List of official languages by state
Categories: Lists of languages
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 state-wide or in a part of the state, regional language status, or minority language status.
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 article for the corresponding sovereign states.
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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. were 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 which 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 its as a national language)
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A
- Austria
- Croatian (in Burgenland) (statewide minority language)
- Czech (statewide minority language)
- German (statewide)
- Hungarian (in Burgenland) (statewide minority language)
- Slovak (statewide minority language)
- Slovenian (in Styria) (statewide minority language)
- Romany (statewide minority language)
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B
- Burundi
- French (statewide)
- Kirundi (statewide)
- Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)
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C
- Canada
- Chipewyan (in the Northwest Territories)
- Cree (in the Northwest Territories)
- Dogrib (in the Northwest Territories)
- English (statewide)
- French (statewide)
- Gwich'in (in the Northwest Territories)
- Inuinnaqtun (in Nunavut)
- Inuktitut (in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut)
- Slavey (in the Northwest Territories)
- China, People's Republic of
- Cantonese (de facto in Hong Kong and Macau)
- English (in Hong Kong)
- Kazakh (in Ili Kazakh)
- Korean (in Changbai and Yanbian)
- Mandarin (statewide, except in Hong Kong and Macau were it has de facto official status)
- Mongolian (in Inner Mongolia)
- Portuguese (in Macau)
- Tajik (in Taxkorgan)
- Tibetan (in Tibet)
- Uyghur (in Xinjiang)
- Zhuang (in Guangxi)
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D
- Denmark
- Danish (statewide)
- Faroese (in the Faroe Islands)
- Kalaallisut (in Greenland)
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E
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F
- Finland
- Finnish (statewide, except in the Åland Islands)
- Sami (in Enontekiö, Inari, Sodankylä, and Utsjoki)
- Swedish (statewide) (in the Åland Islands Swedish is spoken monolingually)
- France
- French (statewide)
- Tahitian (in French Polynesia)
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G
- Georgia
- Abkhaz (in Abkhazia)
- Georgian (statewide, except in Abkhazia and South Ossetia)
- Ossetic (in South Ossetia)
- Russian (in Abkhazia)
- Germany
- Danish (in Schleswig-Holstein) (minority language)
- Frisian (in Schleswig-Holstein) (minority language)
- German (statewide)
- Lower Sorbian (in Brandenburg) (minority language)
- Upper Sorbian (in Saxony) (minority language)
- Ghana
- Dagaari (in the Upper West Region)
- Dangbe (in Greater Accra)
- Dagbani (in the Northern Region)
- English (statewide) (national)
- 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)
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H
- Haiti
- French
- Haitian Creole (also written Kweyol)
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I
- India
- Assamese (in Assam)
- Bengali (in Tripura and West Bengal)
- Bodo (in Assam)
- Dogri (in Jammu and Kashmir)
- English (statewide)
- Gujarati (in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Gujarat)
- Hindi (statewide)
- Kannada (in Karnataka)
- Kashmiri (in Jammu and Kashmir)
- Konkani (in Goa)
- Maithili (in Bihar)
- Malayalam (in Kerala and Lakshadweep)
- Manipuri (in Manipur)
- Marathi (in Maharashtra)
- Nepali (in Sikkim)
- Oriya (in Orissa)
- Punjabi (in Punjab)
- Sanskrit (statewide)
- Santali (in Jharkhand)
- Sindhi (in Jammu and Kashmir)
- Tamil (in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry)
- Telugu (in Andhra Pradesh)
- Urdu (in Jammu and Kashmir)
- Iraq
- Arabic (statewide)
- Kurdish (in the Kurdish Autonomous Region)
- Italy
- Catalan (in Alghero)
- French (in Aosta Valley)
- Friulian (in Friuli-Venezia Giulia)
- German (in Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trentino-South Tyrol)
- Italian (statewide)
- Ladin (in Trentino-South)
- Sardinian (in Sardinia)
- Slovenian (in Friuli-Venezia Giulia)
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J
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K
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L
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M
- Macedonia, Republic of
- Albanian (in 29 municipalities)
- Macedonian (statewide)
- Romany (in Suto Orizari)
- Serbian (in Cucer-Sandevo)
- Turkish (in 4 municipalities)
- Moldova
- Gagauz (in Gagauzia)
- Moldovan (statewide)
- Russian (in Gagauzia and Transnistria)
- Ukrainian (in Transnistria)
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N
- Norway
- Norwegian (statewide)
- Sami (in Kautokeino, Karasjok, Kåfjord, Nesseby, Sør-Varanger, and Tana)
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O
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P
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Q
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R
- Russia
- Adyghe (in Adygea)
- Altay (in Altai)
- Bashkir (in Bashkortostan)
- Buriat (in Aga Buryatia, Buryatia, and Ust-Orda Buryatia)
- Chechen (in Chechnya)
- Chukchi (in Chukotka)
- Chuvash (in Chuvashia)
- Dolgan (in Taymyria)
- Erzya (in Mordovia)
- Evenk (in Evenkia)
- Ingush (in Ingushetia)
- Kabardian (in Kabardino-Balkaria)
- Kalmyk (in Kalmykia)
- Karachay-Balkar (in Kabardino-Balkaria)
- Karelian (in Karelia)
- Khakas (in Khakassia)
- Khanty (in Khantia-Mansia)
- Komi-Permyak (in Permyakia)
- Komi-Zyrian (in Komia)
- Koryak (in Koryakia)
- Mansi (in Khantia-Mansia)
- Mari (in Mari El)
- Moksha (in Mordovia)
- Nenets (in Nenetsia)
- Ossetic (in North Ossetia-Alania)
- Russian (statewide)
- Tatar (in Tatarstan)
- Tuvin (in Tuva)
- Udmurt (in Udmurtia)
- Yakut (in Sakha)
- Yiddish (in the Jewish Autonomous Region)
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S
- Spain
- Basque (in Basque Country and Navarre)
- Catalan (in the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, and Valencia)
- Galician (in Galicia)
- Occitan (in Val d'Aran)
- Spanish (statewide)
- Sudan
- Arabic
- English (in Southern Sudan)
- Sweden
- No official language statewide, Swedish is the de facto official language.
- 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)
- Romany (historical minority language)
- Sami (in Arjeplog, Gällivare, Jokkmokk, Kiruna, and the surrounding areas) (minority language)
- Yiddish (historical minority language)
- Switzerland
- French (in Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel, Valais, and Vaud)
- 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)
- Italian (in Graubünden and Ticino)
- Romansh (in Graubünden)
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T
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U
- United Kingdom
- No official language statewide, English is the de facto official language.
- Cornish (in Cornwall) (minority language)
- Dgèrnésiais (in Guernsey)
- 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, the Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Scotland, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Wales)
- French (in Guernsey and Jersey)
- Irish (in Northern Ireland) (minority language)
- Jèrriais (in Jersey)
- Pitcairnese (in the Pitcairn Islands)
- Scots (in Northern Ireland and Scotland) (minority language)
- Scottish Gaelic) (in Scotland)
- Welsh (in Wales)
- United States
- No official language statewide, English is the de facto official language.
- Carolinian (in the Northern Mariana Islands)
- Chamorro (in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands)
- English (in Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming)
- French (in Louisiana)
- Hawaiian (in Hawaii)
- Samoan (in American Samoa)
- Spanish (in New Mexico and Puerto Rico)
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V
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W
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Y
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Z
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