LIST OF LANGUAGES BY NUMBER OF NATIVE SPEAKERS

This is a 'list of languages', ordered by the 'number of native-language speakers', with some data for second-language use. Languages are listed for secondary locations only when spoken by more than 1% of the population.
Since the definition of a single language is to some extent arbitrary, some mutually intelligible idioms with separate national standards or self identification have been listed separately, depending on conventional use, for example Scandinavian, Hindustani, and Malay.
The relevant estimate for the number of native speakers for the purposes of this list is that of SIL Ethnologue. Other estimates may vary, and the numbers should not be taken as more than indicating the rough order of magnitude of a linguistic community.

Contents

Top 20

30–60 million native speakers

10–30 million native speakers

3–10 million native speakers

1–3 million native speakers

100,000 to 1 million speakers

10,000 - 100,000 speakers

Fewer than 10,000

Macrolanguages

References

See also

External links

Top 20

Language	Family	Ethnologue (2005 estimate)[1]	Encarta estimate Languages Spoken by More Than 10 Million People	Other estimates	Ranking by Ethnologue estimate
'Mandarin'	Sino-Tibetan, Chinese	873 million	--	873 million native, 178 million second language = 1051 million total	1
'Spanish'	Indo-European, Italic, Romance	322 million	322 million	Encarta also says 322 to 358 million[2], 400 million native, 100 million second language = 500 million [3][4]	2
'English'	Indo-European, Germanic, West	309 million	341 million	380 million native, 720 million second language = 1100 million total[5]	3
'Arabic'	Afro-Asiatic, Semitic	206 million	422 million	Total population of Arab countries: 323 million (CIA 2006 est).	4
'Hindi'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	181 million (Khariboli dialect)	366 million	948 million total with significant knowledge of the language[6]	5
'Portuguese'	Indo-European, Italic, Romance	177.5 million	176 million	203 million native (2004 CIA), 20+ million second language = 223 million total	6
'Bengali'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	171 million	207 million	196 million native (2004 CIA) (includes 14 million Chittagonian and 10.3 million Sylheti).	7
'Russian'	Indo-European, Slavic, East	145 million	167 million	145 million native (2004 CIA), 110 million second language, = 255 million total (2000 WCD)	8
'Japanese'	Japanese-Ryukyuan	122 million	125 million	128 million native, 2 million second language, = 130 million total	9
'German'	Indo-European, Germanic, West	95.4 million	100.1 million	101 million native (95 million Standard German [2004 CIA], 5 million Swiss German), 60 million second language in EU Europeans and Languages + 5 - 20 million worldwide. 101 million native, ~70 million second language, ~170 million total	10
'Javanese'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Sunda-Sulawesi	75.5 million	75.6 million	70-75 million	11
'Wu'	Sino-Tibetan, Chinese	77.2 million	--	77 million native	--
'Telugu'	Dravidian, South Central	69.7 million	69.7 million	76 million native, 10 million second language, = 86 million total (2001)	12
'Marathi'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	68 million	68 million	68 million native, 3 million second language, = 71 million total	13
'Vietnamese'	Austro-Asiatic, Mon-Khmer, Vietic	67.4 million	68 million	70 million native, perhaps up to 16 million second language, = ~ 86 million total	14
'Korean'	Language isolate	67 million	78 million	71 million	15
'Tamil'	Dravidian, Southern	66 million	66 million	62 million native, 10 million second language, = 72 million total	16
'French'	Indo-European, Italic, Romance	64.8 million	78 million	115 million 'real speakers' (includes some second language speakers) ,[7] 250 million second language (worldwide including Africa and North Africa) = 365 million total and up to 500 million total with significant knowledge of the language[8]	17
'Italian'	Indo-European, Italic, Romance	61.5 million	62 million	61 million native	18
'Punjabi'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	Western Punjabi: 60.8 million Eastern Punjabi: 28 million	57 million	61–62 million (2000 WCD) (taken together with Eastern Punjabi (28 million) and Siraiki (14 million): 104 million total)	19
'Urdu	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	60.5 million	60.3 million	61 million native, 43 million second language, = 104 million total	20

30–60 million native speakers

Language	Family	Ethnologue (2005 estimate)[9]	Encarta estimate Languages Spoken by More Than 10 Million People	Other estimates	Ranking by Ethnologue estimate
'Cantonese'	Sino-Tibetan, Chinese	54.8 million	--	66 million native, perhaps up to about 100 million total	22
'Turkish '	Altaic, Turkic, Oghuz	50.6 million	61 million	74million (2006 estimate)[10] + 15 million second language = 89 million	23
' Min'	Sino-Tibetan, Chinese	46.2 million	--	Southern Min: 49m, Northern Min 10.43m	24
'Gujarati'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	46.1 million	46.1 million	--	25
'Maithili'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	45 million	(included in "Hindi")
'Polish'	Indo-European, Slavic, West	42.7 million	52 million	--	26
'Ukrainian'	Indo-European, Slavic, East	39.4 million	47 million	--	27
'Persian'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian	39.4m[11]	31.3 million	ca. 61 million;[12] sometimes taken to include all of Southwestern Iranian (Luri, Tati, and other); ca. 50 million second language, ca. 110 million total	28
'Malayalam'	Dravidian, Southern	35.8 million	35.7 million	38 million native, 10 million second language = 48 million	29
'Kannada'	Dravidian, Southern	35.4 million	35.4 million	55 million native, 9 million second language, = 64 million total	30
'Azerbaijani'	Altaic, Turkic, Oghuz	Iranian Azerbaijan: 24 million Republic of Azerbaijan: 7 million	31.4 million	25–35 million native, including Qashqai (data for Iran uncertain); 8 million second language (outside Iran)	31
'Oriya'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	31.7 million	32.3 million	--	32
'Hakka'	Sino-Tibetan, Chinese	29.9 million	--	34 million	33
'Bhojpuri'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	26 million	(included in "Hindi")	126 million total
'Burmese'	Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Lolo-Burmese	22 million (1996)	32.3 million (2006)	32 million native, 10 million second language, = 42 million total	34
'Thai'	Tai-Kadai, Kam-Tai, Be-Tai, Tai-Sek, Tai	20.05 million (1996)	46.1 million (2006)	~31 million native (1983 SIL, 1990 Diller, 2000 WCD) (dated data), = ~60 million first & second language (2001 A. Diller). Includes Southern Thai, Northern Thai/Western Lao, but not Shan, Isan, or Lao.	35

