Compare Languages (2003) - Languages (2007)

Compare Languages (2003) with Languages (2007)

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	Languages (2003)	Languages (2007)
Afghanistan	Pashtu 35%, Afghan Persian (Dari) 50%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism	Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashto (official) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism
Akrotiri	-	English, Greek
Albania	Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek	Albanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek, Vlach, Romani, Slavic dialects
American Samoa	Samoan (closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages), English note: most people are bilingual	Samoan 90.6% (closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages), English 2.9%, Tongan 2.4%, other Pacific islander 2.1%, other 2% note: most people are bilingual (2000 census)
Armenia	Armenian 96%, Russian 2%, other 2%	Armenian 97.7%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.9%, other 0.4% (2001 census)
Aruba	Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish	Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 66.3%, Spanish 12.6%, English (widely spoken) 7.7%, Dutch (official) 5.8%, other 2.2%, unspecified or unknown 5.3% (2000 census)
Australia	English, native languages	English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census)
Austria	German	German (official nationwide) 88.6%, Turkish 2.3%, Serbian 2.2%, Croatian (official in Burgenland) 1.6%, other (includes Slovene,official in Carinthia, and Hungarian, official in Burgenland) 5.3% (2001 census)
Azerbaijan	Azerbaijani (Azeri) 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6% (1995 est.)	Azerbaijani (Azeri) 90.3%, Lezgi 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%, other 3.3%, unspecified 1% (1999 census)
Belize	English (official), Spanish, Mayan, Garifuna (Carib), Creole	Spanish 46%, Creole 32.9%, Mayan dialects 8.9%, English 3.9% (official), Garifuna 3.4% (Carib), German 3.3%, other 1.4%, unknown 0.2% (2000 census)
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian	Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian
Botswana	English (official), Setswana	Setswana 78.2%, Kalanga 7.9%, Sekgalagadi 2.8%, English 2.1% (official), other 8.6%, unspecified 0.4% (2001 census)
Bulgaria	Bulgarian, secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic breakdown	Bulgarian 84.5%, Turkish 9.6%, Roma 4.1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)
Canada	English 59.3% (official), French 23.2% (official), other 17.5%	English (official) 59.3%, French (official) 23.2%, other 17.5%
China	Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry)	Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry)
Congo, Republic of the	French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo has the most users)	French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread)
Croatia	Croatian 96%, other 4% (including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German)	Croatian 96.1%, Serbian 1%, other and undesignated 2.9% (including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German) (2001 census)
Czech Republic	Czech	Czech 94.9%, Slovak 2%, other 2.3%, unidentified 0.8% (2001 census)
Dhekelia	-	English, Greek
East Timor	Tetum (official), Portuguese (official), Indonesian, English note: there are about 16 indigenous languages; Tetum, Galole, Mambae, and Kemak are spoken by significant numbers of people	-
Equatorial Guinea	Spanish (official), French (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo	Spanish 67.6% (official), other 32.4% (includes French (official), Fang, Bubi) (1994 census)
Estonia	Estonian (official), Russian, Ukrainian, Finnish, other	Estonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%, unknown 0.7% (2000 census)
Ethiopia	Amharic, Tigrinya, Oromigna, Guaragigna, Somali, Arabic, other local languages, English (major foreign language taught in schools)	Amarigna 32.7%, Oromigna 31.6%, Tigrigna 6.1%, Somaligna 6%, Guaragigna 3.5%, Sidamigna 3.5%, Hadiyigna 1.7%, other 14.8%, English (major foreign language taught in schools) (1994 census)
European Union	-	Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Gaelic, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish; note - only official languages are listed
Fiji	English (official), Fijian, Hindustani	English (official), Fijian (official), Hindustani
Finland	Finnish 93.4% (official), Swedish 5.9% (official), small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities	Finnish 92% (official), Swedish 5.6% (official), other 2.4% (small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities) (2003)
France	French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)	French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish) overseas departments: French, Creole patois
French Guiana	French	-
French Polynesia	French (official), Tahitian (official)	French 61.1% (official), Polynesian 31.4% (official), Asian languages 1.2%, other 0.3%, unspecified 6% (2002 census)
Gaza Strip	Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood)	Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by many Palestinians), English (widely understood)
Ghana	English (official), African languages (including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga)	Asante 14.8%, Ewe 12.7%, Fante 9.9%, Boron (Brong) 4.6%, Dagomba 4.3%, Dangme 4.3%, Dagarte (Dagaba) 3.7%, Akyem 3.4%, Ga 3.4%, Akuapem 2.9%, other 36.1% (includes English (official)) (2000 census)
