Languages spoken in Afghanistan
Asia · Capital: Kabul · Population 40.1 million
In Afghanistan, two languages have official status: Persian and Pashto. A further two languages hold official status at regional level: Uzbek and Turkmen. Persian is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 50% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 20.1 million people. After Persian, the most widely spoken are Pashto at 43% and Hazaragi at 5.9%. Persian belongs to the Indo-European language family. Persian is also spoken in three of its six neighbours: Iran, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. In total, six languages are recorded in Afghanistan, and their shares add up to 105.9% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.1 of them.
What languages are spoken in Afghanistan?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| PersianIndo-European | 50% | Official | 20.1 million |
| PashtoIndo-European | 43% | Official | 17.3 million |
| HazaragiIndo-European | 5.9% | Spoken | 2.4 million |
| UzbekTurkic | 4.7% | Official (regional) | 1.9 million |
| TurkmenTurkic | 1.7% | Official (regional) | 682,067 |
| Western Balochi | 0.6% | Spoken | 252,766 |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of Afghanistan?
In Afghanistan, two languages have official status: Persian and Pashto. A further two languages are official at regional or state level: Uzbek and Turkmen. Persian is spoken by an estimated 50% of the population, or roughly 20.1 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak Persian in Afghanistan?
An estimated 50% of Afghanistan's 40.1 million people speak Persian, which works out at roughly 20.1 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about Afghanistan
- Capital
- Kabul
- Population
- 40.1 million
- Continent
- Asia
- Area
- 652,230 km²
- Currency
- AFN
- Languages recorded
- 6
- Land borders
- 6
- ISO codes
- AF / AFG / 004
Which countries border Afghanistan?
Afghanistan shares a land border with six countries: China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Persian, the most widely spoken language in Afghanistan, is also spoken in Iran, Pakistan, and Tajikistan.
Explore more
Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.