10–30 million native speakers

Language	Family	Official status and where spoken natively, or as an immigrant language, by more than 1% of the population	SIL estimate	Number of speakers	Ranking by number of native speakers
'Amharic'	Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, South	Official in Ethiopia. Significant communities in Israel.	17.4 million (2006)	27 million native (32.7% Ethiopia [1994 census] and 2.7 million emigrants), 10% (7 million) as a second language = 34 million total	36
'Sundanese'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Sunda-Sulawesi	Native to Indonesia (origin in western Java)	27 million (2006)	27 million (1990)	37
'Romanian'	Indo-European, Italic, Romance	Official in Moldova, Romania, Serbia (Vojvodina). Significant communities in Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Spain, Ukraine, USA.	26.3 million (2006)	26 million native, 4 million second language. The total is about 30 million.[13]	38
'Kurdish'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Western, Northwestern	Official in Iraq. Native to Armenia, Iran, Syria, Turkey. Significant communities in Germany, Lebanon.	16 million (all varieties)	~31,417,000 (see article for full list)	39
'Dutch'	Indo-European, Germanic, West	Official in Belgium, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Suriname. Significant communities in South Africa, Bonaire island and Sint Maarten island	20 million (2006)	25 million[14]	40
'Pashto'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Eastern	Official in Afghanistan. Native to Pakistan. Significant communities in Iran, United Arab Emirates.	22.8 million (2006)	21–25 million (data uncertain; ethnic population ~25 million)	43
'Hausa'	Afro-Asiatic, Chadic, West	Official in Niger, north Nigeria. Significant communities in Chad, Benin, Ghana, Sudan	24.2 million (2006)	24 million native, ~ 15 million second language, = ~ 40 million total	42
'Indonesian'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian	23.1 million, national language in Indonesia	17.1 million	140 million second language	43
'Oromo'	Afro-Asiatic, Cushitic, East Cushitic	National language of Ethiopia. Significant communities in Kenya	17.2 million (2006)	24 million native (31.6% of Ethiopia [1994 census]), ~ 2 million second language, = 26 million total (1998 census)	43
'Tagalog'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Borneo-Philippines	Official and Native in Philippines. Significant communities in Canada, People’s Republic of China (Hong Kong), Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, United States (Alaska, California, Guam, Hawaii, Northern Mariana Islands).	17 million (2006)	22 million native (2000 census), ~65 million second language, = 85 million total	44
'Serbo-Croatian'	Indo-European, Slavic, South	Official in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia and called Serbo-Croatian in respective countries. Significant communities in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia.	21.1 million (2006)	17 million	54
'Uzbek'	Altaic, Turkic, Eastern	Official in Uzbekistan. Native to Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan	20.1 million (2006)	20 million (1995)	46
'Sindhi'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	Official in India, Pakistan. Significant communities in People’s Republic of China (Hong Kong) ?, Oman? and Gibraltar.	24.5 million (2006)	28 million native, 2 million second language, = 30 million total (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk)	41
'Yoruba'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Defoid, Yoruboid	Official in Nigeria. Native to Benin	20 million (2006)	19 million native, 2 million second language, = 21 million total (1993)	48
'Somali'	Afro-Asiatic, Cushitic, East	Official in Somalia''. Native to Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya. Significant communities in Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, United Arab Emirates,United Kingdom, United States Yemen	9.8 million (2006)	10-16 million native and at least 500,000 second language speakers.million (2004 WCD)	49
'Lao'	Tai-Kadai, Kam-Tai, Tai	Official in Laos. Native to Thailand.	3.2 million (2006)	~19 million Lao-Phutai dialects (including Isan) (data dated)	50
'Cebuano'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Borneo-Philippines	Native to Philippines	15 million (2006)	18.5 million native, ~11.5 million second language, =30 million total (2000 census)	51
'Greek'	Indo-European, Greek	Official in Cyprus, Greece. Significant communities in Albania, Australia, Canada, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Russia, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, USA.	15 million (2007)	12 million (2004), up to 10–12 million more second language	52
'Malay'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Sunda-Sulawesi, Malayic	Official in Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore. Native to Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand. Significant communities in Australia, Bahrain.	23.6 million (2006)	18 million native, 3 million second language, = 21 million total (not counting Indonesian)	53
'Igbo'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Igboid	Official in Nigeria	18 million (2006)	18 million native (1999 WA), unknown number second language.	54
'Malagasy'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Borneo-Philippines, Barito	Official in Madagascar. Significant communities in Mayotte, Réunion.	10.5 million (2006)	17 million	55
'Nepali'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	Official in Nepal, India (Sikkim). Significant communities in Bhutan.	approx. 30 Million in Nepal.16 Million as native tongue & 15 as a second language(2006)	40 Million(2006)	56
'Assamese'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	Official in India (Assam). Significant communities in Bhutan.	15.4 million (2006)	15 million (1997)	57
'Shona'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	National language of Zimbabwe. Significant communities in Botswana, Mozambique.	14 million (2006)	15 million native, 1.8 million second language, = 16–17 million total, including Ndau, Manyika (2000 A. Chebanne)	58
'Khmer'	Austro-Asiatic, Mon-Khmer, Khmer	Official in Cambodia. Significant communities in Thailand, United States (California), Vietnam	8 million (2006)	14 million native, 1 million second language, = 15 million total (2004)	59
'Zhuang'	Tai-Kadai, Kam-Tai, Tai	Official in People's Republic of China (Guangxi)	14 million (2006)	14 million native (1992), unknown number second language	60
'Madurese'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Sunda-Sulawesi	Native to Indonesia (Originally Java, Madura)	13.7 million (2006)	14 million (1995)	61
'Hungarian'	Uralic, Finno-Ugric, Ugric	Official in Hungary, Serbia (Vojvodina), Slovenia. Significant communities in Israel, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine	14.5 million (2006)	14 million native (1995)	62
'Sinhalese'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	Official in Sri Lanka. Significant communities in United Arab Emirates	13.2 million (2006)	13 million native, 2 million second language, = 15 million total (1993)	63
'Fula'	Niger-Congo, Atlantic, Northern, Senegambian	Official in Niger, Nigeria. National language in Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal. Significant communities in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Sierra Leone.	11.4 million (2006)	~13 million (all varieties)	64
'Tamazight'	Afro-Asiatic, Berber, Northern	National language in Algeria (Kabyle), Morocco. Significant communities in France, Netherlands, Spain (Ceuta & Melilla).	3.5 million (2006)	13+ million (1998)	65
'Czech'	Indo-European, Slavic, West	Official in Czech Republic.	12 million (2006)	12 million (1990 WA).	67

