List of official languages by state
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This is a complete list of the official languages designated in the sovereign states of the world. It includes all languages that have official language status either statewide or in a part of the state, or that have status as a national language, regional language, or minority language.
Only states, which are defined as sovereign, internationally recognised, independent political entities, are listed. This is not a list of countries or nations, although many states listed, are simultaneously also countries and/or nations.
For dependent territories, refer to the corresponding sovereign states.
[edit] Definitions
- Official language: one designated as having a unique legal status in the state, typically, the language used in a nation's legislative bodies, and often, official government business
- Regional language: one designated as having official status limited to a specific area, administrative division, or territory of the state (on this page a regional language will have parentheses next to it that contain a region, province, etc. where the language has regional status)
- Minority language: (as used here) one spoken by a minority population within the state and officially designated as such; typically afforded protection and designated an officially permissible language for legal and government business in a specific area or territory of the state (on this page a minority language will be followed by parentheses that identify its minority status)
- National language: one that uniquely represents the national identity of a state, nation, and/or country and so designated by a country's government; some are technically minority languages (on this page a national language will be followed by parentheses that identify it as a national language status). Some countries have more than one language with this status.
[edit] A
Afghanistan[1]
- Pashto (statewide) (official)
- Dari (statewide) (official)
- Uzbek (statewide) (third official language in areas where spoken by majority of population)
- Turkmen (statewide) (third official language in areas where spoken by majority of population)
- Pashai (statewide) (third official language in areas where spoken by majority of population)
- Nuristani (statewide) (third official language in areas where spoken by majority of population)
- Balochi (statewide) (third official language in areas where spoken by majority of population)
- Pamiri (statewide) (third official language in areas where spoken by majority of population)
Austria
- German (official statewide)[9]
- Croatian (official in Burgenland in areas where live Austrians of the Croat minority)[10] (statewide minority language)
- Slovene (official in Carinthia and Styria in areas where live Austrians of the Slovene minority)[10] (statewide minority language)
- Czech (statewide minority language)
- Hungarian (in Burgenland) (statewide minority language)
- Slovak (statewide minority language)
- Romani (statewide minority language)
[edit] B
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[edit] C
Canada
- English (national)
- Official provincial language of New Brunswick
- French (national)
- Official provincial language of Quebec and New Brunswick
- Chipewyan (Dëne Sųłiné) (in the Northwest Territories)
- Cree (in the Northwest Territories)
- Dogrib (Tłįchǫ) (in the Northwest Territories)
- Gwich’in (in the Northwest Territories)
- Inuinnaqtun (in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut)
- Inuktitut (in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut)
- Inuvialuktun (in the Northwest Territories)
- Slavey (in the Northwest Territories)
- English (national)
Cape Verde
- Portuguese (official)
- Cape Verdean Creole (national)
People's Republic of China
- Chinese
- written: Simplified Chinese statewide, Traditional Chinese de facto in Hong Kong and Macau
- spoken: Mandarin statewide, Cantonese de facto in Hong Kong and Macau
- English (in Hong Kong)
- Portuguese (in Macau)
- Kazakh (in Ili Kazakh, Xinjiang)
- Korean (in Changbai and Yanbian, Jilin)
- Mongolian (in Inner Mongolia)
- Tajik (in Taxkorgan, Xinjiang)
- Tibetan (in Tibet)
- Uyghur (in Xinjiang)
- Zhuang (in Guangxi)
- Chinese
Republic of the Congo
- French
- Lingala (national)
- Munukutuba (national)
[edit] D
Denmark
- Danish (statewide)
- Faroese (in the Faroe Islands)
- German (protected minority language in South Jutland)
- Kalaallisut (in Greenland)
[edit] E
[edit] F
Finland
- Finnish (statewide, except in the Åland Islands)
- Swedish (statewide) (in the Åland Islands where Swedish is spoken monolingually)
- Sami (minority language in Enontekiö, Inari, Sodankylä, and Utsjoki)
France and overseas departments and territories (Languages of France and language policy in France)[15]
- French (statewide)
[edit] G
Georgia
- Abkhaz (in Abkhazia)
- Georgian (statewide, except in Abkhazia and South Ossetia)
- Ossetic (in South Ossetia)
- Russian (in Abkhazia and South Ossetia)
Germany
- No official language nationwide, German is the de facto official language and the national language.
