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.
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.
A
-
- 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)
-
-
-
- No official language, English
is the de facto official language.
-
- German (official statewide)
- Croatian
(official in Burgenland
in areas where live Austrians of the Croat
minority) (statewide minority language)
- Slovene
(official in Carinthia
and Styria
in areas
where live Austrians of the Slovene minority) (statewide minority
language)
- Czech (statewide minority
language)
- Hungarian
(in Burgenland) (statewide minority language)
- Slovak (statewide minority
language)
- Romani (statewide minority
language)
B
C
-
- Spanish (the languages and
dialects of ethnic groups are also official in their territories
)
D
E
-
- Spanish (Quechua or Kichwa and
Shuar are official languages of intercultural relation, ancient
languages are official in their territories.)
-
- Estonian (nationwide official
language)
- Russian (de jure
minority language)
- Swedish (de jure
minority language)
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
- (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)
O
P
-
- Spanish
- Aymara
- Quechua
- All native languages in areas where they are spoken by the
majority of people
Q
R
S
-
- No official language statewide, Swedish is the de facto official
language. -as of July 1 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)
- Swedish Sign Language
(minority
language)
-
- 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)
T
U
-
- English, 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
(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
)
-
- 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
)
- Spanish (official language
in Puerto Rico and many states of the
Union)
- 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 and Maine
)
- Hawaiian
(regional language in Hawaii)
- Samoan
(regional language in American Samoa)
V
-
- No official language; Italian
is the de facto official language.
W
Y
Z
Partially recognised states
-
- Albanian (territory wide)
- Serbian (territory wide)
- English (territory wide, during
the NATO occupation of the territory on behalf of the UN)
- Turkish (territory wide, upon
request)
States recognised by Russia
References and footnotes
- Constitution of Afghanistan (Article 16)
- Constitution of Albania (Article 14)
- Constitution of Algeria (Article 3) (MS Word
format)
- Constitution of Andorra (Article 2)
- Constitution of Antigua and Barbuba, 1981 (Article
29)
- Argentina: Country Information
- Constitution of Armenia (Article 12)
- Constitution of Austria (Article 8)
- 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)
- Article 152 of the Constitution of Malaysia
designated Malay as the national language. Section 2 of that
article allowed English to be used officially until otherwise
provided by Parliament. In 1967, the Parliament
of Malaysia passed the National Language Act, making Malay the official
language of Malaysia. The act does, however, allow the use of
English for some official purposes.
-
http://www.brandeis.edu/coexistence/linked%20documents/Nigel%20-%20Mauritius%20FINAL.pdf.
- Constitution of Monaco (Article 8)
-
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/wa.html
32% Namibians speak German
and New Brunswick
)
)
and Macau
, Xinjiang)
, Jilin
)
, Xinjiang)
)
)
)
, Inari
, Sodankylä
, and Utsjoki
)
)
)
) (minority language)
) (minority language)
) (minority language)
(in Lower
Saxony
) (minority language)
) (minority
language)
)
)
)
)
)
)
, Fanteakwa, Fante, and Kwahu)
)
and West
Bengal
)
)
)
)
)
)
, Daman and
Diu
, and Gujarat
)
)
)
, Pondicherry
and Lakshadweep
)
)
, Goa
)
)
)
)
)
and
Goa
, Haryana
and Chandigarh
)
)
)
, Andaman and Nicobar Islands
and Pondicherry
)
)
)
)
and
Calabria)
)
)
)
, along the
eastern border with Albania)
, the
Bay of
Kotor
area)
)
and the
Netherlands
Antilles
)
)
)
)
)
and Mindanao
)
)
)
, Podlaskie Voivodeship
)
, Podlaskie Voivodeship
)
)
)
and
Republic
of Dagestan
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
, Mykolaiv, Odessa
Oblasts
, and the Autonomous Republic of
Crimea
)
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