List of multilingual countries and regions


This is an incomplete list of areas with either multilingualism at the community level or at the personal level.
There is a distinction between social and personal bilingualism. Many countries, such as Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Finland, India, Ireland, South Africa and Switzerland, which are officially multilingual, may have many monolinguals in their population. Officially monolingual countries, on the other hand, such as France, can have sizable multilingual populations. Some countries have official languages but also have regional and local official languages, notably Brazil, China, Indonesia, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, Spain and Taiwan.

Africa

Central Africa

Caribbean

  • Antigua and Barbuda: No official language at national or local level. Antiguan and Barbudan Creole and English both spoken by majority of the population. Guyanese Creole and Jamaican Patois spoken by over 5% of the population each. Bilingual government services are often provided in Spanish.
  • Aruba: Papiamento and Dutch are the official languages, with Spanish and English also widely spoken. All four languages are taught in schools.
  • Caribbean Netherlands – Dutch, English and Papiamentu.
  • Curaçao – Papiamento, Dutch and English are official languages. Spanish is also widely spoken.
  • Haiti: Creole and French
  • Jamaica: English and Jamaican Patois
  • Puerto Rico's official languages and languages of legislature are Spanish and English, yet 85 percent of its inhabitants reported that they did not speak English "very well."
  • Saint Lucia: English and Saint Lucian French Creole
  • Trinidad and Tobago – in the predominantly Trinidadian English Creole-speaking country where Trinidadian English is official, Spanish was introduced as the second language of bilingual traffic signs and is spoken among 5% of the population fluently. and is generally the "first foreign language". Trinidadian Hindustani is rarely used, only spoken among Indo Trinidadian families, mostly the elders who preserve their ancestral language. Sanskrit/Hindi is also used when singing songs of East Indian origins and in the Hindu Temples. Trinidadian French Creole is widely spoken in the communities of the northern suburbs of Port of Spain such as Maraval and Paramin, where there are descendants of the early French Immigrants to Trinidad.

    Central America

  • Belize: English, Spanish and Mayan languages have some official usage, although the legacy of British rule emphasised English to be most commonly used for official purposes though the majority are Hispanophone.
  • Guatemala has one official language which is Spanish; however, there are 22 distinct Mayan languages. Maya, Garifuna and Xincan languages are recognized to be essential elements of the national identity.
  • Honduras: Spanish is the official language, despite Afro-Caribbean English, Garifuna and indigenous languages can be found in the rural outskirts of the country.
  • In Nicaragua, even while Spanish is the official language, there are other de facto languages such as Creole, English, Miskitu, Rama and Mayangna in their own linguistic communities. According to the Constitution, the languages of the Atlantic Coasts should be used officially in cases established by law.
  • In Panama, Spanish is the official language, and seven indigenous languages have been given official recognition

