List of official languages by country and territory

This is a list of official languages by country and territory. It includes all languages that have official language status either statewide or in a part of the state.

List

Country/Region Number of
official
(including
de facto)
Official language(s)
Abkhazia 2
  • Abkhaz
  • Russian
Afghanistan 2
  • Persian (Dari)
  • Pashto
Albania 1 Albanian
Algeria 2
  • Arabic
  • Berber
Andorra 1 Catalan
Angola 1 Portuguese
Antigua and Barbuda 1 None (English has de facto status)
Argentina 2 None at federal level (Spanish has de facto status)

Argentine Sign Language

Armenia 1 Armenian
Australia 1 None (English has de facto status)
Austria 1

German

Azerbaijan 1 Azerbaijani
Bahamas 1 English
Bahrain 1 Arabic
Bangladesh 1 Bengali
Barbados 1 English
Belarus 2
  • Belarusian
  • Russian
Belgium 3
  • Dutch
  • French
  • German
Belize 1 English
Benin 1 French
Bhutan 1 Dzongkha
Bolivia 37
  • Castilian (Spanish)
  • Aymara
  • Araona
  • Baure
  • Bésiro (Chiquitano)
  • Canichana
  • Cavineña
  • Cayubaba
  • Chácobo
  • Chimán
  • Ese Ejja
  • Guaraní
  • Guarasu'we
  • Guarayu
  • Itonama
  • Leco
  • Machajuyai-Kallawaya
  • Machineri
  • Maropa
  • Mojeño-Ignaciano
  • Mojeño-Trinitario
  • Moré
  • Mosetén
  • Movima
  • Pacawara
  • Puquina
  • Quechua
  • Sirionó
  • Tacana
  • Tapieté
  • Toromona
  • Uru-Chipaya
  • Weenhayek
  • Yaminawa
  • Yuki
  • Yuracaré
  • Zamuco
Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 None (Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian all have de facto status)
Botswana 1 English
Brazil 1

