Ethnologue, the premier authority on languages, has ranked the world’s countries based on the number of living languages spoken within its borders. It’s important to note that the ranking isn’t a measure of multilingualism on a personal level (i.e. the number of people who speak more than one language), rather a count of the number of languages used as a first language in the country.
The full ranking of multilingual countries is below. ‘Total’ shows the overall number of languages spoken as a first language in the country. This total is then broken down into indigenous (ind.) and immigrant (imm.) languages.
| Rank | Country | Total | Ind. | Imm. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Papua New Guinea | 839 | 839 | 0 |
| 2 | Indonesia | 707 | 706 | 1 |
| 3 | Nigeria | 526 | 520 | 6 |
| 4 | India | 454 | 447 | 7 |
| 5 | United States | 422 | 216 | 206 |
| 6 | China | 300 | 297 | 3 |
| 7 | Mexico | 289 | 283 | 6 |
| 8 | Cameroon | 281 | 280 | 1 |
| 9 | Australia | 245 | 212 | 33 |
| 10 | Brazil | 229 | 216 | 13 |
| 11 | Democratic Rep. Congo | 212 | 210 | 2 |
| 12 | Philippines | 193 | 182 | 11 |
| 13 | Canada | 174 | 89 | 85 |
| 14 | Malaysia | 146 | 138 | 8 |
| 15 | Russian Federation | 140 | 105 | 35 |
| 16 | Chad | 131 | 131 | 0 |
| 17 | Tanzania | 126 | 125 | 1 |
| 18 | Nepal | 125 | 120 | 5 |
| 19 | Myanmar | 117 | 117 | 0 |
| 20 | Vanuatu | 116 | 110 | 6 |
| 21 | Viet Nam | 111 | 108 | 3 |
| 22 | Côte d’Ivoire | 98 | 81 | 17 |
| 23 | Peru | 94 | 93 | 1 |
| 24 | Laos | 91 | 85 | 6 |
| 25 | Ethiopia | 89 | 86 | 3 |
| 26 | Colombia | 87 | 84 | 3 |
| 27 | Thailand | 86 | 74 | 12 |
| 28 | Ghana | 85 | 81 | 4 |
| 29 | Central African Republic | 82 | 71 | 11 |
| 30 | Iran | 80 | 76 | 4 |
| 31 | Pakistan | 77 | 72 | 5 |
| 32 | Sudan | 76 | 76 | 0 |
| 33 | Kenya | 72 | 67 | 5 |
| 34 | Mali | 71 | 66 | 5 |
| 35 | Solomon Islands | 71 | 71 | 0 |
| 36 | Burkina Faso | 70 | 70 | 0 |
| 37 | South Sudan | 68 | 68 | 0 |
| 38 | Germany | 66 | 27 | 39 |
| 39 | Congo | 65 | 62 | 3 |
| 40 | France | 62 | 23 | 39 |
| 41 | Benin | 56 | 55 | 1 |
| 42 | United Kingdom | 56 | 13 | 43 |
| 43 | Zambia | 55 | 46 | 9 |
| 44 | Israel | 51 | 35 | 16 |
| 45 | Venezuela | 50 | 44 | 6 |
| 46 | Mozambique | 49 | 43 | 6 |
| 47 | Senegal | 48 | 38 | 10 |
| 48 | Turkey | 47 | 35 | 12 |
| 49 | Togo | 46 | 43 | 3 |
| 50 | Bangladesh | 45 | 41 | 4 |
| 51 | Bolivia | 45 | 43 | 2 |
| 52 | Kazakhstan | 44 | 14 | 30 |
| 53 | South Africa | 44 | 28 | 16 |
| 54 | Italy | 43 | 35 | 8 |
| 55 | Uganda | 43 | 41 | 2 |
| 56 | Gabon | 42 | 42 | 0 |
| 57 | Ukraine | 42 | 24 | 18 |
| 58 | Afghanistan | 41 | 40 | 1 |
| 59 | Netherlands | 41 | 15 | 26 |
| 60 | New Caledonia | 40 | 38 | 2 |
| 61 | Guinea | 39 | 37 | 2 |
| 62 | Uzbekistan | 39 | 9 | 30 |
| 63 | Botswana | 38 | 28 | 10 |
| 64 | Angola | 37 | 37 | 0 |
| 65 | Azerbaijan | 37 | 17 | 20 |
| 66 | Argentina | 36 | 21 | 15 |
| 67 | Namibia | 36 | 28 | 8 |
| 68 | United Arab Emirates | 34 | 7 | 27 |
| 69 | Bhutan | 33 | 23 | 10 |
| 70 | Kyrgyzstan | 33 | 5 | 28 |
| 71 | Liberia | 32 | 31 | 1 |
| 72 | Tajikistan | 32 | 13 | 19 |
| 73 | Libya | 31 | 9 | 22 |
| 74 | Singapore | 31 | 24 | 7 |
| 75 | Belgium | 30 | 10 | 20 |
| 76 | Paraguay | 29 | 23 | 6 |
| 77 | Cambodia | 28 | 23 | 5 |
| 78 | Georgia | 28 | 19 | 9 |
| 79 | China–Taiwan | 27 | 21 | 6 |
| 80 | Guinea-Bissau | 27 | 22 | 5 |
| 81 | Iraq | 27 | 23 | 4 |
| 82 | Sierra Leone | 27 | 25 | 2 |
| 83 | Turkmenistan | 27 | 4 | 23 |
| 84 | Guatemala | 26 | 26 | 0 |
| 85 | Greece | 25 | 16 | 9 |
| 86 | New Zealand | 25 | 4 | 21 |
| 87 | Romania | 25 | 23 | 2 |
| 88 | Ecuador | 24 | 23 | 1 |
| 89 | Gambia | 24 | 11 | 13 |
| 90 | Sweden | 24 | 14 | 10 |
| 91 | Malawi | 23 | 16 | 7 |
| 92 | Switzerland | 23 | 12 | 11 |
| 93 | Zimbabwe | 23 | 21 | 2 |
| 94 | Croatia | 22 | 15 | 7 |
| 95 | Poland | 22 | 17 | 5 |
| 96 | Spain | 22 | 15 | 7 |
| 97 | Suriname | 22 | 19 | 3 |