- Danish (in Schleswig-Holstein) (minority language)
- Lower Sorbian (in Brandenburg) (minority language)
- North Frisian (in Schleswig-Holstein) (minority language)
- Romani (in Hesse)
- Saterland Frisian (in Lower Saxony) (minority language)
- Upper Sorbian (in Saxony) (minority language)
Ghana
- Adangme (in Greater Accra)
- Dagaare (in the Upper West Region)
- Dagbani (in the Northern Region)
- English (statewide)
- Ewe (in the Volta Region)
- Ga (in Greater Accra)
- Gonja (in the Northern Region)
- Kasem (in the Upper East Region)
- Nzema (in the Western Region)
- Twi (in Akuapem, Akyem, Ashanti, Fanteakwa, Fante, and Kwahu)
[edit] H
[edit] I
India
- Assamese (in Assam)
- Bengali (in Tripura and West Bengal)
- Bhojpuri (in Bihar)
- Bodo (in Assam)
- Chhattisgarhi (in Chhattisgarh)
- Dogri (in Jammu and Kashmir)
- English (statewide)
- French (in Puducherry)
- Garo (in Meghalaya)
- Gujarati (in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Gujarat)
- Hindi (Central Government and most of the states)
- Kannada (in Karnataka)
- Karbi (in Assam)
- Kashmiri (in Jammu and Kashmir)
- Khasi (in Meghalaya)
- Kokborok (in Tripura)
- Konkani (in Goa)
- Magadhi (Only in Bihar)
- Maithili (in Bihar)
- Malayalam (in Kerala, Pondicherry and Lakshadweep)
- Meitei (in Manipur)
- Marathi (in Maharashtra, Goa)
- Mizo (in Mizoram)
- Nepali (in Sikkim)
- Nicobarese (in Andaman and Nicobar Islands)
- Oriya (in Orissa)
- Pahari (in Himachal Pradesh)
- Portuguese (in Diu and Goa)
- Punjabi (in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh)
- Rajasthani (in Rajasthan)
- Sanskrit (statewide)
- Santali (in Jharkhand)
- Sindhi (sindhi community/people dependent)
- Tamil (in Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Pondicherry)
- Telugu (in Andhra Pradesh and Pondicherry)
- Urdu (in Jammu and Kashmir)
Iraq
- Arabic (statewide)
- Kurdish (in the Kurdish Autonomous Region)
- Assyrian Neo-Aramaic (in assyrian areas)
- Iraqi Turkmen (in turkmen areas)
Italy (Languages of Italy)[citation needed]
- Italian (statewide)
- Albanian (in some parts of Southern Italy)
- Catalan (in Alghero, Sardinia)
- Croatian (in Montemitro & Acquaviva Collecroce & San Felice, Molise)
- French (in Aosta Valley)
- Friulian (in Friuli)
- German (in Alto Adige/Südtirol)
- Greek (in some parts of Apulia and Calabria)
- Ladin (in some parts of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol)
- Slovene (in some parts of Friuli-Venezia Giulia)
[edit] J
[edit] K
[edit] L
Luxembourg
- French
- German
- Luxembourgish (national)
[edit] M
Macedonia
- Macedonian (statewide)
- Albanian
- Turkish
Marshall Islands
- English
- Marshallese (national)
Mauritius
- English
- French (de facto, lingua franca)
- Mauritian Creole
Mexico
- No official language statewide, Spanish is the de facto official language
Moldova
- Gagauz (in Gagauzia)
- Moldovan (or Romanian - statewide)
- Russian (in Gagauzia and Transnistria)
- Ukrainian (in Transnistria)
Montenegro
- Montenegrin (national)
- Bosnian
- Croatian (in Tivat)
- Serbian (in Herceg Novi)
- Albanian (in Uncinj)
[edit] N
Netherlands
- No official language nationwide, Dutch is the de facto official language and the national language.