3–10 million native speakers

Language	Family	Official status and where spoken natively by more than 1% of the population	SIL estimateMicrosoft ® Encarta ® 2006, Languages Spoken by More Than 10 Million People.	Number of speakers	Ranking by number of native speakers
'Zulu'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Official in South Africa. Significant communities in Lesotho, Swaziland	9.1 million (2006)	9.6 million native, ~16 million second language, = ~25 million total (1996 census)	68
'Quechua'	Quechuan	Official in Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru. Significant communities in Argentina	8.3 million (2006)	10.4 million, all varieties	69
'Kazakh'	Altaic, Turkic, Northwestern, Southern	Official in Kazakhstan. Significant communities in People's Republic of China (Xinjiang), Russia, Mongolia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan	8 million (2006)	12 million	70
'Tajik'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian	Official in Tajikistan. Significant communities in Uzbekistan	4,380,212.		71
'Chichewa (Nyanja)'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Official in Malawi, Zambia. Significant communities in Mozambique, Zimbabwe.		9.3 million native (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk), 0.4 million second language (1999 WA), = 9.7 million total	72
'Haitian Creole'	Indo-European, Romance, Creole	Official in Haiti. Significant communities in Bahamas, Canada (Quebec), Cuba, Cayman Islands (UK), Dominican Republic, France (Guadeloupe), United States (Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York).	7.8 million (2006)	12 million (2005)	73
'Belarusian'	Indo-European, Slavic, East	Official in Belarus. Significant communities in Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Poland, Russia	10.2 million (2006)	9.1 million (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk)	74
'Lombard'	Indo-European, Romance	Native to Italy	--	5 million Western Lombard + 3 million Eastern Lombard + others = 9.13 million (Ethnologue 2006)	75
'Swedish'	Indo-European, Germanic, North	National language of Sweden. Official language of Finland.	9 million (2006)	8.8 million (1986), ~9 million (2005)	76
'Kongo'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	National language in Angola, Congo-Brazzaville (Kituba), Congo-Kinshasa.	4.7 million (2006)	8.7 million, all varieties, including Yombe and creolized Kituba (1986–2002) (dated data)	77
'Akan'	Niger-Congo, Kwa	National language in Ghana	7 million (2006)	8.3 million native, ~1 million second language, = ~10 million total (2004 SIL)	78
'Albanian'	Indo-European, isolate	Official in Albania, Macedonia, Serbia (Kosovo). Significant communities in Greece, Italy.	6.5 million	3.6 million (data from Albania)	79
'Hmong'	Hmong-Mien	China. Significant communities in France (French Guiana), Laos, United States (Minnesota, Wisconsin), Vietnam	2.8 million (2006)	~4 million (Lemoine, 2005)	80
'Yi'	Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Burmic	People's Republic of China	4.2 million (2006)	7.8 million ethnic Yi (2000 census)	81
'Tshiluba'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	National language of Congo-Kinshasa		7.8 million native, 0.7 million second language, = 8.5 million total (1991 UBS). Includes 1.5 million Kiluba.	82
'Ilokano'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Borneo-Philippines	Philippines. Significant communities in United States (Hawaii).	8 million (2006)	7.7 million native (2000 census), ~2.3 second language = 10 million total	83
'Uyghur'	Altaic, Turkic, Southeastern, Eastern	Official in People's Republic of China (Xinjiang). Significant communities in Kazakhstan	7.6 million (2006)	7.6 million	84
'Neapolitan'	Indo-European, Romance	Native to Italy	--	7.5 million native	85
'Bulgarian'	Indo-European, Slavic, South	Official in Bulgaria. Significant communities in Moldova.	9 million (2006)	6.6 million in Bulgaria (2005) and ~1 million abroad = 7.5 million native	86
'Kinyarwanda'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Official in Rwanda. Significant communities in Congo-Kinshasa, Uganda		7.3 million (1998)	87
'Xhosa'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Official in South Africa. Significant communities in Lesotho	6.9 million (2006)	7.2 million (1996 census)	88
'Balochi'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian	Native to Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan. Significant communities in Oman, United Arab Emirates	7 million (2006)	7.0 million (1998)	89
'Hebrew'	Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, North Central	Official in Israel. Significant communities in USA (New York, California) and Gibraltar.	5.2 million (2006)	~7 million native (2004? needs verification), 5.1 million (1998) (10 million literate)	90
'Hiligaynon'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Borneo-Philippines	Philippines	7 million (2006)	6.9 million (2000 census), est. 4.1 million second language = ~11 million total	91
'Tigrinya'	Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, South	Official in Eritrea, Ethiopia	5.1 million (2006)	4.5 million in Ethiopia (6% of population-1994 census), ~2.25 million in Eritrea (50% of population-CIA) = 6.75 native, 146,934 as second language (1994 census) = 6.9 million total	92
'Catalan'	Indo-European, Romance	Official and Native to Andorra, Spain (Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Valencia),Aragon (La Franja), France (Pyrénées-Orientales), Italy (Alghero).	6.6 million (2006)	6.7 million native, ~5 million second language, = ~12 million total (1996) (includes Valencian)	93
'Armenian'	Indo-European, isolate	Official in Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh (''de jure'' part of Azerbaijan). Significant communities in Georgia, Lebanon, Syria, France.	6 million (2006)	6.7 million (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk, etc.)	94
'Minangkabau'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Sunda-Sulawesi, Malayic	Indonesia (Sumatra)	6.5 million (2006)	6.5 million (1981 Moussay) (dated data)	95
'Turkmen'	Altaic, Turkic, Southwestern, Eastern	Official in Turkmenistan. Significant communities in Afghanistan, Iran.	6.4 million (2006)	6.4 million (1995)	96
'Makhuwa'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Major language of Mozambique. Significant communities in Tanzania	2.5 million (2006)	6.4 million, all varieties, including Lomwe	97
'Santali'	Austro-Asiatic, Munda	Official in India	6.2 million (2006)	6.2 million (1997)	98
'Batak'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Sunda-Sulawesi, Northern Sumatra	Indonesia	2 million (2006)	~6.2 million, all varieties (c. 1991 UBS) (dated data). Includes Toba, Dairi, Simalungun, etc.	99
'Afrikaans'	Indo-European, Germanic, West Germanic	Official in South Africa. Significant communities in Namibia,Botswana, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and United Kingdom.	6.4 million (2006)	6.0 million native, 10.3 million second language, = 16 million total (1996 census)	100
'Mongolian'	Altaic, Mongolian	Official in People's Republic of China (Inner Mongolia), Mongolia	5.7 million (2006)	5.7 million	101
'Bhili'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	India	1.3 million (2006)	5.6 million, all varieties (1994). Includes 1.6 million Wagdi, etc.	102
'Danish'	Indo-European, Germanic, North	Official in Denmark, Faroe Islands (Denmark), Greenland (Denmark). Significant communities in Germany (Southern Schleswig)	5.3 million (2006)	5.6 million (2006?)	103
