Compare Languages (2006) - Languages (2003)

Compare Languages (2006) with Languages (2003)

Show all fields

	Languages (2006)	Languages (2003)
Afghanistan	Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashtu (official) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism	Pashtu 35%, Afghan Persian (Dari) 50%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism
Akrotiri	English, Greek	-
Albania	Albanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek, Vlach, Romani, Slavic dialects	Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek
American Samoa	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)	Samoan (closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages), English note: most people are bilingual
Armenia	Armenian 97.7%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.9%, other 0.4% (2001 census)	Armenian 96%, Russian 2%, other 2%
Australia	English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census)	English, native languages
Austria	German (official nationwide), Slovene (official in Carinthia), Croatian (official in Burgenland), Hungarian (official in Burgenland)	German
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian	Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian
Botswana	Setswana 78.2%, Kalanga 7.9%, Sekgalagadi 2.8%, English 2.1% (official), other 8.6%, unspecified 0.4% (2001 census)	English (official), Setswana
Bulgaria	Bulgarian 84.5%, Turkish 9.6%, Roma 4.1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)	Bulgarian, secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic breakdown
Canada	English (official) 59.3%, French (official) 23.2%, other 17.5%	English 59.3% (official), French 23.2% (official), other 17.5%
Congo, Republic of the	French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread)	French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo has the most users)
Croatia	Croatian 96.1%, Serbian 1%, other and undesignated 2.9% (including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German) (2001 census)	Croatian 96%, other 4% (including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German)
Dhekelia	English, Greek	-
Estonia	Estonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%, unknown 0.7% (2000 census)	Estonian (official), Russian, Ukrainian, Finnish, other
European Union	Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish; note - only official languages are listed; Irish (Gaelic) will become the 21st language on 1 January 2007	-
Fiji	English (official), Fijian (official), Hindustani	English (official), Fijian, Hindustani
Finland	Finnish 92% (official), Swedish 5.6% (official), other 2.4% (small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities) (2003)	Finnish 93.4% (official), Swedish 5.9% (official), small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities
French Polynesia	French 61.1% (official), Polynesian 31.4% (official), Asian languages 1.2%, other 0.3%, unspecified 6% (2002 census)	French (official), Tahitian (official)
Gaza Strip	Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by many Palestinians), English (widely understood)	Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood)
Guam	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)	English, Chamorro, Japanese
Guinea	French (official); note - each ethnic group has its own language	French (official), each ethnic group has its own language
Hungary	Hungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census)	Hungarian 98.2%, other 1.8%
Ireland	English (official) is the language generally used, Irish (official) (Gaelic or Gaeilge) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard	English is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard
Jersey	English 94.5% (official), Portuguese 4.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census)	English (official), French (official), Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts
Kyrgyzstan	Kyrgyz (official), Russian (official)	Kyrgyz - official language, Russian - official language note: in December 2001, the Kyrgyzstani legislature made Russian an official language, equal in status to Kyrgyz
Latvia	Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other 4.3% (2000 census)	Latvian (official), Lithuanian, Russian, other
Lithuania	Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other and unspecified 4.4% (2001 census)	Lithuanian (official), Polish, Russian
Macau	Cantonese 87.9%, Hokkien 4.4%, Mandarin 1.6%, other Chinese dialects 3.1%, other 3% (2001 census)	Portuguese, Chinese (Cantonese)
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%
Malawi	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)	English (official), Chichewa (official), other languages important regionally
Malaysia	Bahasa Melayu (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	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
Marshall Islands	Marshallese 98.2%, other languages 1.8% (1999 census) note: English widely spoken as a second language; both Marshallese and English are official languages	English (widely spoken as a second language, both English and Marshallese are official languages), two major Marshallese dialects from the Malayo-Polynesian family, Japanese
Mauritania	Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, French, Hassaniya, Wolof	Hassaniya Arabic (official), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof (official), French
Mauritius	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)	English (official), Creole, French (official), Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bhojpuri
Montenegro	Serbian (Ijekavian dialect - official), Bosnian, Albanian, Croatian	-
Mozambique	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)	Portuguese (official), indigenous dialects
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: Oshivambo, Herero, Nama
Nepal	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	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)
Netherlands	Dutch (official), Frisian (official)	Dutch (official language), Frisian (official language)
Netherlands Antilles	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)	Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) predominates, English widely spoken, Spanish
Nicaragua	Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census) note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast	Spanish (official) note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast
Northern Mariana Islands	Philippine languages 24.4%, Chinese 23.4%, Chamorro 22.4%, English 10.8%, other Pacific island languages 9.5%, other 9.6% (2000 census)	English, Chamorro, Carolinian note: 86% of population speaks a language other than English at home
Norway	Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official), small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities; note - Sami is official in six municipalities	Norwegian (official) note: small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Palau	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)	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)
Panama	Spanish (official), English 14%; note - many Panamanians bilingual	Spanish (official), English 14% note: many Panamanians bilingual
Papua New Guinea	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)	English spoken by 1%-2%, pidgin English widespread, Motu spoken in Papua region note: 715 indigenous languages
Peru	Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a large number of minor Amazonian languages	Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara
Philippines	two official languages - Filipino (based on Tagalog) and English; eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan	two official languages - Filipino (based on Tagalog) and English; eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocan, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense
Poland	Polish 97.8%, other and unspecified 2.2% (2002 census)	Polish
Russia	Russian, many minority languages	Russian, other
Serbia	Serbian (official nationwide); Romanian, Hungarian, Slovak, Ukrainian, and Croatian (all official in Vojvodina); Albanian (official in Kosovo)	-
Serbia and Montenegro	-	Serbian 95%, Albanian 5%
Seychelles	Creole 91.8%, English 4.9% (official), other 3.1%, unspecified 0.2% (2002 census)	English (official), French (official), Creole
Singapore	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)	Chinese (official), Malay (official and national), Tamil (official), English (official)
Slovakia	Slovak (official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%, Ukrainian 1%, other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census)	Slovak (official), Hungarian
Slovenia	Slovenian 91.1%, Serbo-Croatian 4.5%, other or unspecified 4.4% (2002 census)	Slovenian 91%, Serbo-Croatian 6%, other 3%
South Africa	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)	11 official languages, including Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
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 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2% note: Castilian is the official language nationwide; the other languages are official regionally
Svalbard	Norwegian, Russian	Russian, Norwegian
Sweden	Swedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities	Swedish note: small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Switzerland	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 0.5%, other 2.8% (2000 census) note: German, French, Italian, and Romansch are all national languages, but only the first three are official languages	German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 19.2%, Italian (official) 7.6%, Romansch (official) 0.6%, other 8.9%
Tanzania	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, 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), 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
Turkey	Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli (or Zaza), Azeri, Kabardian note: there is also a substantial Gagauz population in the Europe part of Turkey	Turkish (official), Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, Greek
Ukraine	Ukrainian (official) 67%, Russian 24%, small Romanian-, Polish-, and Hungarian-speaking minorities	Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian
United States	English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census)	English, Spanish (spoken by a sizable minority)
Vanuatu	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)	three official languages: English, French, pidgin (known as Bislama or Bichelama), plus more than 100 local languages
Virgin Islands	English 74.7%, Spanish or Spanish Creole 16.8%, French or French Creole 6.6%, other 1.9% (2000 census)	English (official), Spanish, Creole
Wallis and Futuna	Wallisian 58.9% (indigenous Polynesian language), Futunian 30.1%, French 10.8%, other 0.2% (2003 census)	French, Wallisian (indigenous Polynesian language)
World	Mandarin Chinese 13.69%, Spanish 5.05%, English 4.84%, 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	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