What Language Do They Speak in…

By Ivan Karadzhov

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We’ve put together a list of some of the official and unofficial languages spoken around the world, categorised by country.

Afghanistan

  • Official Language: Pashto, Dari
  • Regional Languages: Uzbek, Turkmen, Balochi, Pashayi, Nuristani, and others.

Albania

  • Official Language: Albanian

Algeria

  • Official Language: Arabic, Berber
  • Regional Languages: French, Tamazight, and others.

Andorra

  • Official Languages: Catalan

Angola

  • Official Language: Portuguese
  • Regional Languages: Umbundu, Kimbundu, Kikongo, and others.

Antigua and Barbuda

  • Official Language: English

Argentina

  • Official Language: Spanish

Armenia

  • Official Language: Armenian

Australia

  • No official language; English is the de facto national language.

Austria

  • Official Language: German

Azerbaijan

  • Official Language: Azerbaijani
  • Regional Languages: Russian, Lezgian, and others.

Bahrain

  • Official Language: Arabic
  • English is widely used in business and education.

Bangladesh

  • Official Language: Bengali

Barbados

  • Official Language: English

Belarus

  • Official Language: Belarusian, Russian
  • Regional Languages: Polish, Ukrainian, and others.

Belgium

  • Official Languages: Dutch, French, German

Belize

  • Official Language: English
  • Regional Languages: Spanish, Mayan languages, Garifuna, and others.

Benin

  • Official Language: French
  • Regional Languages: Fon, Yoruba, and others.

Bhutan

  • Official Language: Dzongkha

Cambodia

  • Official Language: Khmer

Cameroon

  • Official Languages: English, French
  • Regional Languages: Fulfulde, Bambara, and others.

Canada

  • Official Languages: English, French

Cape Verde

  • Official Language: Portuguese
  • Cape Verdean Creole is widely spoken.

Central African Republic

  • Official Languages: French, Sango

Chad

  • Official Languages: French, Arabic
  • Regional Languages: Sara, Kanembu, and others.

Chile

  • Official Language: Spanish

China

  • Official Language: Standard Mandarin (Putonghua)
  • Regional Languages: Cantonese, Shanghainese, Hokkien, and others.

Colombia

  • Official Language: Spanish

Comoros

  • Official Languages: Comorian, Arabic, French

Congo (Congo-Brazzaville)

  • Official Language: French
  • Regional Languages: Lingala, Kituba, and others.

Costa Rica

  • Official Language: Spanish

Croatia

  • Official Language: Croatian

Cuba

  • Official Language: Spanish

Cyprus

  • Official Languages: Greek, Turkish

Czech Republic

  • Official Language: Czech

Denmark

  • Official Language: Danish

Djibouti

  • Official Languages: French, Arabic
  • Regional Languages: Afar, Somali

Dominica

  • Official Language: English

Dominican Republic

  • Official Language: Spanish

Ecuador

  • Official Language: Spanish
  • Regional Languages: Quechua, Shuar, and others.

Egypt

  • Official Language: Arabic

El Salvador

  • Official Language: Spanish

Equatorial Guinea

  • Official Languages: Spanish, French, Portuguese
  • Regional Languages: Fang, Bubi, and others.

Eritrea

  • Official Languages: Tigrinya, Arabic, English
  • Regional Languages: Tigre, Bilen, and others.

Estonia

  • Official Language: Estonian

Eswatini

  • Official Languages: Swazi (siSwati), English

Ethiopia

  • Official Languages: Amharic, Oromo, Tigrinya, and others.

Fiji

  • Official Languages: English, Fijian, Hindi

Finland

  • Official Languages: Finnish, Swedish

France

  • Official Language: French

Gabon

  • Official Language: French

Gambia

  • Official Language: English
  • Regional Languages: Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, and others.

Georgia

  • Official Language: Georgian
  • Regional Languages: Abkhaz, Ossetian, Mingrelian, and others.

Germany

  • Official Language: German

Ghana

  • Official Language: English
  • Regional Languages: Akan, Mole-Dagbon, Ewe, and others.

Greece

  • Official Language: Greek

Grenada

  • Official Language: English

Guatemala

  • Official Language: Spanish
  • Regional Languages: K’iche’, Kaqchikel, Mam, and others.

Guinea

  • Official Language: French
  • Regional Languages: Fulfulde, Malinke, Susu, and others.

Guinea-Bissau

  • Official Language: Portuguese
  • Creole is widely spoken.

Guyana

  • Official Language: English
  • Regional Languages: Guyanese Creole, Hindi, and others.

Haiti

  • Official Languages: Haitian Creole, French

Honduras

  • Official Language: Spanish

Hungary

  • Official Language: Hungarian

Iceland

  • Official Language: Icelandic

India

  • Official Languages: Hindi, English
  • Regional Languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, and many more.

