Top 10 Official Languages In The World

An official language is a language given a special status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. official language does not refer to the language used by the people or country, but by its government.

The official language is recognized by 178 countries, while 101 out of 178 countries speak more than one language. The Italy government made Italian official only in 1999, some other nations such as the United States, Mexico, and Australia have never declared de jure official languages at the national level.

One or more official languages or national languages are mentioned in the world’s constitution. Some countries use the official language designation to empower indigenous groups by giving them access to the government in their native languages.

An official language that is also known as an indigenous language is called endoglossic, and the one that is not indigenous is called exoglossic, an instance Nigeria which has three endoglossic official languages, the country aims to protect the indigenous languages although at the same time recognize the English language as its lingua franca.

English is the most common official language, with recognition status in 51 countries. Arabic, French, and Spanish are also widely recognized among others.

Here, RNN highlights the top official language,

1. English Language – 1.35 billion speakers

English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, originally spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England.

The earliest forms of English, collectively known as Old English, evolved from a group of West Germanic (Ingvaeonic) dialects brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the 5th century and further mutated by Norse-speaking Viking settlers starting in the 8th and 9th centuries.

Modern English has spread around the world since the 17th century as a consequence of the worldwide influence of the British Empire and the United States of America. Through all types of printed and electronic media in these countries.

English has become the leading language of international discourse and the lingua franca in many regions and professional contexts such as science, navigation, and law. As of 2019, there were 55 sovereign states and 27 non-sovereign states where English was an official language.

2. Mandarin Chinese – 1.12 billion speakers

Mandarin emerged as the language of the ruling class during the latter part of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). the capital of China switched from Nanjing to Beijing in the latter part of the Ming Dynasty and remained in Beijing during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912).

The hundreds of modern local varieties of Chinese developed from regional variants of Old Chinese and Middle Chinese. traditionally, seven major groups of dialects have been recognised. aside from Mandarin, the other six are Wu, Gan, and Xiang in central China and Min, Hakka, and Yue on the southeast coast.

“Mandarin” identity is based on language, rather, there are strong regional identities centred on individual dialects because of the wide geographical distribution and cultural diversity of their speakers.

The Chinese capital has been within the Mandarin-speaking area for most of the last millennium, making these dialects very influential. Some form of Mandarin has served as a lingua franca for government officials and the courts since the 14th century.

READ: 5 Love Languages, Usage And Meaning

3. Hindi – 600 million speakers

Hindi is one of the two official languages of India (the other is English). There are many dialects of Hindi, but not all dialects can be understood by each other.

Interestingly, even though Hindi is an official language in India, not everyone in the country speaks it. There are over 22 languages in India.

People speak different variations of Hindi around the world, you can hear Hindi in Fiji (where it’s an official language) and also in some Caribbean countries, like Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, and Guyana.

Hindi is the lingua franca of the Hindi Belt, it is also spoken to a lesser extent in other parts of India (usually in a simplified or pidginized variety such as Bazaar Hindustani or Haflong Hindi).

4. Spanish – 543 million speakers

Spanish is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial spoken Latin in the Iberian Peninsula of Europe.

It’s also known as Castilian in Spain and is the official language of 20 countries, It’s one of the official languages of the United Nations, as well as other international organizations including the African Union and the European Union.

Meanwhile, if you’re in the United States, you may be surprised to find out that Spanish is the second most spoken language in the country. There are over 40 million Spanish speakers in the US.

It is the official language of 20 countries.

5. Arabic – 274 million speakers

Arabic is a Semitic language that first emerged in the 1st to 4th centuries CE. It is the lingua franca of the Arab world and the liturgical language of Islam.

Arabic is the official language of 26 countries, but most countries and regions have their own dialects of Arabic. Standard Arabic is the main dialect spoken between Arabic speakers so they can understand each other.

It is the official language of 26 countries, but most of the countries and regions have their own dialects of Arabic. Standard Arabic is the main dialect spoken between Arabic speakers so they can understand each other.

READ: 10 Most Used Foul Languages In The United States

6. Bengali – 268 million speaker

Bengali, also known as Bangla is the official language of Bangladesh, and it’s the second most spoken language in India. it has developed over the course of more than 1,300 years of Bengali literature, with its millennium-old literary history, extensively developed during the Bengali Renaissance, and is one of the most prolific and diverse literary traditions in Asia.

People who speak Bengali are very proud of their language. In fact, people around the world know Bengali for its language movements, and many people have sacrificed their lives for the sake of this language. The country of Bangladesh actually got its name from the language.

7. French – 267 million speakers

The French language can be traced back to the Romans through its origins, and the introduction of Latin to the Celtic-speaking inhabitants of Gaul and Belgae. The next key development occurred following the arrival of Frank in the fifth Century whose Germanic language influenced the local spoken Latin.

In the history of the French language, the most important groups are the Franks in northern France, the Alemanni in the modern French border area, the Burgundians in the Rhone Valley and the Visigoths in the Aquitaine region and Spain.

French is the official language of 29 countries and territories around the world.

8. Russian – 258 million speakers

There are many Russian-speaking people all around the world, but there are just four countries where Russian is the official language. These countries are Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.

There are two countries where Russian is used for official functions. In Tajikistan, it is used in lawmaking and it is also the language of inter-ethnic communication, In Uzbekistan, it is used in registry offices and notary institutions across the nation.

In the country of Turkmenistan, Russian is widely spoken throughout the country as either a first or second language. It is typically spoken within the country’s major cities, and it is taught in schools.

Russian is the official language of 4 countries.

9. Indonesian – 199 million speakers

Indonesian is the official and national language of Indonesia. it is also recognized as one of the official languages in other countries such as Timor Leste. it is also officially taught and used in schools, universities and institutions around the world, especially in Australia.

Most Indonesians, aside from speaking the national language, are also fluent in at least one of the more than 700 indigenous local languages which are commonly used at home and within the local community.

Indonesia is the only country that speaks Indonesian as its official language.

READ: EFCC finally speaks in the language &Yahoo Boys& understand

10. German – 135 million speakers

German is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Centred Europe. it is the second most widely spoken Germanic language after English which is also a West Germanic language.

It is one of the major languages of the world, and also the most spoken native language within the European Union. German is also widely taught as a foreign language, especially in continental Europe where it is the third most taught foreign language.

German is a pluricentric language, the three standardized variants are German, Austrian, and Swiss Standard High German. It is also notable for its broad spectrum of dialects with many varieties existing in Europe and other parts of the world.

German is the official language of 6 countries.