Languages spoken in Canada
North America · Capital: Ottawa · Population 38.8 million
In Canada, two languages have official status: English and French. English is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 87% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 33.8 million people. After English, the most widely spoken are French at 29% and Spanish at 3.2%. English belongs to the Indo-European language family. English is also spoken in one of its one neighbour: United States. In total, 20 languages are recorded in Canada, and their shares add up to 142.1% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.4 of them.
What languages are spoken in Canada?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| EnglishIndo-European | 87% | Official | 33.8 million |
| FrenchIndo-European | 29% | Official | 11.3 million |
| SpanishIndo-European | 3.2% | Spoken | 1.2 million |
| ChineseSino-Tibetan | 2.7% | Spoken | 1 million |
| PunjabiIndo-European | 2.6% | Spoken | 1 million |
| ArabicAfro-Asiatic | 2.3% | Spoken | 892,280 |
| HindiIndo-European | 2.1% | Spoken | 814,691 |
| FilipinoAustronesian | 2% | Spoken | 775,896 |
| CantoneseSino-Tibetan | 2% | Spoken | 775,896 |
| ItalianIndo-European | 1.5% | Spoken | 581,922 |
| GermanIndo-European | 1.2% | Spoken | 465,538 |
| UrduIndo-European | 1.1% | Spoken | 426,743 |
| PortugueseIndo-European | 0.9% | Spoken | 360,792 |
| RussianIndo-European | 0.8% | Spoken | 329,756 |
| TamilDravidian | 0.7% | Spoken | 252,166 |
| VietnameseAustroasiatic | 0.6% | Spoken | 248,287 |
| PersianIndo-European | 0.6% | Spoken | 236,648 |
| GujaratiIndo-European | 0.6% | Spoken | 225,010 |
| KoreanKoreanic | 0.6% | Spoken | 217,251 |
| PolishIndo-European | 0.6% | Spoken | 217,251 |
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 Canada?
In Canada, two languages have official status: English and French. English is spoken by an estimated 87% of the population, or roughly 33.8 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 English in Canada?
An estimated 87% of Canada's 38.8 million people speak English, which works out at roughly 33.8 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 Canada
- Capital
- Ottawa
- Population
- 38.8 million
- Continent
- North America
- Area
- 9,984,670 km²
- Currency
- CAD
- Languages recorded
- 20
- Land borders
- 1
- ISO codes
- CA / CAN / 124
Which countries border Canada?
Canada shares a land border with one country: the United States. English, the most widely spoken language in Canada, is also spoken in the United States.
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.