Greece	Greek 99% (official), English, French	Greek 99% (official), other 1% (includes English and French)
Guadeloupe	French (official) 99%, Creole patois	-
Guam	English, Chamorro, Japanese	English 38.3%, Chamorro 22.2%, Philippine languages 22.2%, other Pacific island languages 6.8%, Asian languages 7%, other languages 3.5% (2000 census)
Guinea	French (official), each ethnic group has its own language	French (official); note - each ethnic group has its own language
Guyana	English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Hindi, Urdu	English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Urdu
Hong Kong	Chinese (Cantonese), English; both are official	Chinese (Cantonese) 89.2% (official), other Chinese dialects 6.4%, English 3.2% (official), other 1.2% (2001 census)
Hungary	Hungarian 98.2%, other 1.8%	Hungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census)
Indonesia	Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay), English, Dutch, local dialects, the most widely spoken of which is Javanese	Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay), English, Dutch, local dialects (the most widely spoken of which is Javanese)
Ireland	English is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard	English (official) is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard
Jamaica	English, patois English	English, English patois
Jersey	English (official), French (official), Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts	English 94.5% (official), Portuguese 4.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census)
Kyrgyzstan	Kyrgyz - official language, Russian - official language note: in December 2001, the Kyrgyzstani legislature made Russian an official language, equal in status to Kyrgyz	Kyrgyz 64.7% (official), Uzbek 13.6%, Russian 12.5% (official), Dungun 1%, other 8.2% (1999 census)
Latvia	Latvian (official), Lithuanian, Russian, other	Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other 4.3% (2000 census)
Lithuania	Lithuanian (official), Polish, Russian	Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other and unspecified 4.4% (2001 census)
Macau	Portuguese, Chinese (Cantonese)	Cantonese 87.9%, Hokkien 4.4%, Mandarin 1.6%, other Chinese dialects 3.1%, other 3% (2001 census)
Macedonia	-	Macedonian 66.5%, Albanian 25.1%, Turkish 3.5%, Roma 1.9%, Serbian 1.2%, other 1.8% (2002 census)
Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of	Macedonian 70%, Albanian 21%, Turkish 3%, Serbo-Croatian 3%, other 3%	-
Madagascar	French (official), Malagasy (official)	English (official), French (official), Malagasy (official)
Malawi	English (official), Chichewa (official), other languages important regionally	Chichewa 57.2% (official), Chinyanja 12.8%, Chiyao 10.1%, Chitumbuka 9.5%, Chisena 2.7%, Chilomwe 2.4%, Chitonga 1.7%, other 3.6% (1998 census)
Malaysia	Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese dialects (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai; note - in addition, in East Malaysia several indigenous languages are spoken, the largest are Iban and Kadazan	Bahasa Malaysia (official), English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai note: in East Malaysia there are several indigenous languages; most widely spoken are Iban and Kadazan
Marshall Islands	English (widely spoken as a second language, both English and Marshallese are official languages), two major Marshallese dialects from the Malayo-Polynesian family, Japanese	Marshallese (official) 98.2%, other languages 1.8% (1999 census) note: English (official), widely spoken as a second language
Martinique	French, Creole patois	-
Mauritania	Hassaniya Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof (official), French	Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, French, Hassaniya, Wolof
Mauritius	English (official), Creole, French (official), Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bhojpuri	Creole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4%, English (official; spoken by less than 1% of the population), other 3.7%, unspecified 0.3% (2000 census)
Montenegro	-	Serbian (official; Ijekavian dialect), Bosnian, Albanian, Croatian
Mozambique	Portuguese (official), indigenous dialects	Emakhuwa 26.1%, Xichangana 11.3%, Portuguese 8.8% (official; spoken by 27% of population as a second language), Elomwe 7.6%, Cisena 6.8%, Echuwabo 5.8%, other Mozambican languages 32%, other foreign languages 0.3%, unspecified 1.3% (1997 census)
Namibia	English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%, indigenous languages: Oshivambo, Herero, Nama	English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%, indigenous languages 1% (includes Oshivambo, Herero, Nama)
Nauru	Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes	Nauruan (official; a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes
Nepal	Nepali (official; spoken by 90% of the population), about a dozen other languages and about 30 major dialects; note - many in government and business also speak English (1995)	Nepali 47.8%, Maithali 12.1%, Bhojpuri 7.4%, Tharu (Dagaura/Rana) 5.8%, Tamang 5.1%, Newar 3.6%, Magar 3.3%, Awadhi 2.4%, other 10%, unspecified 2.5% (2001 census) note: many in government and business also speak English (2001 est.)