Indonesia

  • Official Language: Bahasa Indonesia
  • Regional Languages: Javanese, Sundanese, Balinese, and others.

Iran

  • Official Language: Persian
  • Regional Languages: Kurdish, Luri, Balochi, and others.

Iraq

  • Official Languages: Arabic, Kurdish

Ireland

  • Official Languages: Irish, English

Israel

  • Official Languages: Hebrew, Arabic

Italy

  • Official Language: Italian

Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire)

  • Official Language: French
  • Regional Languages: Baoulé, Bété, Sénoufo, and others.

Jamaica

  • Official Language: English
  • Jamaican Patois is widely spoken.

Japan

  • Official Language: Japanese

Jordan

  • Official Language: Arabic

Kazakhstan

  • Official Languages: Kazakh, Russian
  • Regional Languages: Uzbek, Uighur, Kyrgyz, and others.

Kenya

  • Official Languages: Swahili, English
  • Regional Languages: Kikuyu, Luo, Luhya, and others.

Kiribati

  • Official Languages: English, Gilbertese

Kuwait

  • Official Language: Arabic
  • English is widely used in business and education.

Kyrgyzstan

  • Official Language: Kyrgyz
  • Russian is also widely spoken.

Laos

  • Official Language: Lao

Latvia

  • Official Language: Latvian

Lebanon

  • Official Languages: Arabic, French
  • English is widely used in business and education.

Lesotho

  • Official Language: Sesotho
  • English is also used in government and education.

Liberia

  • Official Language: English

Libya

  • Official Language: Arabic
  • English and Italian are also used in some contexts.

Liechtenstein

  • Official Language: German

Lithuania

  • Official Language: Lithuanian

Luxembourg

  • Official Languages: Luxembourgish, French, German

Madagascar

  • Official Languages: Malagasy, French

Malawi

  • Official Languages: Chichewa, English

Malaysia

  • Official Language: Malay (Bahasa Malaysia)

Maldives

  • Official Language: Dhivehi

Mali

  • Official Language: French
  • Regional Languages: Bambara, Fulfulde, and others.

Malta

  • Official Languages: Maltese, English

Marshall Islands

  • Official Languages: Marshallese, English

Mauritania

  • Official Language: Arabic
  • Regional Languages: Pulaar, Soninke, and others.

Mauritius

  • Official Languages: English, French, Mauritian Creole

Mexico

  • Official Language: Spanish

Micronesia

  • Official Languages: English, Yapese, Chuukese, and others.

Moldova

  • Official Language: Romanian
  • Russian and Ukrainian are also widely spoken.

Monaco

  • Official Language: French

Mongolia

  • Official Language: Mongolian

Montenegro

  • Official Language: Montenegrin
  • Serbian, Bosnian, and Albanian are also spoken.

Morocco

  • Official Languages: Arabic, Amazigh (Berber)
  • French is widely used in government and business.

Mozambique

  • Official Languages: Portuguese, various indigenous languages

Namibia

  • Official Languages: English, Oshiwambo, Otjiherero, Afrikaans, German, and others.

Nauru

  • Official Languages: Nauruan, English

Nepal

  • Official Language: Nepali
  • Regional Languages: Maithili, Bhojpuri, Tamang, and others.

Netherlands

  • Official Language: Dutch
  • Frisian is recognized as a regional language.

New Zealand

  • Official Languages: English, Māori
  • New Zealand Sign Language is also recognized.

Nicaragua

  • Official Language: Spanish
  • English and indigenous languages are spoken on the Caribbean coast.

Niger

  • Official Language: French
  • Regional Languages: Hausa, Zarma, and others.

Nigeria

  • Official Language: English
  • Regional Languages: Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, and others.

North Macedonia

  • Official Language: Macedonian
  • Albanian is also widely spoken.

Norway

  • Official Languages: Norwegian (Bokmål and Nynorsk), Sami
  • Kven, Romani, and others are recognized as minority languages.

Oman

  • Official Language: Arabic
  • English is widely used in business and education.

Pakistan

  • Official Languages: Urdu, English
  • Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, and others are spoken regionally.

Palau

  • Official Languages: Palauan, English

Panama

  • Official Language: Spanish
  • English is also spoken in certain areas.

Papua New Guinea

  • Official Languages: English, Tok Pisin, Hiri Motu
  • Numerous indigenous languages are spoken.

Paraguay

  • Official Languages: Spanish, Guarani

Peru

  • Official Languages: Spanish, Quechua, Aymara
  • Numerous indigenous languages are spoken.