Portuguese

Brunei 1 Malay
Bulgaria 1 Bulgarian
Burkina Faso 4
  • Mooré
  • Bissa
  • Dyula
  • Fula
Burundi 3
  • French
  • Kirundi
  • English
Cambodia 1 Khmer
Cameroon 2
  • English
  • French
Canada 2
  • English (Federal)
  • French (Federal)
Cape Verde 1 Portuguese
Central African Republic 2
  • French
  • Sango
Chad 2
  • Arabic
  • French
Chile 1 Spanish
China 1 Standard Chinese
Christmas Island 3
  • English
  • Mandarin Chinese
  • Malay
Cocos (Keeling) Islands 2
  • English
  • Cocos Malay
Colombia 1 Spanish
Comoros 3
  • Arabic
  • Comorian
  • French
Democratic Republic of the Congo 1 French
Republic of the Congo 1 French
Cook Islands 2
  • English
  • Cook Islands Māori
Costa Rica 1 Spanish
Croatia 1 Croatian
Cuba 1 Spanish
Cyprus 2
  • Greek
  • Turkish
Czech Republic 2
  • Czech
Denmark 1 Danish
Djibouti 2
  • Arabic
  • French
Dominica 1 English
Dominican Republic 1 Spanish
East Timor 2
  • Portuguese
  • Tetum
Ecuador 1
  • Spanish
Egypt 1 Arabic
El Salvador 1 Spanish
Equatorial Guinea 3
  • French
  • Portuguese
  • Spanish
Eritrea 1 Tigrinya
Estonia 1 Estonian
Eswatini 2
  • English
  • Swazi
Ethiopia 5
  • Afar
  • Amharic
  • Oromo
  • Somali
  • Tigrinya
Fiji 3
  • English
  • Fijian
  • Fiji Hindi
Finland 2
  • Finnish
  • Swedish
France 1 French
Gabon 1 French
The Gambia 1 English
Georgia 1 Georgian
Germany 1 German
Ghana 1 English
Greece 1 Greek
Grenada 1 English
Guatemala 1 Spanish
Guinea 1 French
Guinea-Bissau 1 Portuguese
Guyana 1 English
Haiti 2
  • French
  • Haitian Creole
Honduras 1 Spanish
Hong Kong 2
  • Cantonese
  • English
Hungary 1 Hungarian
Iceland 2
  • Icelandic
  • Icelandic Sign Language
India 2
  • Hindi
  • English
Indonesia 1 Indonesian
Iran 1 Persian
Iraq 2
  • Arabic
  • Kurdish
Ireland 2
  • Irish
  • English
Israel 1 Hebrew
Italy 1 Italian
Ivory Coast 1 French
Jamaica 1 English
Japan 1 None (Japanese has de facto status)
Jordan 1 Arabic
Kazakhstan 2
  • Kazakh
  • Russian
Kenya 2
  • English
  • Swahili
Kiribati 2
  • English
  • Gilbertese
North Korea 1 Korean
South Korea 2
  • Korean
  • Korean Sign Language
Kosovo 2
  • Albanian
  • Serbian
Kuwait 1 Arabic
Kyrgyzstan 2
  • Kyrgyz
  • Russian
Laos 1 Lao
Latvia 1 Latvian
Lebanon 1 Arabic
Lesotho 2
  • Sesotho
  • English
Liberia 1 English
Libya 1 Arabic
Liechtenstein 1 German
Lithuania 1 Lithuanian
Luxembourg 3
  • French
  • German
  • Luxembourgish
Macau 2
  • Cantonese
  • Portuguese
Madagascar 2
  • French
  • Malagasy
Malawi 2
  • English
Malaysia 1 Malay
Maldives 1 Dhivehi
Mali 13
  • Bambara
  • Bobo
  • Bozo
  • Dogon
  • Fula
  • Hassaniya
  • Kassonke
  • Maninke
  • Minyanka
  • Senufo
  • Songhay languages
  • Soninke
  • Tamasheq
Malta 2
  • Maltese
  • English
Sovereign Military Order of Malta 1 Italian
Marshall Islands 2
  • English
  • Marshallese
Mauritania 1 Arabic
Mauritius 2 None (English has de jure status and French has de facto status)
Mexico 1 None (Spanish has de facto status)
Federated States of Micronesia 1 English
Moldova 1 Romanian
Monaco 1 French
Mongolia 1 Mongolian
Montenegro 1 Montenegrin
Morocco 2
  • Arabic
  • Berber
Mozambique 1 Portuguese
Myanmar (Burma) 1 Burmese
Namibia 1 English
Nauru 2
  • English
  • Nauruan
Nepal 1 Nepali
Netherlands 1 Dutch
New Zealand 3
  • Māori language
  • New Zealand Sign Language
  • (English has de facto status)
Nicaragua 1 Spanish
Niger 1 Hausa
Nigeria 1 English
Niue 2
  • English
  • Niuean
Norfolk Island 2
  • English
  • Norfuk
North Macedonia 2
  • Macedonian
  • Albanian
Northern Cyprus 1 Turkish
Norway 2
  • Norwegian
  • Sami languages
Oman 1 Arabic
Pakistan 2
  • Urdu
  • English
Palau 2
  • English
  • Palauan
Palestine 1 Arabic
Panama 1 Spanish
Papua New Guinea 4
  • English
  • Hiri Motu
  • PNG Sign Language
  • Tok Pisin
Paraguay 2
  • Spanish
  • Guaraní
Peru 1 Spanish
Philippines 2
  • Filipino
  • English
Poland 1 Polish
Portugal 1 Portuguese
Qatar 1 Arabic
Romania 1 Romanian
Russia 1 Russian
Rwanda 4
  • English
  • French
  • Kinyarwanda
  • Swahili
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic 2
  • Arabic
  • Spanish
Saint Kitts and Nevis 1 English
Saint Lucia 1 English
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 English
Samoa 2
  • English
  • Samoan
San Marino 1 Italian
São Tomé and Príncipe 1 Portuguese
Saudi Arabia 1 Arabic
Senegal 1 French
Serbia 1 Serbian
Seychelles 3
  • English
  • French
  • Seychellois Creole
Sierra Leone 1 English
Singapore 4
  • English
  • Malay
  • Mandarin Chinese
  • Tamil
Slovakia 1 Slovak
Slovenia 1 Slovene
Solomon Islands 1
  • English
Somalia 2
  • Somali
  • Arabic
Somaliland 3
  • Arabic
  • English
  • Somali
South Africa 12
  • Afrikaans
  • English
  • Southern Ndebele
  • Sotho
  • Northern Sotho
  • Swazi
  • Tsonga
  • Tswana
  • Venda
  • Xhosa
  • Zulu
  • SA Sign Language
South Ossetia 2
  • Ossetian
  • Russian
South Sudan 1 English
Spain 1 Spanish
Sri Lanka 2
  • Sinhala
  • Tamil
Sudan 2
  • Arabic
  • English
Suriname 1 Dutch
Sweden 1 Swedish
Switzerland 4
  • French (Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel, Valais, Vaud)
  • German (Aargau, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Glarus, Graubünden, Lucerne, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Saint Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Uri, Valais, Zug, Zürich)
  • Italian (Ticino, Graubünden)
  • Romansh (Graubünden)
Syria 1 Arabic
Taiwan 1 None (Mandarin Chinese has de facto status)
Tajikistan 1 Tajik
Tanzania 2
  • Swahili
  • English
Thailand 1 Thai
Togo 1 French
Tokelau 2
  • English
  • Tokelauan
Tonga 2
  • English
  • Tongan
Transnistria 3
  • Moldovan
  • Russian
  • Ukrainian
Trinidad and Tobago 1 English
Tunisia 1 Arabic
Turkey 1 Turkish
Turkmenistan 1 Turkmen
Tuvalu 2
  • Tuvaluan
  • English
Uganda 2
  • English
  • Swahili
Ukraine 1 Ukrainian
United Arab Emirates 1 Arabic
United Kingdom and Crown dependencies etc. 1 None (English has de facto status)
United States 1 None (English has de facto status)
Uruguay 2
  • Uruguayan Sign Language (Spanish has de facto status)
Uzbekistan 1 Uzbek
Vanuatu 3
  • English
  • French
  • Bislama
Vatican City 2
  • Italian
  • Latin
Venezuela 2
  • Spanish
Vietnam 1 Vietnamese
Yemen 1 Arabic
Zambia 1 English
Zimbabwe 16
  • Chewa
  • Chibarwe
  • English
  • Kalanga
  • Khoisan
  • Nambya
  • Ndau
  • Ndebele
  • Shangani
  • Shona
  • Sign language
  • Sotho
  • Tonga
  • Tswana
  • Venda
  • Xhosa

