Languages Spoken in Each Country of the World The table below lists the official language of each country as well as other languages spoken. In selected countries, the percent of the population that speaks each language is also given. 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 dIvoire 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 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, 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% 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, other Niger- Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan 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
Posted on: Sat, 29 Mar 2014 08:31:42 +0000
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