    North America

  • Canada is officially bilingual under the Official Languages Act and the Constitution of Canada that require the federal government to deliver services in both official languages: English and French. As well, minority language rights are guaranteed where numbers warrant. 56.9% of the population speak English as their first language while 22.9% are native speakers of French. The remaining population belong to some of Canada's many immigrant populations or to the indigenous population. See Bilingualism in Canada
  • *Alberta has a specific French policy since 2017.
  • *The Canadian province of British Columbia has a sizable population that speaks Mandarin or Cantonese, particularly in the city of Vancouver and its satellite town of Richmond. There is a provincial law on First Nations languages.
  • *The Canadian province of New Brunswick, with a large Acadian population is officially bilingual.
  • *The Canadian province of Quebec, Note: Quebec's largest city, Montreal, is a multilingual city with half the population having French as their mother tongue, and the other half having other languages as their mother tongue. A majority of Montrealers, whether they call themselves francophone, anglophone or allophone, know both French and English. The city's McGill University, an English-language institution, allows students to submit essays or tests in either English or French. Although there is a sizable English-speaking population in Quebec, French is the only official language of the provincial government. At the same time, many services are provided in English, such as health services, education, legislative activities and judiciary services. Many government services are available in English and French. In the Kahnawake reserve, Mohawk is the official language.
  • * Manitoba has a particular French Language Services Policy and bilingual in capital city Winnipeg, as well as a special law on recognition of seven indigenous languages.
  • *Nova Scotia has a governmental agency for Scots Gaelic language and culture affairs. French is regionally spoken, with a special law on French-language services.
  • *In Newfoundland and Labrador, in the autonomous area of Nunatsiavut, English and Inuttut are co-official There is also a particular provincial French Language Services Policy In Port au Port Peninsula French language is used as well.
  • *Nunavut is a Canadian territory with a population that is 85% Inuit. According to Official Languages Act, its official languages are Inuit, English and French.
  • *Northwest Territories have Chipewyan, Cree, English, French, Gwich’in, Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, North Slavey, South Slavey and Tłı̨chǫ Yatıì as the official languages.
  • * Ontario delivers services under the French Language Services Act.
  • *In Prince Edward Island, there is a Francophone region.
  • * Saskatchewan has a particular French-language Services Policy.
  • *Yukon allows the use of Yukon languages in its legislative assembly, along with French and English.
  • *In the 2006 Canadian census, information and questions are available in sixty-two languages, including eighteen First Nations languages.
  • *The city of Toronto is one of the most multilingual cities in the world. It is the home to over a dozen daily media outlets of different languages, including the Italian daily Corriere Canadese and the Chinese daily Sing Tao.
  • Greenland: Greenlandic is the official language. Danish and English are spoken and taught; and all Greenlanders are Danish-Greenlandic bilinguals.
  • Mexico: The government recognizes 62 indigenous languages, including Nahuatl, spoken by more than 1.5 million people and Aguacatec spoken by 27 people, along with Spanish. Indigenous languages are recognised as national languages in areas where they are spoken. There is no official language at the federal level, although Spanish is the de facto state language.
  • *In Guerrero, state constitution provides for use of indigenous languages in education and translating of main provincial laws to these languages.
  • *In Yucatán, Yucatec Maya language is recognised in the state constitution.
  • *In Oaxaca state constitution, 15 indigenous communities are listed. Certain use of their languages in education and court proceedings is provided for.
  • *In Puebla state constitution, use of indigenous languages in courts and education is provided for
  • *In Campeche state constitution, use of indigenous languages in courts and teaching them in schools are provided for.
  • *In Quintana Roo state constitution, use of indigenous languages in courts and education is provided for; also, the laws are to be published in Maya language.
  • *In Chihuahua state constitution, use of indigenous languages in courts, education, health care and government-disseminated information is provided for.
  • *In Chiapas state constitution, use of indigenous languages in courts and education is provided for.
  • In the United States, at the federal level, there is no official language, although there have been efforts to make English the official language. Use of several languages in electoral process under certain circumstances is provided for by federal law, including Spanish in the whole states of Florida, California and Texas. There are federal statutes promoting Native American languages: Native American Languages Act of 1990 and Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act.
  • *The US state of California has the Dymally-Alatorre Bilingual Services Act. requiring state and local agencies serving a "substantial number of non-English speaking people" to employ a "qualified bilingual staff" and to translate certain documents into clients' languages.
  • *The US state of New Mexico provides certain guarantees for the use of Spanish, alongside English, in its constitution and electoral laws. Its state laws also provide for using Spanish and Native American languages in education
  • *The US state of New York provides translation of vital documents and interpretation into six languages alongside English.
  • *The US state of South Dakota recognises the Sioux language as the official indigenous language of the state.
  • *The US state of Texas provides in its law for translating to Spanish certain information on agency websites.
  • *The US state of Louisiana has mandated the Louisiana French Language Services Program and the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism to work on providing state government services in French, to the extent practicable It also expressly allows the use of French in legal process and publishing official documents. Spanish is also spoken.
  • *The Saint John River valley in the US state of Maine and some areas in Vermont are unofficially bilingual in English and French.
  • *The US state of Hawaii is officially bilingual in English and Hawaiian.
  • *The US state of Alaska officially recognizes English and the following twenty Alaska Native languages: Inupiaq, Siberian Yupik, Central Alaskan Yup'ik, Alutiiq, Unanga, Dena'ina, Deg Xinag, Holikachuk, Koyukon, Upper Kuskokwim, Gwich'in, Tanana, Upper Tanana, Tanacross, Hän, Ahtna, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian languages. Russian is spoken.
  • *Three US territories are also bilingual: American Samoa, and Puerto Rico. Guam Code provides for bilingual education. One US territory is trilingual: Northern Marianas Islands.
  • *In US, states with a large historic and recently arrived Spanish-speaking population such as California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Florida will often provide government services at the municipal level in Spanish as well as English. For example, in Florida, Hialeah recognizes both English and Spanish while Miami recognizes English and Spanish as official government languages.
  • * Hopi Tribe constitution provides for specific requirements for Hopi language skills for officials
  • *German is spoken due to Amish, German, Austrian and Swiss people. In Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect is spoken.