'Finnish'	Uralic, Finno-Ugric, Finnic	Official in Finland. Significant communities in Sweden and Estonia.	6.1 million (2006)	5.4 million (1993)	104
'Gikuyu'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Major language of Kenya	5.4 million (2006)	5.3 million (1994 I. Larsen BTL)	105
'Slovak'	Indo-European, Slavic, West	Official in Slovakia.	5.6 million (2006)	5.0 million (1990 WA)	106
'More'	Niger-Congo, Gur	National language of Burkina Faso	5.1 million (2006)	~5 million (1991)	107
'Swahili'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Official in Congo-Kinshasa, Kenya, Tanzania. Significant communities in Comoros, Mayotte, Oman, Réunion.	5 million (2006)	~5 million native, ~40 million second language [data need verification; only 700 thousand native in Tanzania]	108
'Southern Quechua	Quechuan	Official in Perú, Bolivia	~5,000,000		109
'Guarani'	Tupi	Official in Paraguay. Significant communities in Argentina.	5.1 million (2006)	4.9 million (1995)	110
'Kirundi'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Official in Burundi.		4.9 million (1986) (dated data)	111
'Sesotho (southern)'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Official in Lesotho, South Africa.		4.9 million (1996 census)	112
'Romani'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	Significant communities in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Iran, Macedonia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey	3.1 million (2006)	4.8 million, all varieties, including Domari (data for Vlax 2002–2004; for Domari 2000 WCD).	113
'Norwegian'	Indo-European, Germanic, North	Official in Norway.	5 million (2006)	4.7 million (2006, Statistics Norway)	114
'Tibetan'	Sino-Tibetan,Tibeto-Burman, Bodic	Official in People's Republic of China (Tibet, Qinghai, parts of Sichuan, Gansu)	1.3 million (2006)	4.6 million, all varieties	115
'Tswana'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Official in Botswana, South Africa. National language of Namibia	4 million (2006)	4.4 million native, 0.2 million second language, = 4.6 million total (1993 Johnstone) (dated data)	116
'Kanuri'	Nilo-Saharan, Saharan	Official in Niger, Nigeria. Significant communities in Chad (Kanembu)		4.4 million native, 0.5 million second language, = 4.9 million total (data mostly from 1985) (dated data)	117
'Kashmiri'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	Official in India (Jammu and Kashmir), Native to Pakistan.	4.5 million (2006)	4.6 million (1997)	118
'Bikol'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Borneo-Philippines	Philippines	3.3 million (2006)	4.5 native, all varieties (2000 census), unknown number second language	119
'Georgian'	Kartvelian	Official in Georgia. Significant communities in Israel.	4.1 million (2006)	4.2 million (1993 UBS)	120
'Qusqu-Qullaw'	Quechuan	Official in Perú (Cusco and Puno departments) Also spoken in Bolivia, Argentina	4 million		121
'Umbundu'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	National language of Angola		~4 million native, unknown number second language (1995 WA)	122
'Konkani'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	Official in India (Goa).Significant communities in Uttara Kannada,Dakshina Kannada.	6 million (2006)	~4 million (1999 WA)	123
'Balinese'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Sunda-Sulawesi, Bali-Sasak	Indonesia (Bali, Lombok)	3.8 million (2006)	3.9 million (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk)	124
'Northern Sotho (sePedi)'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Official in South Africa. Significant communities in Botswana		3.7 million (1996 census)	125
'Luyia'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Kenya	3.6 million (2006)	3.6 million (1989 census) (dated data)	126
'Wolof'	Niger-Congo, Atlantic	National language in Mauritania, Senegal. Significant communities in The Gambia.	3.4 million (2006)	3.6 million native (2002), unknown number second language	127
'Bemba'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	National language of Zambia	2.2 million (2006)	3.6 million native, unknown number second language (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk)	128
'Buginese'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Sunda-Sulawesi, South Sulawesi	Indonesia		3.5 million native, 0.5 million second language, = ~4 million total (1991 SIL)	129
'Luo (Dholuo)'	Nilo-Saharan, Eastern Sudanic, Nilotic	Kenya	3.4 million (2006)	3.5 million (1994 I. Larsen BTL) (dated data)	130
'Maninka'	Niger-Congo, Mande	National language of Guinea, Mali. Significant numbers in Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone.	2.5 million (2006)	3.3 million, all varieties	131
'Mazanderani'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Western	Iran	3.3 million (2006)	3.3 million (1993) (dated data) (numbers may be confused with or include Gilaki)	132
'Gilaki'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Western	Iran	3.3 million (2006)	3.3 million (1993) (dated data) (numbers may be confused with or include Mazanderani)	133
'Shan'	Tai-Kadai, Kam-Tai, Tai	Myanmar	3million (2006)	3.3 million	134
'Tsonga'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Official in South Africa. Significant communities in Mozambique, Swaziland.	3.2 million (2006)	3.3 million (1989, 1996) (dated data)	135
'Galician'	Indo-European, Romance.	Official in Spain.	4 million (2006)	3.2 million (1986) (data dated)	136
'Sukuma'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Tanzania	5 million (2006)	3.2 million (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk)	137
'Yiddish'	Indo-European, Germanic, West	official in Russia (Jewish Autonomous Oblast) Significant communities in Belarus, Israel, Latvia, Ukraine.	3 million (2006)	3.2 million	138
'Jamaican Creole'	Indo-European, Germanic, West, Creole	Jamaica. Significant communities in Panama, Costa Rica	2.8 million (2006)	3.2 million (2001)	139
'Kyrgyz'	Altaic, Turkic, Northwestern, Southern	Official in Kyrgyzstan. Native to Tajikistan	3.1 million (2006)	3.1 million (1993 UBS) (dated data)	140
'Waray-Waray'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Borneo-Philippines	Philippines	2.4 million	3.1 native (2000 census), unknown number second language	141
'Ewe'	Niger-Congo, Kwa	Official in Togo. National language of Ghana.	2.5 million (2006)	3.1 million native, 0.5 million second language, = 3.6 million total (2003)	142
'South Bolivian Quechua'	Quechuan	Official in Bolivia, also spoken in Argentina	3,637,500 (ethnologue)sout		143
'Lithuanian'	Indo-European, Baltic	Official in Lithuania. Significant communities in Latvia.	4 million (2006)	3.1 million (1998)	144
'Luganda'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Major language of Uganda		3.0 million native (1991 census), ~1 million second language (1999 WA), = ~ 4 million total	145
'Lusoga'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Major language of Uganda, official status unclear/pending		+/- 3 million native speakers (2002 census), +/- 100 000 second language speakers (dated data)	146
'Acehnese'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Sunda-Sulawesi, Malayic	Indonesia	3 million (2006)	~3 million (1999 WA)	147
'Kimbundu'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	National language of Angola		~3 million (1999 WA)	148
'Hindko'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	Pakistan	2.5 million (2006)	~3 million (1993) (dated data)	149
'Ibibio-Efik'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Cross River	Efik official in Nigeria	1.5 million (2006)	~3 million, including Anaang (1990; 1998 B. Connell) (dated data)	150

