spanish

Cyprus Greek, Turkish (both official); English

Czech Republic Czech

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

Djibouti French and Arabic (both official), Somali, Afar

Dominica English (official) and French patois

Dominican Republic Spanish

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

Ecuador Spanish (official), Quechua, other Amerindian languages
Egypt Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by educated
classes
El Salvador Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)

Equatorial Guinea Spanish, French (both official); pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo

Eritrea Afar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages

Estonia Estonian 67% (official), Russian 30%, other (2000)

Ethiopia Amharic, Tigrigna, Orominga, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, English, over
70 others

Fiji English (official), Fijian, Hindustani

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

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

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

Gambia English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other indigenous

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

Germany German

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

Greece Greek 99% (official), English, French

Grenada English (official), French patois

Guatemala Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognized

Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam,
Garifuna, and Xinca)

Guinea French (official), native tongues (Malinké, Susu, Fulani)

Guinea-Bissau Portuguese (official), Criolo, African languages

Guyana English (official), Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu

Haiti Creole and French (both official)

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

Hungary Magyar (Hungarian) 94%, other 6%

Iceland Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken

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

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

Iran Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%,

Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%

Iraq Arabic (official), Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian

Ireland English, Irish (Gaelic) (both official)

Israel Hebrew (official), Arabic, English

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

Jamaica English, Jamaican Creole

Japan Japanese

Jordan Arabic (official), English

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

Kenya English (official), Swahili (national), and numerous indigenous languages

Kiribati English (official), I-Kiribati (Gilbertese)

Korea, North Korean

Korea, South Korean, English widely taught

Kuwait Arabic (official), English

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyz, Russian (both official)

Laos Lao (official), French, English, various ethnic languages

Latvia Latvian 58% (official), Russian 38%, Lithuanian, other (2000)

Lebanon Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian

Lesotho English, Sesotho (both official); Zulu, Xhosa

Liberia English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic-group languages

Libya Arabic, Italian, and English widely understood in major cities

Liechtenstein German (official), Alemannic dialect

Lithuania Lithuanian 82% (official), Russian 8%, Polish 6% (2001)

Luxembourg Luxermbourgish (national) French, German (both administrative)

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

Madagascar Malagasy and French (both official)

Malawi Chichewa 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)

Malaysia Bahasa 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

Maldives Maldivian Dhivehi (official); English spoken by most government officials
Mali French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages

Malta Maltese and English (both official)

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

Mauritania Hassaniya Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, French, Wolof

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

Mexico Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous
languages

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

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

Monaco French (official), English, Italian, Monégasque

Mongolia Mongolian, 90%; also Turkic and Russian (1999)

Montenegro  Serbian/Montenegrin (Ijekavian dialect—official)

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

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

Myanmar Burmese, minority languages

Namibia English 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
Nauru Nauruan (official), English
Nepal Nepali 48% (official), Maithali 12%, Bhojpuri 7%, Tharu 6%, Tamang 5%,
others. English spoken by many in government and business (2001)
Netherlands Dutch, Frisian (both official)
New Zealand English, Maori (both official)
Nicaragua Spanish 98% (official); English and indigenous languages on Atlantic
coast (1995)
Niger French (official), Hausa, Djerma
Nigeria English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo, Fulani, and more than 200 others
Norway Bokmål Norwegian, Nynorsk Norwegian (both official); small Sami- and
Finnish-speaking minorities (Sami is official in six municipalities)
Oman Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects
Pakistan
Urdu 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%
Palau
Palauan 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
Panama Spanish (official), English 14%, many bilingual
Papua New
Guinea
Tok Pisin (Melanesian Pidgin, the lingua franca), Hiri Motu (in Papua
region), English 1%–2%; 715 indigenous languages
Paraguay Spanish, Guaraní (both official)
Peru Spanish, Quéchua (both official); Aymara; many minor Amazonian
languages
Philippines
Filipino (based on Tagalog), English (both official); eight major dialects:
Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray,
Pampango, and Pangasinense
Poland Polish 98% (2002)
Portugal Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official, but locally used)
Qatar Arabic (official); English a common second language
Romania Romanian (official), Hungarian, German
Russia Russian, others
Rwanda Kinyarwanda, French, and English (all official); Kiswahili in commercial
centers
St. Kitts and Nevis English
St. Lucia English (official), French patois
St. Vincent and
the Grenadines English, French patois
Samoa Samoan, English
San Marino Italian
São Tomé and
Príncipe Portuguese (official)
Saudi Arabia Arabic
Senegal French (official); Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka
Serbia Serbian (official); Romanian, Hungarian, Slovak, and Croatian (all official
in Vojvodina); Albanian (official in Kosovo)
Seychelles Seselwa Creole 92%, English 5%, French (all official) (2002)
Sierra Leone English (official), Mende (southern vernacular), Temne (northern
vernacular), Krio (lingua franca)
Singapore
Mandarin 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)
Slovakia Slovak 84% (official), Hungarian 11%, Roma 2%, Ukrainian 1% (2001)
Slovenia Slovenian 91%, Serbo-Croatian 5% (2002)
Solomon Islands English 1%–2% (official), Melanesian pidgin (lingua franca), 120
indigenous languages
Somalia Somali (official), Arabic, English, Italian
South Africa IsiZulu 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% (2001)
Spain Castilian Spanish 74% (official nationwide); Catalan 17%, Galician 7%,
Basque 2% (each official regionally)
Sri Lanka
Sinhala 74% (official and national), Tamil 18% (national), other 8%;
English is commonly used in government and spoken competently by
about 10%
Sudan Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-
Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English
Suriname Dutch (official), Surinamese (lingua franca), English widely spoken,
Hindustani, Javanese
Swaziland English, siSwati (both official)
Sweden Swedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Switzerland German 64%, French 20%, Italian 7% (all official); Romansch 0.5%
(national)
Syria Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely
understood; French, English somewhat understood
Taiwan Chinese (Mandarin, official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects
Tajikistan Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business
Tanzania Swahili, English (both official); Arabic; many local languages
Thailand Thai (Siamese), English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and
regional dialects
Togo French (official, commerce); Ewé, Mina (south); Kabyé, Dagomba
(north); and many dialects
Tonga Tongan (an Austronesian language), English
Trinidad and
Tobago
English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish, Chinese
Tunisia Arabic (official, commerce), French (commerce)
Turkey Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli, Azeri, Kabardian
Turkmenistan Turkmen 72%; Russian 12%; Uzbek 9%, other 7%
Tuvalu Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui)
Uganda English (official), Ganda or Luganda, other Niger-Congo languages, NiloSaharan languages, Swahili, Arabic
Ukraine Ukrainian 67%, Russian 24%, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian
United Arab
Emirates
Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu
United Kingdom English, Welsh, Scots Gaelic
United States English 82%, Spanish 11% (2000)
Uruguay Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero
Uzbekistan Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%
Vanuatu Bislama 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
Venezuela Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects
Vietnam
Vietnamese (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
Yemen Arabic
Zambia English (official); major vernaculars: Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda,
Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga; about 70 other indigenous languages
Zimbabwe English (official), Shona, Ndebele (Sindebele), numerous minor tribal dialects