Netherlands	Dutch (official language), Frisian (official language)	Dutch (official), Frisian (official)
Netherlands Antilles	Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) predominates, English widely spoken, Spanish	Papiamento 65.4% (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect), English 15.9% (widely spoken), Dutch 7.3% (official), Spanish 6.1%, Creole 1.6%, other 1.9%, unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)
New Zealand	English (official), Maori (official)	English (official), Maori (official), Sign Language (official)
Nicaragua	Spanish (official) note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast	Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census) note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast
Norfolk Island	English (official), Norfolk a mixture of 18th century English and ancient Tahitian	English (official), Norfolk - a mixture of 18th century English and ancient Tahitian
Northern Mariana Islands	English, Chamorro, Carolinian note: 86% of population speaks a language other than English at home	Philippine languages 24.4%, Chinese 23.4%, Chamorro 22.4%, English 10.8%, other Pacific island languages 9.5%, other 9.6% (2000 census)
Norway	Norwegian (official) note: small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities	Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official), small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities; note - Sami is official in six municipalities
Pakistan	Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, English (official and lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries), Burushaski, and other 8%	Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries), Burushaski and other 8%
Palau	English and Palauan official in all states except Sonsoral (Sonsoralese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official)	Palauan 64.7% official in all islands except Sonsoral (Sonsoralese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official), Filipino 13.5%, English 9.4%, Chinese 5.7%, Carolinian 1.5%, Japanese 1.5%, other Asian 2.3%, other languages 1.5% (2000 census)
Panama	Spanish (official), English 14% note: many Panamanians bilingual	Spanish (official), English 14%; note - many Panamanians bilingual
Papua New Guinea	English spoken by 1%-2%, pidgin English widespread, Motu spoken in Papua region note: 715 indigenous languages	Melanesian Pidgin serves as the lingua franca, English spoken by 1%-2%, Motu spoken in Papua region note: 820 indigenous languages spoken (over one-tenth of the world's total)
Peru	Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara	Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a large number of minor Amazonian languages
Philippines	two official languages - Filipino (based on Tagalog) and English; eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocan, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense	Filipino (official; based on Tagalog) and English (official); eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan
Poland	Polish	Polish 97.8%, other and unspecified 2.2% (2002 census)
Reunion	French (official), Creole widely used	-
Romania	Romanian (official), Hungarian, German	Romanian 91% (official), Hungarian 6.7%, Romany (Gypsy) 1.1%, other 1.2%
Russia	Russian, other	Russian, many minority languages
Saint Barthelemy	-	French (primary), English
Saint Martin	-	French (official language), English, Dutch, French Patois, Spanish, Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles)
Serbia	-	Serbian 88.3% (official), Hungarian 3.8%, Bosniak 1.8%, Romany (Gypsy) 1.1%, other 4.1%, unknown 0.9% (2002 census) note: Romanian, Hungarian, Slovak, Ukrainian, and Croatian all official in Vojvodina; Albanian official in Kosovo
Serbia and Montenegro	Serbian 95%, Albanian 5%	-
Seychelles	English (official), French (official), Creole	Creole 91.8%, English 4.9% (official), other 3.1%, unspecified 0.2% (2002 census)
Singapore	Chinese (official), Malay (official and national), Tamil (official), English (official)	Mandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%, Cantonese 5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil 3.2%, other Chinese dialects 1.8%, other 0.9% (2000 census)
Slovakia	Slovak (official), Hungarian	Slovak (official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%, Ukrainian 1%, other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census)
Slovenia	Slovenian 91%, Serbo-Croatian 6%, other 3%	Slovenian 91.1%, Serbo-Croatian 4.5%, other or unspecified 4.4% (2002 census)
