Languages spoken in Australia
Oceania · Capital: Canberra · Population 26.8 million
English is the de facto official language of Australia, which names no official language in law. An estimated 84% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 22.5 million people. After English, the most widely spoken are Chinese at 2.1% and Italian at 1.9%. English belongs to the Indo-European language family. In total, three languages are recorded in Australia, and their shares add up to 88% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 0.9 of them.
What languages are spoken in Australia?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| EnglishIndo-European | 84% | De facto official | 22.5 million |
| ChineseSino-Tibetan | 2.1% | Spoken | 562,141 |
| ItalianIndo-European | 1.9% | Spoken | 508,603 |
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 Australia?
Australia names no official language in law. English is the de facto official language. English is spoken by an estimated 84% of the population, or roughly 22.5 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers. A de facto official language is one used throughout government and public life without being named as official in law.
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 English in Australia?
An estimated 84% of Australia's 26.8 million people speak English, which works out at roughly 22.5 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 Australia
- Capital
- Canberra
- Population
- 26.8 million
- Continent
- Oceania
- Area
- 7,692,024 km²
- Currency
- AUD
- Languages recorded
- 3
- Land borders
- None
- ISO codes
- AU / AUS / 036
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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.