1–3 million native speakers

Language	Family	Official status and where spoken natively, or as an immigrant language, by more than 1% of the population	Number of speakers
'Rajbangsi'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	India	3.0 million (1991 census)
'Garhwali'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	India	2.9 million (2000)
'Bambara'	Niger-Congo, Mande	National language of Mali	2.8 million native, 10 million second language, = 13 million total
'Ometo'	Afro-Asiatic, Omotic	Ethiopia	2.8 million, all varieties, including Welayta (1998 census)
'Indian Sign Language'	Language isolate (Sign language)	Bangladesh, India, Pakistan	2.7 million in India, plus unknown number in Bangladesh, Pakistan (2003). Same language as Pakistani Sign Language
'Betawi creole'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Sunda-Sulawesi, Creole	Indonesia	2.7 million (1993 Johnstone)
'Karen'	Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Karenic	Myanmar, Thailand, India	2.6 million, all varieties (dated data)
'Gondi'	Dravidian	India	2.6 million (1997)
'Senoufo'	Niger-Congo, Gur	National language of Mali. Native to Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire.	2.6 million, all varieties (1991, 1993, 2001)
'Latvian'	Indo-European, Baltic	Official in Latvia. Significant communities in Australia, USA, United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil.	2.5 million
'Kalenjin'	Nilo-Saharan, East Sudanic, Nilotic	Kenya	2.5 million (1989 census)
'Kumauni'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	India	2.4 million in India (1998)
'Kamba'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Kenya	2.4 million native, 0.6 million second language, = 3.0 million total (1989 census)
'Luri'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Western	Iran	2.4 million (1999, 2001)
'K'iche''	Mayan	Guatemala	2.3 million (2000 SIL)
'Kapampangan'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Borneo-Philippines	Philippines	2.3 million (2000 census)
'Central Aymara'	Aymaran	Official in Bolivia, Peru. Significant numbers in Argentina.	2.2 million Central Aymara (1987)
'Tiv'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantoid	Nigeria	2.2 million native, unknown number second language (1991 UBS)
'Brahui'	Dravidian	Pakistan, Afghanistan	2.2 million
'Gbaya'	Niger-Congo, Ubangian	Central African Republic, Congo-Kinshasa	2.2 million, all varieties, including Ngbaka (2000 WCD)
'Zarma'	Nilo-Saharan, Songhai	Official in Niger	2.2 million (1998)
'Baoulé'	Niger-Congo, Kwa	Côte d'Ivoire	2.1 million (1993 SIL)
'Dogri'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	Official in India (Jammu and Kashmir)	2.1 million (1997)
'Lingala'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	National language of Congo-Brazzaville, Congo-Kinshasa.	2.1 million native (2000 WCD), 7 million second language in Congo-Kinshasa (1999 WA), unknown additional second language speakers in Congo-Brazzaville, = 9+ million total. According to Britannica (2005 Yearbook) more than 36 million people speak lingala as lingua franca.
'Sasak'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Sunda-Sulawesi	Indonesia	2.1 million (1989)
'Kurux'	Dravidian	India, Nepal	2.1 million (1997)
'Mundari'	Austro-Asiatic, Munda	India	2.1 million (1997)
'Dinka'	Nilo-Saharan, East Sudanic, Nilotic	Southern Sudan	2+ million
'Slovenian'	Indo-European, Slavic, South Slavic	Official in Austria, Italy, Slovenia.	2.0 million (1991 census)
'Macedonian'	Indo-European, Slavic, South	Official in Republic of Macedonia	2.0 million (1995) [4]
'Buyei'	Tai-Kadai, Kam-Tai, Tai	China	~2 million (1990 census)
'Beti-Pahuin'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Major language of Gabon, Equatorial Guinea. Significant communities in Cameroon, São Tomé and Príncipe.	~2 million. Includes Fang, Ewondo, etc.
'Zazaki'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Western	Turkey	1.5–2.5 million (all dialects) (1998 Paul)
'Tulu'	Dravidian	India	1.9 million (1997)
'Ligurian'	Indo-European, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Gallo-Romance, Gallo-Italic	Italy, France, Monaco	1,920,848
'Sidamo'	Afro-Asiatic, Cushitic, East	Ethiopia	1.9 million, 0.1 million second language, = 2.0 million total (1998 census)
'Bashkir'	Altaic, Turkic, Northwestern, Northern	Official in Russia (Bashkortostan)	1.9 million (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk)
'Yao'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique	~1.9 million (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk)
'Chuvash'	Altaic, Turkic	Official in Russia (Chuvashia)	1.8 million native, 0.2 million second language, = 2.0 million total (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk)
'Ijaw'	Niger-Congo, unclassified	Nigeria	1.8 million (all varieties)
'Fon'	Niger-Congo, Kwa	National language of Benin Significant communities in Togo	1.7 million native (2000 Hoddenbagh), unknown number second language
'Swati'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Official in South Africa, Swaziland. Significant communities in Lesotho	1.7 million (1996 census, 1993 Johnstone)
'Irish'	Indo-European, Celtic, Goidelic	Official in the Republic of Ireland; Northern Ireland, Small communities in USA and Australia	1,656,790 (2006 Irish Census) [5]
'Nyankore'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Uganda	1.6 million (1991 census)
'Tatar'	Altaic, Turkic, Northwestern, Northern	Official in Russia (Tatarstan). Significant communities in Bashkortostan, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan	1.6 million (1989 census) [6.6 million ethnic Tatar]
'Makasar'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Sunda-Sulawesi	Indonesia	1.6 million native, 0.4 million second language, = 2 million total (1989)
'Gusii'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Kenya	1.6 million (1994 I. Larsen BTL)
'Khandesi'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	India	1.6 million (1997)
'Ndebele'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Official in South Africa. National language of Zimbabwe.	1.6 million (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk)
'Chin'	Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman	Myanmar, India	1.6 million (1990 BAP, 1996 UBS). All varieties, but ''not'' including Mizo etc.
'Vlax Romani'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	Bosnia & Herzegovina, Romania, Albania, Colombia, Hungary	1.5 million
'Sara'	Nilo-Saharan, Central Sudanic, Bongo-Bagirmi	National language of Chad. Significant communities in Central African Republic.	1.5 million native, all varieties, large number second-language speakers (dated data)
'Pangasinan'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Borneo-Philippines	Philippines	1.5 million (2000 census)
'Tonga'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Zambia, Zimbabwe	1.5 million (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk)
'Lampung'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Sunda-Sulawesi	Indonesia	~1.5 million (1981 Wurm and Hattori)
'Sardinian'	Indo-European, Romance	Official in Italy (Sardinia)	~1.5 million (1977 M. Ibba, Rutgers University)
'Scots'	Indo-European, Germanic, West	Scotland, Significant communities in Northern Ireland	~1.5 million native (General Register Office for Scotland, 1996)
'Dong'	Tai-Kadai, Kam-Tai, Kam-Sui	China	1.5 million
'Mende'	Niger-Congo, Mande	National language of Sierra Leone	1.5 million native, unknown number second language (1987 UBS)
'Tày'	Tai-Kadai, Kam-Tai, Tai	Vietnam	1.5 million in Viet Nam (1999 census)
'Nahuatl'	Uto-Aztecan, isolate	Mexico	1.4 million (all varieties) (dated data)
'Afar'	Afro-Asiatic, Cushitic, East	Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti	1.4 million (1998 census)
'Dagbani'	Niger-Congo, Gur	National language of Ghana	1.4 million, including Kusaal, Mampruli (2004 SIL)
'Koli'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	India, Pakistan	1.4 million, all varieties (some data dated)
'Chiga'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Uganda	1.4 million (1991 census)
'Tumbuka'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Official in Malawi. Significant communities in Zambia	1.3 million (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk)
'Iu Mien'	Hmong-Mien, Yao	China	1.3 million, all varieties (1995 Wang and Mao)
'Meru'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Kenya	1.3 million (1994 I. Larsen BTL) (dated data)
'Gogo'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Tanzania	~1.3 million (1992 UBS) (dated data)
'Teso'	Nilo-Saharan, East Sudanic, Nilotic	Uganda. Significant communities in Kenya	1.3 million (1991 census)
'Meithei'	Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman	Official in India (Manipur)	1.3 million (1997)
'Tamang'	Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman	Nepal	1.3 million
'Makonde'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Tanzania, Mozambique	1.3 million (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk)
'Bai'	Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, unclassified	China	1.2 million (2003)
'Tuareg'	Afro-Asiatic, Berber, Southern	Official in Niger. National language of Mali.	1.2 million (1991–1998)
'Mandinka'	Niger-Congo, Mande	National language of Senegal. Significant communities in Gambia, Guinea-Bissau.	1.2 million (2002)
'Jula'	Niger-Congo, Mande	Native to Burkina Faso, Significant communities in Côte d'Ivoire	~1.2 million native, 3–4 million second language
'Temne'	Niger-Congo, Atlantic	National language of Sierra Leone	~1.2 million native, 0.2 million second language, = ~1.4 million total (1989 J. Kaiser)
'Haya'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Tanzania	~1.2 million (1991 UBS)
'Serer'	Niger-Congo, Atlantic	National language of Senegal. Significant communities in Gambia.	1.2 million (2002)
'Beja'	Afro-Asiatic, Cushitic or isolate	Sudan, Eritrea	1.2 million (1982 SIL)
'Nyamwezi'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Tanzania	1.2 million (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk)
'Abron'	Niger-Congo, Kwa	Ghana	1.2 million (2003)
'Alur'	Nilo-Saharan, East Sudanic, Nilotic	Congo-Kinshasa, Uganda	1.2 million (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk)
'Sena'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Mozambique, Malawi	1.2 million, all varieties
'Azande'	Niger-Congo, Ubangian	Congo-Kinshasa, Southern Sudan, Central African Republic	1.1 million (dated data)
'Walloon'	Indo-European, Romance	Belgium	1.1 million (1998)
'Anyi'	Niger-Congo, Kwa	Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana	1.2 million (1993 SIL)
'Malvi'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	India	1.1 million (1997)
'Kinaray-a'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Borneo-Philippines	Philippines	1.1 million native (2000 census)
'Soninke'	Niger-Congo, Mande	National language in Mali, Mauritania, Senegal. Significant communities in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia.	1.10 million (1991)
'Ho'	Austro-Asiatic, Munda	India	1.08 million (1997)
'Estonian'	Uralic, Finno-Ugric, Finnic	Official in Estonia	1.08 million (1989 census)
'Nyakyusa'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Tanzania, Malawi	1.05 million (1992 UBS)
'Gwari'	Niger-Congo, Nupe	Nigeria	1.05 million (1991 SIL, 2002 SIL)
'Lugbara'	Nilo-Saharan, Central Sudanic, Moru-Madi	Congo-Kinshasa, Uganda	1.04 million (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk, 1983 SIL)
'Basque'	Language isolate, Euskadi and Navarre (Spain) and Iparralde (France)	Basque Country	1.03 million (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk, 1983 SIL)
'Naga'	Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman	India	1.03 million, all varieties (1997)
'Susu'	Niger-Congo, Mande	National language of Guinea. Significant communities in Sierra Leone.	1.03 million (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk)
'Tausug'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Borneo-Philippine	Philippines Significant communities in Indonesia (Kalimantan), Malaysia (Sabah)	1.02 million native (2000 census)
'Chokwe'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	National language of Angola. Significant communities in Congo-Kinshasa	1.01 million (1990 UBS)
'Kabardian'	Caucasic, Circassian	Official in Russia (Kabardino-Balkaria). Significant communities in Karachay-Cherkessia, Turkey	1.01 million (1993 UBS, 2001 Johnstone and Mandryk)
'Ryūkyū'	Japonic, Ryūkyūan	Japan	1.01 million, all varieties (2000 WCD)
'Magindanaw'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Borneo-Philippine	Philippines	1.0 million native (2000 census), unknown number second language
'Maranao'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Borneo-Philippine	Philippines	1.0 million native (2000 census)
'Ancash Quechua'	Waywash	Official in Perú	1.0 million speakers
'Songe'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Congo-Kinshasa	~1 million (1991 WA)
'Rejang'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Sunda-Sulawesi	Indonesia	~1 million (1981 Wurm and Hattori)
'Bini'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Edoid	Official in Nigeria	~1 million (1999 WA)
'Ebira'	Niger-Congo, Nupe	Nigeria	~1 million (1989 J. Adive)
'Dagaare'	Niger-Congo, Gur	National language of Ghana. Significant communities in Burkina Faso.	~1 million (2003)
'Gujari'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	Afghanistan, India, Pakistan	0.99 million (2000 WCD)
'Tharu'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	Nepal	0.99 million, all varieties
'Chechen'	Caucasic, Nakh	Official in Russia (Chechnya).	0.96 million (1989 census)
'Venda'	Niger-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantu	Official in South Africa	0.96 million (1996 census)
'Arakanese'	Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman	Myanmar, Bangladesh	0.95 million (2001 Johnstone and Mandryk)