Solomon Islands	Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English is official but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population note: 120 indigenous languages	Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English (official; but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population); 120 indigenous languages
South Africa	11 official languages, including Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu	IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2% (2001 census)
Spain	Castilian Spanish 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2% note: Castilian is the official language nationwide; the other languages are official regionally	Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%, are official regionally
Suriname	Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among others), Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese	Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among others), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese
Svalbard	Russian, Norwegian	Norwegian, Russian
Sweden	Swedish note: small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities	Swedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Switzerland	German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 19.2%, Italian (official) 7.6%, Romansch (official) 0.6%, other 8.9%	German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 20.4%, Italian (official) 6.5%, Serbo-Croatian 1.5%, Albanian 1.3%, Portuguese 1.2%, Spanish 1.1%, English 1%, Romansch (official) 0.5%, other 2.8% (2000 census) note: German, French, Italian, and Romansch are all national and official languages
Tanzania	Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguju (name for Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar), many local languages note: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu people living in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahili is Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a variety of sources, including Arabic and English, and it has become the lingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of most people is one of the local languages	Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar), many local languages note: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu people living in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahili is Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a variety of sources including Arabic and English; it has become the lingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of most people is one of the local languages
Timor-Leste	-	Tetum (official), Portuguese (official), Indonesian, English note: there are about 16 indigenous languages; Tetum, Galole, Mambae, and Kemak are spoken by significant numbers of people
Trinidad and Tobago	English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish, Chinese	English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), French, Spanish, Chinese
Turkey	Turkish (official), Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, Greek	Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli (or Zaza), Azeri, Kabardian note: there is also a substantial Gagauz population in the European part of Turkey
Ukraine	Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian	Ukrainian (official) 67%, Russian 24%, other 9% (includes small Romanian-, Polish-, and Hungarian-speaking minorities)
United States	English, Spanish (spoken by a sizable minority)	English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census) note: Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii
Vanuatu	three official languages: English, French, pidgin (known as Bislama or Bichelama), plus more than 100 local languages	local languages (more than 100) 72.6%, pidgin (known as Bislama or Bichelama) 23.1%, English 1.9%, French 1.4%, other 0.3%, unspecified 0.7% (1999 Census)
Virgin Islands	English (official), Spanish, Creole	English 74.7%, Spanish or Spanish Creole 16.8%, French or French Creole 6.6%, other 1.9% (2000 census)
Wallis and Futuna	French, Wallisian (indigenous Polynesian language)	Wallisian 58.9% (indigenous Polynesian language), Futunian 30.1%, French 10.8%, other 0.2% (2003 census)
World	Chinese, Mandarin 14.37%, Hindi 6.02%, English 5.61%, Spanish 5.59%, Bengali 3.4%, Portuguese 2.63%, Russian 2.75%, Japanese 2.06%, German, Standard 1.64%, Korean 1.28%, French 1.27% (2000 est.) note: percents are for "first language" speakers only	Mandarin Chinese 13.69%, Spanish 5.05%, English 4.84%, Arabic 3.23%, Hindi 2.82%, Portuguese 2.77%, Bengali 2.68%, Russian 2.27%, Japanese 1.99%, Standard German 1.49%, Wu Chinese 1.21% (2004 est.) note: percents are for "first language" speakers only and therefore do not add to 100%