List of languages by number of countries in which they are the official language

This is a ranking of languages by number of sovereign countries in which they are de jure or de facto official, although there are no precise inclusion criteria or definition of a language. An '*' (asterisk) indicates a country whose independence is disputed.

Partially recognized or de facto independent countries are denoted by an asterisk (*)

Language World Africa Americas Asia Europe Oceania Countries
English 57 22 14 4 3 14 United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, India, Nigeria (See the full list)
French 26 18 2 5 1 France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Madagascar, Monaco, Haiti, Vanuatu (See the full list)
Arabic 24–26* 12–14* 12 Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Palestine (See the full list)
Spanish 20 1 18 1 Spain, Colombia, Argentina, Mexico (See the full list)
Portuguese 9 6 1 1 1 Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, East Timor (See the full list)
German 6 6 Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein (See the full list)
Russian 4–7* 2 2–5* Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Abkhazia,* South Ossetia,* Transnistria* (See the full list)
Serbo-Croatian 4–5* 4–5* Serbia (known as Serbian), Croatia (known as Croatian), Montenegro (known as Montenegrin), Bosnia and Herzegovina (known as Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian), Kosovo* (known as Serbian)
Italian 4 4 Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City
Malay 4 4 Malaysia, Indonesia (known as Indonesian), Singapore, Brunei
Swahili 4 4 Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda
Berber 3 3 Algeria, Morocco, Mali
Dutch 3 1 2 Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname
Persian 3 3 Iran, Afghanistan (known as Dari), Tajikistan (known as Tajik)
Sotho 3 3 South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe
Tswana 3 3 Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Albanian 2–3* 2–3* Albania, Kosovo,* North Macedonia
Standard Chinese 2–3* 2–3* China, Singapore, Taiwan*
Romanian 2–3* 2-3* Romania, Moldova, Transnistria*
Somali 2–3* 2–3* Somalia, Ethiopia, Somaliland*
Turkish 2–3* 2–3* Turkey, Northern Cyprus,* Cyprus
Aymara 2 2 Bolivia and Peru
Bengali 2 2 Bangladesh and India
Chichewa 2 2 Malawi and Zimbabwe
Fula 2 2 Mali and Burkina Faso
Greek 2 2 Greece and Cyprus
Guarani 2 2 Paraguay and Bolivia
Hindi 2 2 India and Fiji
Korean 2 2 North Korea and South Korea
Quechua 2 2 Bolivia and Peru
Rwanda-Rundi 2 2 Burundi (known as Kirundi) and Rwanda (known as Kinyarwanda)
Swati 2 2 Eswatini and South Africa
Swedish 2 2 Sweden and Finland
Tamil 2 2 Sri Lanka and Singapore
Tigrinya 2 2 Eritrea and Ethiopia
Venda 2 2 South Africa and Zimbabwe

See also

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