Languages spoken in Cyprus
Asia · Capital: Nicosia · Population 1.3 million
In Cyprus, two languages have official status: Greek and Turkish. Greek is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 95% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 1.3 million people. After Greek, the most widely spoken are English at 73% and Turkish at 23%. Greek belongs to the Indo-European language family. In total, four languages are recorded in Cyprus, and their shares add up to 197.6% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 2.0 of them.
What languages are spoken in Cyprus?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| GreekIndo-European | 95% | Official | 1.3 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 73% | Spoken | 963,987 |
| TurkishTurkic | 23% | Official | 303,722 |
| FrenchIndo-European | 6.6% | Spoken | 87,155 |
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 Cyprus?
In Cyprus, two languages have official status: Greek and Turkish. Greek is spoken by an estimated 95% of the population, or roughly 1.3 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 Greek in Cyprus?
An estimated 95% of Cyprus's 1.3 million people speak Greek, which works out at roughly 1.3 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 Cyprus
- Capital
- Nicosia
- Population
- 1.3 million
- Continent
- Asia
- Area
- 9,251 km²
- Currency
- EUR
- Languages recorded
- 4
- Land borders
- None
- ISO codes
- CY / CYP / 196
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.