- English (on Netherlands Antilles)
- West Frisian (in Friesland)
- Limburgish (regional language)
- Low Saxon (regional language)
- Papiamento (on Aruba, Netherlands Antilles)
New Zealand
- English is a de facto official language (statewide)
- Maori (statewide)
- NZSL (NZ Deaf community)
- Cook Islands Maori (in the Cook Islands)
- Niuean (in Niue)
- Tokelauan (in Tokelau)
Norway (Languages of Norway)
- Norwegian (statewide) (Bokmål and Nynorsk are the official forms, and municipalities choose between them or a neutral stance.
- Sami (indigenous language in vast areas from Engerdal to the Russian border, official administrative language in Kautokeino, Karasjok, Gáivuotna - Kåfjord), Nesseby, Porsanger, Tana, Tysfjord, and Snåsa)
- Kven (national minority language, administrative language in Porsanger
- Romani (national minority language)
- Scandoromani (national minority language)
[edit] O
[edit] P
Philippines
- Arabic (Recognized as "voluntary and optional" statewide)
- Bikol Central (in Luzon)
- Cebuano (in Visayas and Mindanao)
- English (statewide)
- Filipino (statewide) (national)
- Hiligaynon (in Visayas and Mindanao)
- Ilokano (in Luzon)
- Kapampangan (in Luzon)
- Kinaray-a (in the Visayas)
- Maranao (in Mindanao)
- Maguindanao (in Mindanao)
- Pangasinan (in Luzon)
- Spanish (Recognized as "voluntary and optional" statewide)
- Tagalog (in Luzon)
- Tausug (in Mindanao)
- Waray-Waray (in the Visayas)
Poland
- Polish (sole official language of state)
- Kashubian (recognised regional language and secondary official language in part of Pomeranian Voivodeship)
- German (minority language and auxiliary language in part of Opole Voivodeship)
- Lithuania (minority language and auxiliary language) in Puńsk commune, Podlaskie Voivodeship)
- Belorussian (minority language and auxiliary language in Hajnówka commune, Podlaskie Voivodeship)
Portugal (Languages of Portugal)
- Portuguese
- Mirandese (regional, in Miranda do Douro)
[edit] Q
[edit] R
Russia (Languages of Russia)
- Russian (federal)
- Abaza (in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic)
- Adyghe (in the Republic of Adygea)
- Agul (in the Republic of Dagestan)
- Altay (in the Altai Republic)
- Avar (in the Republic of Dagestan)
- Azerbaijani (in the Republic of Dagestan)
- Bashkir (in the Republic of Bashkortostan)
- Buryat (in Buryat Republic)
- Chechen (in the Chechen Republic and Republic of Dagestan)
- Chuvash (in the Chuvash Republic)
- Dargin (in the Republic of Dagestan)
- Erzya (in the Republic of Mordovia)
- Ingush (in the Republic of Ingushetia)
- Kabardian (in the Kabardino-Balkar and Karachay-Cherkess Republics)
- Kalmyk (in the Republic of Kalmykia)
- Karachay-Balkar (in the Kabardino-Balkar and Karachay-Cherkess Republics)
- Khakas (in the Republic of Khakassia)
- Komi-Zyrian (in the Komi Republic)
- Kumyk (in the Republic of Dagestan)
- Lak (in the Republic of Dagestan)
- Lezgian (in the Republic of Dagestan)
- Mari (in the Mari El Republic)
- Moksha (in the Republic of Mordovia)
- Nogai (in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic and in the Republic of Dagestan)
- Ossetic (in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania)
- Rutul (in the Republic of Dagestan)
- Sakha (in the Sakha Republic)
- Tabasaran (in the Republic of Dagestan)
- Tatar (in the Republic of Tatarstan)
- Tati (in the Republic of Dagestan)
- Tsakhur (in the Republic of Dagestan)
- Tuvin (in the Tuva Republic)
- Udmurt (in the Republic of Udmurtia)
[edit] S
Senegal
- French
- Jola-Fogny (national)
- Malinke (national)
- Mandinka (national)
- Pulaar (national)
- Serer-Sine (national)
- Wolof (national)
Sweden
- No official language statewide, Swedish is the de facto official language. -as of July 1st 2009, swedish is the official language de jure.
