List of official languages by state
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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, 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 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)
| Contents: | Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
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[edit] A
- Afghanistan
- Arabic (statewide minority language)
- Balochi (statewide minority language) (official in areas where spoken by majority of population)
- Dari (statewide)
- Nuristani (statewide minority language) (official in areas where spoken by majority of population)
- Pashto (statewide)
- Pamiri (statewide minority language) (official in areas where spoken by majority of population)
- Pashai (statewide minority language) (official in areas where spoken by majority of population)
- Turkmen (statewide minority language) (official in areas where spoken by majority of population)
- Uzbek (statewide minority language) (official in areas where spoken by majority of population)
- 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 and Carinthia) (statewide minority language)
- Romani (statewide minority language)
[edit] B
[edit] C
- Canada
- Chipewyan (in the Northwest Territories)
- Cree (in the Northwest Territories)
- Dogrib (in the Northwest Territories)
- English (statewide)
- French (statewide)
- Gwichʼin (in the Northwest Territories)
- Inuinnaqtun (in Nunavut)
- Inuktitut (in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut)
- Inuvialuktun (in the Northwest Territories)
- Slavey (in the Northwest Territories)
- Cape Verde
- Cape Verdean Creole
- Boa Vista Crioulo language (national)
- Brava Crioulo (national)
- Fogo Crioulo language (national)
- Maio Crioulo language (national)
- Santiago Crioulo language (national)
- Sal Crioulo language (national)
- Santo Antão Crioulo language (national)
- São Nicolau Crioulo language (national)
- São Vicente Crioulo language (national)
- Portuguese
- Cape Verdean Creole
- China, Republic of - see below
[edit] D
- Denmark
- Danish (statewide)
- Faroese (in the Faroe Islands)
- Kalaallisut (in Greenland)
[edit] E
- East Timor
- English (working language)
- Indonesian (working language)
- Portuguese
- Tetum
[edit] F
- Finland
- Finnish (statewide, except in the Åland Islands)
- Sami (minority language in Enontekiö, Inari, Sodankylä, and Utsjoki)
- Swedish (statewide) (in the Åland Islands where Swedish is spoken monolingually)
- France and Overseas departments and territories of France.
- French (statewide)
- Tahitian (in French Polynesia)
- Italian (in Corsica)
[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
- Danish (in Schleswig-Holstein) (minority language)
- Frisian (in Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony) (minority language)
- German (statewide)
- Romani (in Hesse)
- Lower Sorbian (in Brandenburg) (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 (statewide)
- 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)
- Punjabi (in Punjab)
- Rajasthani (in Rajasthan)
- Sanskrit (statewide)
- Santali (in Jharkhand)
- Sindhi (in Jammu and Kashmir)
- Tamil (in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry)
- Telugu (in Andhra Pradesh and Pondicherry)
- Urdu (in Jammu and Kashmir)
- Iraq
- Arabic (statewide)
- Kurdish (in the Kurdish Autonomous Region)
-
- Italian (statewide)
[edit] J
[edit] K
[edit] L
- Luxembourg
- French
- German
- Luxembourgish (national)
[edit] M
- Macedonia, Republic of
- Albanian (in 29 municipalities)
- Macedonian (statewide)
- Romani (in Suto Orizari)
- Serbian (in Cucer-Sandevo)
- Turkish (in four municipalities)
- Marshall Islands
- English
- Marshallese (national)
- 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)
[edit] N
- New Zealand
- English is a de facto official language (statewide)
- Maori (statewide)
- New Zealand Sign Language (statewide)
- Cook Islands Maori (in the Cook Islands)
- Niuean (in Niue)
- Tokelauan (in Tokelau)
- Norway
- Norwegian (statewide)
- Sami (in Kautokeino, Karasjok, Kåfjord, Nesseby, Sør-Varanger, and Tana)
[edit] O
[edit] P
- Philippines
- Arabic (recognized in the Constitution)
- Bikol (in Luzon)
- Cebuano (in Mindanao and the Visayas)
- English (statewide)
- Filipino (statewide) (national)
- Hiligaynon (in the Visayas)
- Ilokano (in Luzon)
- Kapampangan (in Luzon)
- Kinaray-a (in the Visayas)
- Maranao (in Mindanao)
- Maguindanao (in Mindanao)
- Pangasinan (in Luzon)
- Spanish (recognized in Constitution)
- Tagalog (in Luzon)
- Tausug (in Mindanao)
- Waray-Waray (in the Visayas)
- Portugal
- Portuguese
- Mirandese (regional, in Miranda do Douro)
[edit] Q
[edit] R
- Russia
- 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)
- Bashkir (in the Republic of Bashkortostan)
- Buryat (in Agin-Buryat Autonomous Okrug, Buryat Republic, and Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug)
- Chechen (in the Chechen Republic)
- Chukchi (in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug)
- Chuvash (in the Chuvash Republic)
- Dargin (in the Republic of Dagestan)
- Dolgan (in Taymyr Autonomous Okrug)
- Erzya (in the Republic of Mordovia)
- Evenk (in Evenk Autonomous Okrug)
- 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)
- Khanty (in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug)
- Komi-Permyak (in Komi-Permyak Okrug)
- Komi-Zyrian (in the Komi Republic)
- Koryak (in Koryak Autonomous Okrug)
- Kumyk (in the Republic of Dagestan)
- Lak (in the Republic of Dagestan)
- Lezgi (in the Republic of Dagestan)
- Mansi (in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug)
- Mari (in the Mari El Republic)
- Moksha (in the Republic of Mordovia)
- Nogai (in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic and in the Republic of Dagestan)
- Nenets (in Nenets Autonomous Okrug)
- Ossetic (in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania)
- Russian (federal)
- Tabasaran (in the Republic of Dagestan)
- Tatar (in the Republic of Tatarstan)
- Tuvin (in the Tuva Republic)
- Udmurt (in the Republic of Udmurtia)
- Yakut (in the Sakha Republic)
- Yiddish (in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast)
[edit] 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)
- 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)
- Romani (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)
[edit] T
- Taiwan (Republic of China)
- Mandarin (national)
[edit] 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 and Turks and Caicos Islands)
- 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 nationwide, English is the de facto official language and the national language.
- Carolinian (in the Northern Mariana Islands)
- Chamorro (in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands)
- English (in Alabama, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, 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)
- Hawaiian (in Hawaii)
- Samoan (in American Samoa)
- Spanish (in Puerto Rico)
[edit] V
- Vatican City
- No official language; Latin is the de facto official language.