100,000 to 1 million speakers

Language	Family	Official status and where spoken natively by more than 1% of the population	Number of speakers
'Welsh'	Indo-European, Celtic, Brythonic	Official in Wales Also spoken in Patagonia and England.	750,000+
'Yucatán Maya'	Mayan, Yucatecan, Yucatec-Laca	México, Belize	705,000
'Ossetic'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Eastern, Northeastern	Spoken in Russia Official in North Ossetia, South Ossetia), Georgia, Turkey	~700,000
'Ndonga'	Bantu	Spoken in Namibia, Angola	690,000
'Kwanyama'	Niger-Congo	Angola, Namibia	671,000
'Mari'	Uralic, Finno-Ugric, Finno-Permic, Finno-Volgaic	Russia (Official in Mari El)	600,569
'Frisian'	Indo-European, Germanic, West Germanic	Official in Netherlands (Friesland).	600,000 fluent speakers in 2004.
'Avar'	North Caucasian (disputed), Northeast Caucasian, Avar-Andic	Official in Russia's Republic of Dagestan Also spoken in the rest of Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkey	~600,000
'Friulian'	Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Gallo-Romance, Gallo-Rhaetian	Italy	~600,000
'Lozi'	Niger-Congo	Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe	550,000
'Udmurt'	Uralic, Finno-Ugric, Finno-Permic, Permic	Russia (Official in Udmurtia), Kazakhstan	550,000
'Kalmyk'	Altaic (controversial), Mongolic, Kalmyk-Oirat	Spoken in Russia (Kalmykia), China, Mongolia	518,500
'Breton'	Indo-European, Celtic, Brythonic	No official status	≤ 500,000
'Erzya'	Uralic, Finno-Ugric, Finno-permic, Finno-Volgaic, Mordvinic	Spoken in Russia	~500,000
'Moksha'	Uralic, Finno-Ugric, Finno-permic, Finno-Volgaic, Mordvinic	Russia (Mordovia)	~500,000
'Zaptotec'	Oto-Manguean, Zapotecan	Mexico (Oaxaca, Puebla Guerrero) Also spoken in USA	~500,000
'Lezgi'	Northeast Caucasian, Lezgian	Spoken in Russia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan	450,000
'Mapudungun'	language isolate	Significant communities in Chile, Argentina	440,000 (ethnologue)
'Dargin'	Caucasian (geographical convention), North (disputed), Northeast	Spoken in Dagestan, Russia	439,000
'Ingush'	Caucasian ''(disputed)'', North ''(disputed)'', Northeast, Nakh, Veinakh (Chechen-Ingush)	Spoken in Russia (Ingushetia, Chechnya)	415,000
'Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl'	Uto-Aztecan, Aztecan, General Aztec, Huasteca	México	410,000
'Limousin'	Occitan	France	401,000
'Karachay-Balkar'	Altaic, Turkic, Kypchak, Kypchak-Cuman	Official languages of Russian areas of Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia	400,000
'Buryat'	Altaic, Mongolic, Northern	Mongolia, China, Russia	400,000
'Provençal	Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Ibero-Romance	France, Spain, Italy, Monaco	400,000
'Western Huasteca Nahuatl'	Uto-Aztecan, Aztecan, General Aztec, Huasteca	México	400,000
'Corsican'	Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Italo-Dalmatian	Official in Corsica.	100,000-402,000
'Maltese'	Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, South Central	Official in Malta, European Union. Significant communities in Australia, United Kingdom and Gibraltar	371,900 (ethnologue 2006)
'Samoan'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian (MP), Nuclear MP	Official in Samoa and American Samoa (United States)	370,337
'Sakha'	Altaic, Turkic, Northern Turkic	Russia	363,000
'Komi'	Uralic, Permic	Spoken in Russia (Komi Republic, Perm Krai	350,000
'Mazahua'	Oto-Manguean, Otopamean, Otomian	México	350,000
'Papiamento'	Portuguese Creole	Official in Netherlands Antilles and Aruba	329,000
'Wayuu'	Arawakan, Maipuran, Northern Maipuran, Caribbean	Significant communities in Colombia, Venezuela	305,000 (ethnologue)
'Aromanian	Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Eastern Romance	Greece, Albania, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Republic of Macedonia	300,000-700,000
'Adyghe'	Caucasian (disputed), North Caucasian (disputed), Northwest Caucasian, Circassian	Official in Russia's Republic of Adygea, Significant communities in the rest of Russia, Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Israel, Republic of Macedonia, Iraq	300,000
'Icelandic'	Indo-European, Germanic, North	Official in Iceland. Small community in Gimli, Manitoba, Canada.	300,000
'Wanka Quechua'	Quechuan	Official in Peru	300,000
'Kumyk'	Altaic, Turkic, Kypchak, Kypchak-Cuman	Russia Dagestan	282,000
'Gascon'	Occitan	official in the Val d'Aran, Catalonia, Spain; in the Gascogne in southern France	253,814
'Nàmá'	Khoisan, Khoe, Khoekhoe, North Khoekhoe	Official in Namibia.	250,000
'Central Huasteca Nahuatl'	Uto-Aztecan, Southern Uto-Aztecan, Aztecan, General Aztec, Aztec	México	200,000
'Tuvan'	Altaic, Turkic, Northeastern	Mongolia, Russia, China	200,000
'Miskito'	Misumalpan	Nicaragua, Honduras	183,400
'Navajo'	Na-Dené, Athabaskan, Southern Athabaskan	Spoken in the USA (Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico)	178,000
'Maori	Austronesian, Oceanic, Tahitic Languages	Official language of New Zealand/Aotearoa	165,000 fluent speakers (New Zealand Census, 2006. Statistics New Zealand).
'Ngäbere'	Chibchan, Guaymi	Spoken in Panamá	133,092 (1990 Panama Census)
'Hererro'	Niger-Congo	Namibia, Botswana	130,000
'Highland Puebla Nahuatl'	Uto-Aztecan, Southern Uto-Aztecan, Aztecan, General Aztec, Aztec	México	125,000
'Highland Totonac'	Totonacan, Totonac	México	120,000
'Lak'	North Caucasian, Northeast Caucasian	Russia (Southern Dagestan)	120,000
'Orizaba Nahuatl'	Uto-Aztecan, Southern Uto-Aztecan, Aztecan, General Aztec, Aztec	México	120,000
'P'urhépecha'	Language isolate	México Michoacán	~120,000
'Tahitian'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian (MP), Central-Eastern MP, Eastern MP, Oceanic, Central-Eastern Oceanic, Remote Oceanic, Central Pacific, East Fijian-Polynesian, Polynesian, Nuclear Polynesian, Eastern Polynesian, Central E. Polynesian, Tahitic	France (French Polynesia)	120,000
'Karelian'	Uralic	Russia	118,000
'Komi-Permyak	Uralic	Russia	116,000
'Arpitan (Franco-Provençal)'	Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Gallo-Romance, Gallo-Rhaetian (SIL), Oïl (SIL), Southeastern (SIL)	Italy, Switzerland, France	~113,000
'Tongan'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central Eastern Malayo-Polynesian...	Official in Tonga	105,319
'Bachajón Tzeltal'	Mayan, Cholan-Tzeltalan, Tzeltalan	México	100,000
'Ladino'	Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Ibero-Romance, West Iberian, Spanish	Israel, Turkey	109,000
'Gilbertese'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central Eastern, Eastern...	Official in Kiribati	102,000
'Mezquital Otomi	Oto-Manguean, Otopamean, Otomian	México, USA	100,000
'Tabasaran'	Northeast Caucasian, Lezgian	Russia (Southern Dagestan)	95,905

