Official and spoken languages in each country: a checklist

Localization strategy

Tanja Schöllhammer

Content Marketer

Last updated

10/29/2026

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10 min

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Illustration of a world map featuring people greeting each other in different languages, including English, Spanish, French, Hungarian, Russian, and Japanese. The image highlights multilingual communication, cultural diversity, and the importance of localization in connecting people worldwide.

Table of content

Languages and scripts aren't the same thing Official and spoken languages by country, A to Z Countries with over 100 languages and two official languages Countries with the most official languages How to use this list to choose localization languages Reach global audiences without losing your brand voice

This list shows the official languages of every country, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, and the other languages people there use every day. Many countries have more than one official language, and many also use regional, indigenous or trade languages. Use it as a quick reference when you choose target languages for a product or website.

Languages and scripts aren’t the same thing

Some languages are written in two alphabets, and scripts can run in different directions. Arabic and Hebrew, for example, are written right to left, which changes how a translated layout has to look. Our guide to right-to-left and left-to-right languages covers what that means for your UI.

Official and spoken languages by country, A to Z

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 and 34 other indigenous languages (all official)
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
Eswatini	English, siSwati (both official)
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 (both official for the central government); Bengali, Gujarati, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Kannada, Assamese, Sanskrit, Sindhi and others among the 22 languages in the constitution's Eighth Schedule; 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	Luxembourgish (national), French, German (both administrative)
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
North Macedonia	Macedonian 67%, Albanian 25% (both official); Turkish 4%, Roma 2%, Serbian 1%
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%; 12 official languages, including South African Sign Language
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
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, Shona, Ndebele and 13 other official languages, including sign language

Countries with over 100 languages and two official languages

Several countries use more than 100 languages but name only two of them official. For localization, that means the official languages may not be the ones your users speak at home.

Chad: French and Arabic are official. Ethnologue lists 123 living indigenous languages in use.
Cameroon: French and English are official, and the country is home to at least 250 languages.
Tanzania: Swahili and English are official, and Ethnologue counts 126 languages spoken in the country.
The Philippines: Filipino and English are official, alongside 182 native languages counted by Ethnologue.

Countries with the most official languages

A few countries give official status to many languages at once. Four of them stand out:

Bolivia: Its 2009 constitution makes Spanish and 36 indigenous languages official, 37 in total.
India: Hindi and English are the official languages of the central government, and the constitution’s Eighth Schedule lists 22 languages.
Zimbabwe: Its 2013 constitution names 16 official languages, including sign language.
South Africa: It has 12 official languages. South African Sign Language became the twelfth through a constitutional amendment signed in July 2023, in force since June 2026.

How to use this list to choose localization languages

Official status tells you which languages a country’s government uses. It doesn’t tell you which language your users want to see in your app or on your website. Three checks help before you add a target language:

Look past the first official language. The table lists French at 23.2% in Canada, and French at 20% and Italian at 7% in Switzerland. A release in English or German alone leaves those readers out.
Pick the regional variant. Language tags can name the region a language is used in: de-CH is German as used in Switzerland, and es-419 is Spanish for Latin America and the Caribbean. Our guide to ISO 639 language codes explains how these codes are built.
Check the script and writing direction. A language written right to left, or in a script your fonts don’t cover, needs layout and font work before you ship it.

Reach global audiences without losing your brand voice

With LingoHub, you can localize your product and content for different languages and markets while keeping your brand voice consistent. LINA, the AI inside LingoHub, automates translations and reviews while using your company’s context, including glossaries, translation memories, and style guides, to preserve your terminology, tone, and messaging. With integrations for GitHub, Figma, and content management systems, localization fits directly into your existing workflows, helping you deliver a consistent product experience in every language.

Try LingoHub for free or book a demo.

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