Philippines

  • Official Languages: Filipino (based on Tagalog), English

Poland

  • Official Language: Polish

Portugal

  • Official Language: Portuguese

Qatar

  • Official Language: Arabic
  • English is widely used in business and education.

Romania

  • Official Language: Romanian

Russia

  • Official Language: Russian
  • Numerous minority languages are spoken, including Tatar, Chechen, Bashkir, and others.

Rwanda

  • Official Languages: Kinyarwanda, French, English

Saint Kitts and Nevis

  • Official Language: English

Saint Lucia

  • Official Language: English

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

  • Official Language: English

Samoa

  • Official Languages: Samoan, English

San Marino

  • Official Languages: Italian

Sao Tome and Principe

  • Official Language: Portuguese

Saudi Arabia

  • Official Language: Arabic

Senegal

  • Official Language: French
  • Regional Languages: Wolof, Pulaar, Serer, and others.

Serbia

  • Official Language: Serbian
  • Other languages include Hungarian, Bosnian, and Albanian.

Seychelles

  • Official Languages: Creole, English, French

Sierra Leone

  • Official Language: English
  • Krio is widely spoken.

Singapore

  • Official Languages: Malay, Mandarin, Tamil, English

Slovakia

  • Official Language: Slovak

Slovenia

  • Official Language: Slovenian

Solomon Islands

  • Official Languages: English, Pijin

Somalia

  • Official Languages: Somali, Arabic
  • English and Italian are also spoken in some regions.

South Africa

  • Official Languages: 11 languages, including Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, English, and others.

South Korea

  • Official Language: Korean

South Sudan

  • Official Languages: English
  • Regional languages include Dinka, Nuer, and Bari.

Spain

  • Official Languages: Spanish, Catalan, Galician, Basque

Sri Lanka

  • Official Languages: Sinhala, Tamil

Sudan

  • Official Languages: Arabic, English
  • Regional languages include Nubian, Beja, and others.

Suriname

  • Official Languages: Dutch, Sranan Tongo
  • Regional languages include Hindi, Javanese, and others.

Sweden

  • Official Language: Swedish

Switzerland

  • Official Languages: German, French, Italian, Romansh

Syria

  • Official Language: Arabic
  • Kurdish and Armenian are also spoken.

Taiwan

  • Official Language: Mandarin
  • Regional Languages: Hakka, Hokkien, Formosan languages

Tajikistan

  • Official Language: Tajik
  • Russian is widely used in government and business.

Tanzania

  • Official Languages: Swahili, English
  • Regional Languages: Sukuma, Chaga, and others.

Thailand

  • Official Language: Thai

Timor-Leste

  • Official Languages: Tetum, Portuguese
  • Bahasa Indonesia and English are also used.

Togo

  • Official Language: French
  • Ewe and Kabye are also spoken.

Tonga

  • Official Language: Tongan
  • English is also spoken.

Trinidad and Tobago

  • Official Language: English

Tunisia

  • Official Language: Arabic
  • French is also widely used.

Turkey

  • Official Language: Turkish
  • Kurdish and others are spoken by minority groups.

Turkmenistan

  • Official Language: Turkmen
  • Russian is also used in some areas.

Tuvalu

  • Official Languages: Tuvaluan, English

Uganda

  • Official Languages: English, Swahili
  • Regional Languages: Luganda, Runyankole, Ateso, and others.

Ukraine

  • Official Language: Ukrainian
  • Russian and others are spoken by minority groups.

United Arab Emirates

  • Official Language: Arabic
  • English is widely used in business and tourism.

United Kingdom

  • Official Languages: English, Welsh (in Wales), Scots Gaelic (in Scotland), Irish (in Northern Ireland)

United States

  • No official language at the federal level; English is the de facto national language.

Uruguay

  • Official Language: Spanish

Uzbekistan

  • Official Language: Uzbek
  • Russian is used in government and education.

Vanuatu

  • Official Languages: Bislama, English, French

Vatican City

  • Official Languages: Latin, Italian

Venezuela

  • Official Language: Spanish

Vietnam

  • Official Language: Vietnamese

Western Sahara

  • Languages: Arabic, Hassaniya Arabic

Trick question… There are no countries that start with the letter X!

Yemen

  • Official Language: Arabic

Zambia

  • Official Language: English
  • Regional Languages: Bemba, Nyanja, Tonga, and others.

Zimbabwe

  • Official Languages: English, Shona, Sindebele

In which country are the most languages spoken?

Papua New Guinea is often considered the country with the highest linguistic diversity in the world. It is estimated that there are over 800 languages spoken in Papua New Guinea, making it one of the most linguistically diverse countries globally. The diversity of languages can be attributed to the country’s geography and culture, as it has numerous distinct ethnic groups residing in different regions.

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