10,000 - 100,000 speakers

Language	Family	Official status and where spoken natively by more than 1% of the population	Number of speakers
'Altay'	Altaic, Turkic	Russia, Mongolia, China	71,600
'Nogai'	Altaic, Turkic	Russia	67,800
'Faroese'	Indo-European, Germanic, North	Official in Faroe Islands.	60,000 - 80,000
'Santiago del Estero Quichua'	Quechuan	Spoken in Argentina	66,000 (ethnologue)
'Chamorro'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian (MP), Nuclear MP, Sunda-Sulawesi	USA (Guam, Northern Mariana Islands)	60,000+
'Khakas'	Altaic	Russia	~60,000
'Scottish Gaelic'	Indo-European, Celtic, Goidelic	Official in Scotland.	58,652
'Ojibwe'	Algonquian	Canada and northern United States	55,000
'Kalaallisut'	Eskimo-Aleut, Inuit	Official in Denmark (Greenland)	54,000
'Kashubian'	Indo-European, Slavic, West, Pomeranian	Poland	53,000
'Sanskrit'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan	chiefly India, but also Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal; Used in religious practices in Hinduism.	49,736 fluent speakers (1991 Indian census)
'Western Argentine Guaraní'	Guaranean	Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay	48,974 (ethnologue)
'Eastern Bolivian Guaraní'	Tupi, Tupi-Guarani, Subgroup I	Official in Bolivia, Also spoken in Argentina	48,974 (ethnologue)
'Cook Islands Maori'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian(MP), Central-Eastern MP, Eastern MP, Oceanic, Central-Eastern Oceanic, Remote Oceanic, Central Pacific, East Fijian-Polynesian, Polynesian, Nuclear Polynesian, Eastern Polynesian, Central E. Polynesian, Tahitic	New Zealand (Cook Islands)	42,669
'Ticuna'	Language isolate	Perú, Brazil, Colombia	40,000
'Aguaruna'	Jivaroan	Official in Perú	38,290 (2000 WCD)
'Romansh	Indo-European, Romance	Official in Switzerland.	35,000 native
'Rutul'	Northeast Caucasian	Russia, Azerbaijan	+30,000
'Ladin'	Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Gallo-Romance, Gallo-Rhaetian, Rhaetian	Italy	30,000
'Inuktitut	Eskimo-Aleut, Inuit	Official in Canada	~30,000
'Llanito'	Indo-European, Romance, Germanic, West	Dialect in Gibraltar. Although also widely understood in the surrounding Campo De Gibraltar area, in Spain.	30,000 (Ethnologue 2006)
'Evenki'	Altaic, Tungusic	Russia, China, Mongolia	29,000
'Nenets	Uralic	Russia	27,273
'Mbyá Guaraní'	Tupian, Tupí-Guaraní, Guaraní (I)	Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay	27,000
'Sioux'	Siouan-Catawban, Siouan, Mississippi Valley, Dakotan	USA, Canada	26,300
'Wichí Lhamtés Vejoz'	Mataco-Guaicuru	Argentina	25,000 (ethnologue)
'Asháninka'	Arawakan, Maipuran, Southern Maipuran, Pre-Andine	Official language of Perú	23,750 - 28,500 (2000 SIL)
'Nivaclé'	Mataco-Guaicuru	Paraguay	18,200 (ethnologue)
'Agul'	Northeast Caucasian, Lezgian	Russia, Azerbaijan	17,373 (1989 Census)
'Kaiwá'		Brazil	15,512 (Ethnologue)
'Cherokee'	Iroquoian, Southern Iroquoian	USA (Oklahoma)	15,000-22,000
'Mahl'	Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Insular Indo-Aryan	India	15,000-20,000
'Tsez'	North Caucasian	Russia	15,000
'Wichí Lhamtés Güisnay'	Mataco-Guaicuru	Argentina	15,000 (ethnologue)
'!Kung'	Khoisian	Namibia, Angola	15,000
'Tuamotuan	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian...	France (French Polynesia)	14,400
'South Ucayali Ashéninka]'	Arawakan, Maipuran, Southern Maipuran, Pre-Andine	Official in Perú	13,000
'Pajonal Ashéninka'	Arawakan, Maipuran, Southern Maipuran, Pre-Andine	Official in Perú	12,000
'Pichis Ashéninka'	Arawakan, Maipuran, Southern Maipuran, Pre-Andine	Official in Perú	12,000
'Khanty'	Uralic	Russia	12,000
'Chiripá'	Tupi, Tupi-Guarani, Subgroup I	Brazil, Paraguay	11,500 (ethnologue)
'Chayahuita'	Cahuapanan	Official in Perú	11,384 (2000, WCD)
'Tuvaluan'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central Eastern, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Central-Eastern Oceanic, Remote Oceanic, Central Pacific, East Fijian-Polynesian, Polynesian, Nuclear, Samoic, Ellicean	Tuvalu, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand	10,670
'Aragonese'	Indo-European, Romance	Huesca province (Spain). No official status.	10,000 native, 30,000-50,000 with some knowledge (Dated data)
'Central Alaskan Yup'ik'	Eskimo-Aleut	United States (Alaska)	~10,000
'Shor'	Altaic	Russia	9,800