- Finnish (in Gällivare, Haparanda, Kiruna, Pajala, Övertorneå, and the surrounding areas) (minority language)
- Meänkieli (in Gällivare, Haparanda, Kiruna, Pajala, Övertorneå, and the surrounding areas) (minority language)
- Romani (historical minority language)
- Sami (in Arjeplog, Gällivare, Jokkmokk, Kiruna, and the surrounding areas) (minority language)
- Yiddish (historical minority language)
Switzerland
- German (in 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, and Zürich)
- French (in Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel, Valais, and Vaud)
- Italian (in Ticino and Graubünden)
- Romansh (in Graubünden)
[edit] T
[edit] U
Ukraine
- Ukrainian
- Russian (regional in Donetsk Oblast, Luhansk, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odessa Oblasts, and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea)
- Hungarian (regional in parts of Zakarpattia Oblast)
United Kingdom
- English[22], with the following specifications:
- English (in Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey, Montserrat, Northern Ireland (de facto), the Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena and Turks and Caicos Islands)
- Cornish[23] (minority language in Cornwall)
- Dgèrnésiais (in Guernsey)
- French (in Guernsey and Jersey)
- Irish (in Northern Ireland)
- Jèrriais (in Jersey)
- Pitcairnese (in the Pitcairn Islands)
- Scots (minority language in Northern Ireland and Scotland)
- Scottish Gaelic (in Scotland)
- Welsh (in Wales)
- English[22], with the following specifications:
United States
- No official language nationwide, English is the de facto official language.
- English (official, in Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming)
- Carolinian (regional language in the Northern Mariana Islands)
- Chamorro (regional language in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands)
- French (regional language in parts of Louisiana)
- Hawaiian (regional language in Hawaii)
- Samoan (regional language in American Samoa)
- Spanish (regional language in Puerto Rico)
- No official language nationwide, English is the de facto official language.
[edit] V
Vatican City
- No official language; Italian is the de facto official language.
[edit] W
Western Sahara (SADR) (Western Sahara)
[edit] Y
[edit] Z
[edit] Partially recognised states
[edit] References and footnotes
- ^ Constitution of Afghanistan (Article 16)
- ^ Constitution of Albania (Article 14)
- ^ a b Constitution of Algeria (Article 3) (MS Word format)
- ^ Constitution of Andorra (Article 2)
- ^ "Angola". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ao.html#People.
- ^ Constitution of Antigua and Barbuba, 1981 (Article 29)
- ^ Argentina: Country Information
- ^ Constitution of Armenia (Article 12)
- ^ Constitution of Austria (Article 8)
- ^ a b Constitution of Austria, Article 8 & State Treaty for the Re-establishment of an Independent and Democratic Austria) (Article 7, Page 188)
- ^ Constitution of Azerbaijan, Constitution of Azerbaijan (English translation) (Article 21)
- ^ Constitution of Belgium, in Dutch, French and German (Article 4)
- ^ Constitution of Colombia, 1991 (Article 10)
- ^ Constitution of Ecuador 2008, (Article 2)
- ^ Constitution of France (Article 2)
- ^ Constitution of Ireland (Article 8)
- ^ The Constitution of Jamaica section 20(6e) (implicit)
- ^ "Basic population characteristics by administrative districts - 2006", Department of Statistics, Malaysia.
- ^ "Basic population characteristics by administrative districts - 2006", Department of Statistics, Malaysia.
- ^ Constitution of Monaco (Article 8)
- ^ "Article 3 – Language". The Constitution of The Republic of Namibia. orusovo.com. http://www.orusovo.com/namcon/chap1.htm#art3. Retrieved on 2008-04-23.
- ^ "United Kingdom; Key Facts". Commonwealth Secretariat. http://www.thecommonwealth.org/YearbookHomeInternal/139560/. Retrieved on 2008-04-23.
- ^ "Cornish gains official recognition". BBC News. November 6, 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/2410383.stm. Retrieved on 2008-05-08.
- ^ (Russian) "Конституция Республики Абхазия". President of Abkhazia. http://www.abkhaziagov.org/ru/state/sovereignty/. Retrieved on 2009-03-17.
- ^ (Russian) "Конституции Республики Южная Осетия". The State Committee on Information and Press of the Republic of South Ossetia. http://cominf.org/2004/10/15/1127818105.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-17.
