Languages in use per country - checklist

Country

Language in Use

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; Slovene, Croatian, Hungarian

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani Turkic 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6%

Bahamas

English (official), Creole

Bahrain

Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu

Bangladesh

Bangla (official), English

Barbados

English

Belarus

Belorussian, Russian

Belgium

Dutch (Flemish), French, German

Belize

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

Benin

French (official), Fon, Yoruba, tribal languages

Bhutan

Dzongkha (official), Tibetan dialects, Nepalese dialects

Bolivia

Spanish, Quechua, Aymara

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian

Botswana

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

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), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects

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

Ecuador

Spanish (official), Quechua, other Amerindian languages

Egypt

Arabic (official), English and French widely understood

El Salvador

Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)

Equatorial Guinea

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

Eritrea

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

Estonia

Estonian 67% (official), Russian 30%

Ethiopia

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

Fiji

English (official), Fijian, Hindustani

Finland

Finnish 92%, Swedish 6% (both official)

France

French 100%

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%

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)

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%

Kenya

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

Kiribati

English (official), I-Kiribati (Gilbertese)

Korea, North

Korean

Korea, South

Korean, English widely taught

Kosovo

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

Kuwait

Arabic (official), English

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyz, Russian (both official)

Laos

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

Latvia

Latvian 58% (official), Russian 38%, Lithuanian

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%

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%

Malaysia

Bahasa Melayu (Malay, official), English, Chinese dialects; several indigenous languages

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 60%, 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

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, Igbo, 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%, and other

Palau

Palauan 64.7%, English 9.4%, Filipino 13.5%, Chinese 5.7%, other languages

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%

South Sudan

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

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, Swahili, Arabic

Ukraine

Ukrainian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian, Russian

United Arab Emirates

Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu

United Kingdom

English, Welsh, Scots Gaelic

United States

English 82%, Spanish 11%

Uruguay

Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero

Uzbekistan

Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%

Vanuatu

Bislama 23%, English 2%, French 1%; 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; 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, numerous minor tribal dialects