List of countries and territories where Arabic is an official language

Official language

Sovereign state	Population	Notes	Member of the Arab League
Algeria States with limited recognition and territories where Arabic is an official language National language or recognized minority language As of 2016, there are 5 independent countries where Arabic is a national, working language or a recognized minority language, but not the primary language. Country Population Status Cyprus Cyprus is one of the two recognized minority languages of Cyprus, since 2008. It is spoken by the Maronite community, which is a minority in Cyprus especially in the cities Nicosia, Limassol and Larnaca. Cypriot Arabic is taught at the Elementary School of St. Maron, which is located in Anthoupolis southern of Nicosia, Cyprus. Eritrea Debate exists over the extent of Arabic in Eritrea; the government position is that the language was introduced by the British and is only in use by a professional elite and the Rashaida minority, whereas others have taken the view the language acts as the lingua franca of the country's Muslims. Eritrea is an observer state in the Arab League. Iran Arabic is a recognized minority language of Iran. In addition, the constitution recognizes the Arabic language as the language of Islam, giving it a formal status as the language of religion, and regulates its spreading within the Iranian national curriculum. After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Arabic became mandatory for pupils in Iran. Arabic courses are mandatory starting from 6th year of schooling until the 11th year. The local dialects of Arabic spoken by Arab minorities in Iran are Khuzestani Arabic and Mesopotamian Arabic, mainly in Khuzestan Province as well as Khorasani Arabic especially in Khorasan Province. There are several TV channels in Arabic language broadcasting from Iran, namely, Al-Alam, Al-Kawthar TV, iFilm, Ahwazna TV, Al Ahwaz TV and Al-Ahvaz TV. Currently, the sole newspaper in Arabic language published in Iran is Kayhan Al Arabi out of 23 Persian dailies and three English dailies newspapers in Iran. In 2008, the public university Payame Noor University declared that Arabic will be the "second language" of the university, and that all its services will be offered in Arabic, concurrent with Persian. Niger Arabic is one of the recognized national languages in Niger. Arabic is spoken by a minority in Niger especially by the Diffa Arabs an Arab nomadic tribespeople who is living in eastern Niger, mostly in the Diffa Region. Senegal Arabic is one of the recognized national languages in Senegal. Hassaniya Arabic is spoken by a minority in Senegal. Special status according to the constitution As of 2018, there are 5 independent countries where Arabic has a special status according to the constitution. Country Population Official language Other recognized language Iran Iran The constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran recognizes the Arabic language as the language of Islam, giving it a formal status as the language of religion, and regulates its spreading within the Iranian national curriculum. The constitution declares in Chapter II: in Article 16 "Since the language of the Qur`an and Islamic texts and teachings is Arabic,..., it must be taught after elementary level, in all classes of secondary school and in all areas of study." Israel Arabic was an official language of Mandatory Palestine and was retained as an official language when the State of Israel was founded in 1948. In 2018, the Knesset upgraded the status of Hebrew from official to State language of Israel, and gave Arabic a special status in the State by adopting the relevant Basic Law. The Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People states in No. 4 that "The Arabic language has a special status in the state; Regulating the use of Arabic in state institutions or by them will be set in law." The law declares in No. 4 : "This clause does not harm the status given to the Arabic language before this law came into effect." The law was adopted by the Knesset 62 in favor, 55 against and two abstentions on 19 July 2018. Arabic is an indigenous language in the territory which form the State of Israel and which is still the lingua franca of Arab citizens of Israel as well as of Arab foreigners. In addition, Arabic is spoken by Jews in Israel who immigrated from Arab countries to Israel and got the Israeli citizenship according to the Israeli Nationality Law of 1952. Arabic names are shown on some seals of Arabic majority cities. It is semi-official and used in ethnically mixed cities including Jerusalem, Haifa, and Tel Aviv-Yafo, as well as on most highway signage, official websites, and public buildings in areas with significant Arabic-speaking populations. Pakistan According to the Constitution of Pakistan of 1956 the two languages Urdu as well as Bengali became the national languages in the new founded state Islamic Republic of Pakistan. General Ayub Khan the second President of Pakistan advocated the institution of Arabic language teaching as part of national planning. "Ayub`s educational plan emphasized Urdu and English as the primary language of Pakistan, but additionally recommended that Arabic be a secondary language of instruction along with English." This recommendation was purely for religious reasons, as Pakistan is not an Arab country. The Arabic language is mentioned in the constitution of Pakistan. It declares in article 31 No. 2 that "The State shall endeavour, as respects the Muslims of Pakistan to make the teaching of the Holy Quran and Islamiat compulsory, to encourage and facilitate the learning of Arabic language..." The National Education Policy 2017 declares in article 3.7.4 that: “Arabic as compulsory part will be integrated in Islamiyat from Middle to Higher Secondary level to enable the students to understand the Holy Quran.“ Furthermore, it specifies in article 3.7.6: “Arabic as elective subject shall be offered properly at Secondary and Higher Secondary level with Arabic literature and grammar in its course to enable the learners to have command in the language.“ This law is also valid for private schools as it defines in article 3.7.12: “The curriculum in Islamiyat, Arabic and Moral Education of public sector will be adopted by the private institutions to make uniformity in the society.“ In 2021, Pakistan's upper house of parliament approved the ‘Compulsory Teaching of the Arabic Language Bill 2020’ which makes the teaching of Arabic mandatory at all primary and secondary schools in the capital, Islamabad. The text of the bill says that Arabic should be taught from the first to the fifth grade and Arabic grammar should be taught from the sixth grade to the eleventh grade. The main reasons given are that Arabic would open up more job opportunities for Pakistanis in the Middle East and lead to lower unemployment and increased remittances and that Arabic is the language of the Quran, so making Arabic compulsory in school will help improve the understanding of it. Philippines The Arabic language is mentioned in the Philippine constitution of 1986. It specifies that "Spanish and Arabic shall be promoted on a voluntary and optional basis." Arabic is mainly used by some Filipino Muslims in both a liturgical and instructional capacity since the arrival of Islam and establishment of several Sultanates and during Bruneian Empire in the present-day state Philippines. Along with Malay, Arabic was the lingua franca of the Malay Archipelago among Muslim traders and the Malay aristocracy in the Philippines' history. Arabic is taught for free and is promoted in some Islamic centres predominantly in the southernmost parts of Philippines. South Africa The Arabic language is mentioned in the Constitution of South Africa. It declares in Chapter 1 Section 6, Languages that "A Pan South African Language Board established by national legislation must promote and ensure respect for – all languages commonly used by communities in South Africa, including...; and Arabic,... for religious purposes in South Africa."South African Government Information: Constitution">Constitution of South Africa: , 1996, retrieved 19 September 2021 Non-sovereign entities and territories Non-sovereign entity/territory Population Notes Azawad History Umayyad Caliphate The Muslim conquests and the following Expansion of Islam led to the expansion of the Arabic language in Northern Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, the Caucasus, Western Asia, Central Asia and South Asia. Along with the religion of Islam, the Arabic language, Arabic number system and Arab customs spread throughout the entire Arab caliphate. The caliphs of the Arab dynasty established the first schools inside the empire which taught Arabic language and Islamic studies for all pupils in all areas within the caliphate. The result was the creation of the society that was mostly Arabic-speaking because of the assimilation of native inhabitants. During the period of the Umayyad Caliphate, the 5th Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik established Arabic instead of the local languages as the sole official state language of government across the entire caliphate.