| 98 | Syria | 22 | 16 | 6 |
| 99 | Algeria | 21 | 18 | 3 |
| 100 | Austria | 21 | 11 | 10 |
| 101 | Denmark | 21 | 7 | 14 |
| 102 | Fiji | 21 | 10 | 11 |
| 103 | Niger | 21 | 21 | 0 |
| 104 | Egypt | 20 | 12 | 8 |
| 105 | Eritrea | 20 | 15 | 5 |
| 106 | Finland | 20 | 12 | 8 |
| 107 | Madagascar | 20 | 14 | 6 |
| 108 | Saudi Arabia | 20 | 5 | 15 |
| 109 | Serbia | 20 | 15 | 5 |
| 110 | East Timor | 19 | 19 | 0 |
| 111 | Micronesia | 19 | 18 | 1 |
| 112 | Oman | 19 | 16 | 3 |
| 113 | Panama | 19 | 14 | 5 |
| 114 | Bulgaria | 18 | 11 | 7 |
| 115 | Czech Republic | 18 | 10 | 8 |
| 116 | Hungary | 18 | 15 | 3 |
| 117 | Japan | 18 | 15 | 3 |
| 118 | Brunei | 17 | 15 | 2 |
| 119 | Guyana | 17 | 14 | 3 |
| 120 | Chile | 16 | 10 | 6 |
| 121 | French Guiana | 16 | 13 | 3 |
| 122 | Jordan | 16 | 10 | 6 |
| 123 | Norway | 16 | 9 | 7 |
| 124 | Moldova | 15 | 10 | 5 |
| 125 | Equatorial Guinea | 14 | 14 | 0 |
| 126 | Latvia | 14 | 7 | 7 |
| 127 | Lithuania | 14 | 8 | 6 |
| 128 | Mauritius | 14 | 7 | 7 |
| 129 | Mongolia | 14 | 12 | 2 |
| 130 | Morocco | 14 | 14 | 0 |
| 131 | Somalia | 14 | 13 | 1 |
| 132 | Yemen | 14 | 10 | 4 |
| 133 | Belize | 13 | 8 | 5 |
| 134 | Costa Rica | 13 | 10 | 3 |
| 135 | Honduras | 13 | 10 | 3 |
| 136 | Puerto Rico | 13 | 4 | 9 |
| 137 | Qatar | 13 | 3 | 10 |
| 138 | Slovakia | 13 | 10 | 3 |
| 139 | Bahrain | 12 | 4 | 8 |
| 140 | Uruguay | 12 | 2 | 10 |
| 141 | Albania | 11 | 8 | 3 |
| 142 | Armenia | 11 | 7 | 4 |
| 143 | Belarus | 11 | 2 | 9 |
| 144 | Estonia | 11 | 5 | 6 |
| 145 | French Polynesia | 11 | 9 | 2 |
| 146 | Macedonia | 11 | 10 | 1 |
| 147 | Nicaragua | 11 | 11 | 0 |
| 148 | Portugal | 11 | 10 | 1 |
| 149 | Djibouti | 10 | 5 | 5 |
| 150 | Slovenia | 10 | 8 | 2 |
| 151 | Tunisia | 10 | 6 | 4 |
| 152 | Guam | 9 | 2 | 7 |
| 153 | Lebanon | 9 | 6 | 3 |
| 154 | Mauritania | 9 | 7 | 2 |
| 155 | Nauru | 9 | 3 | 6 |
| 156 | Trinidad and Tobago | 9 | 8 | 1 |
| 157 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| 158 | China–Hong Kong | 8 | 7 | 1 |
| 159 | Dominican Republic | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| 160 | Palestine | 8 | 6 | 2 |
| 161 | Réunion | 8 | 3 | 5 |
| 162 | Jamaica | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| 163 | Kuwait | 7 | 3 | 4 |
| 164 | Montenegro | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| 165 | Sri Lanka | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| 166 | Swaziland | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| 167 | American Samoa | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| 168 | Comoros | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| 169 | Curacao | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| 170 | Cyprus | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| 171 | El Salvador | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| 172 | Ireland | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| 173 | Lesotho | 6 | 5 | 1 |
| 174 | Luxembourg | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| 175 | Northern Mariana Islands | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| 176 | São Tomé e Príncipe | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| 177 | Aruba | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| 178 | Caribbean Netherlands | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 179 | China–Macao | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 180 | Cook Islands | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 181 | Cuba | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 182 | Liechtenstein | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| 183 | Malta | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 184 | Palau | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 185 | Rwanda | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 186 | Sint Maarten | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| 187 | Tonga | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 188 | Andorra | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 189 | Antigua and Barbuda | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 190 | Bahamas | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 191 | Burundi | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 192 | Dominica | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 193 | Grenada | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 194 | Guadeloupe | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 195 | Martinique | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 196 | Mayotte | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 197 | Monaco | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 198 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 199 | South Korea | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 200 | U.S. Virgin Islands | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 201 | Barbados | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 202 | Cape Verde Islands | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 203 | Cayman Islands | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 204 | Gibraltar | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 205 | Haiti | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 206 | Iceland | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 207 | Jersey | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 208 | Kiribati | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 209 | Niue | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 210 | Saint Barthélemy | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 211 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 212 | Saint Lucia | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 213 | Saint Martin | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 214 | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 215 | Seychelles | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 216 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 217 | Tuvalu | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 218 | Wallis and Futuna | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 219 | Anguilla | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 220 | Bermuda | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 221 | British Virgin Islands | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 222 | Greenland | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 223 | Guernsey | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 224 | Isle of Man | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 225 | Maldives | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 226 | Marshall Islands | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 227 | Montserrat | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 228 | Norfolk Island | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 229 | Pitcairn | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 230 | Samoa | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 231 | San Marino | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 232 | Tokelau | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 233 | Vatican State | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 234 | British Indian Ocean Territory | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 235 | North Korea | 1 | 1 | 0 |
This article originally appeared on Atlas & Boots — Travel with Abandon and is republished here with permission.
Trending Now
7 Countries Where the New Year Won’t Be 2026
Dec 30, 2025
The 8 Best Places in Mexico for a Romantic Vacation
Jan 25, 2026
The Coolest, Cheapest Airbnbs in the Caribbean
Dec 29, 2025
The 13 Most Beautiful Pink Sand Beaches in the World
Feb 15, 2026
Sponsored
Saskatchewan’s Skies Are a Stargazer’s Dream. Here’s Where to Go on Your Trip.
Jan 7, 2026