Fewer than 10,000

Language	Family	Official status and where spoken natively by more than 1% of the population	Number of speakers
'Huambisa'	Jivaroan	Official in Perú	9,333 (2000 WCD)
'Lakota'	Siouan-Catawban, Siouan, Mississippi Valley, Dakotan, Sioux	USA	8,000-9,000
'Chukchi'	Chukotko-Kamchatkan	Russia	7,742
'Huitotot'	Bora-Huitoto, Huitoto-Ocaina	Official in Perú Also spoken in Colombia	7,378-8,162 (Adelaar, 2004)
'Southern Aymara'	Aymaran	Official in Perú Also spoken in Brazil	7,212 (2001 SIL)
'Ucayali-Yurúa Ashéninka	Arawakan, Maipuran, Southern Maipuran, Pre-Andine	Official in Perú Also spoken in Brazil	7,212
'Megleno-Romanian'	Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Eastern Romance	Greece, Romania, Republic of Macedonia	5,000-12,000
'Western Desert Language	Pama-Nyungan	Australia	6,103 (Ethnologue)
'Perené Ashéninka'	Arawakan, Maipuran, Southern Maipuran, Pre-Andine	Official in Peru	5,500
'Achuar-Shiwiar'	Jivaroan	Official in Perú, Also spoken in Ecuador	5,000
'Cashibo-Cacataibo'	Panoan	Perú	5,000 (Ethnologue, 1999)
'Dolgan'	Altaic	Russia	~5,000
'Rapa Nui (Easter Islander)	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central Eastern, Eastern, Oceanic, Central-Eastern, Remote Oceanic, Central Pacific, East, Polynesian, Nuclear Polynesian, Eastern Polynesian	Chile (Rapa Nui (Easter Island))	4,650
'!Xóõ'	Khoisian	Namibia, Botswana	4,200
'Ajyíninka Apurucayali	Arawakan, Maipuran	Official in Perú	4,000
'Mansi'	Uralic	Russia	3,184
'Koryak'	Chukotko-Kamchatkan	Russia	3,019
'Jaqaru'	Aymaran	Official in Perú	3,009
'Candoshi-Shapra'	Language Isolate	Official in Perú	3,000 (1991, SIL)
'Yague'	Peba-Yaguan	Official in Perú	3,000-4,000 (''dated'')
'Kala Lagaw Ya'	Pama-Nyungan	Australia	3,000-4,000
'Inupiaq'	Aleut	Canada	3,500
'Carolinian'	Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central Eastern, Eastern, Oceanic, Central-Eastern, Remote Oceanic, Micronesian, Micronesian Proper, Ponapeic-Trukic	United States Official in Northern Mariana Islands	3,000
'Warlpiri'	Pama-Nyungan	Australia	3,000
'Murui Huitoto'	Witotoan, Witoto, Witoto Proper, Minica-Murui	Official in Peru, also spoken in Colombia	2,900 (SIL, 1995)
'Bora	Witotan	Official in Perú Also spoken in Colombia	2,828
'Cashinahua'	Panoan	Official in Perú Also spoken in Brazil	2,000
'Inuinnaqtun'	Aleut	Canada	2,000
'Arrernte'	Pama-Nyungan	Australia	1,500
'Manx Gaelic'	Indo-European, Celtic	Isle of Man	1,750
'Minica Huitoto'	Witotoan	Official in Perú, Also spoken in Colombia	1,705 (2000 WCD)
'Culina	Arauan	Official in Peru Also spoken in Brazil	1,303
'Chipaya	Uru-Chipaya	Official in Peru	1,200
'Walmajarri'	Pama-Nyungan	Australia	1,000
'Ottomanish'	Altaic-Turkic	Turkey	900

Macrolanguages

The following are the largest ISO 639 macrolanguages, which in different sources may be counted as either one or several languages.

★ Chinese language (ca. 1,300 million)

★ Arabic language (ca. 200 million)

★ Rajasthani language (ca. 80 million): subsumed under Hindi in the Indian census.

★ Pashto language (ca. 40 million)

★ Persian language (ca. 30 million, second language up to 100 million)

★ Azerbaijani language (ca. 25 million)

★ Oromo language (ca. 25 million)

★ Uzbek language (ca. 23 million)

★ Malay language (ca. 23 million)

★ Serbo-Croatian language (ca. 17 million)

★ Malagasy language (ca. 17 million)

★ Kurdish language (ca. 16 million)

★ Fula language (ca. 15 million)

★ Zhuang language (ca. 14 million)

★ Swahili language (5-10 million, second language up to 80 million)

References

1. [1]
2. Encarta
3. Universidad de México
4. Instituto Cervantes ("El Mundo" news)
5. 20,000 Teaching Jobs
6. Hindi
7. http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/dglf/politique-langue/franco-chiffre-2000.html
8. http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/francophonie/francophonie.htm
9. [2]
10. http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_en.pdf
11. sum of 10 dialects; 43 million if all of Southwestern Iranian is included.[3]
12. 2006 CIA Factbook: Iran 39 M (58%), Afghanistan 15 M (50%), Tajikistan 5.8 M (80%), Uzbekistan 1.2 M (4.4%)
13. The Latin Union reports 28 million speakers for Romanian, out of whom 24 million are native speakers of the language: ''Latin Union - The odyssey of languages:'' ro, es, fr, it, pt; see also Ethnologue report for Romanian
14. Het Nederlandse taalgebied

See also

★ List of Indian languages by number of native speakers

★ Linguistic demography

External links

★ Top 30 languages of the world

★ List of top 100 languages in 13th edition of Ethnologue (1996)

★ Different lists of the most spoken languages (the Ethnologue list is from a previous, not the 2005, edition).

★ Ethnologue - SIL's Ethnologue, widely referenced source for the world's languages

★ Languages Spoken by More Than 10 Million People - Encarta list, based on data from Ethnologue, but some figures (e.g. for Arabic) widely vary from it

★ 30 most widely spoken world languages