Languages spoken in Czechia
Europe · Capital: Prague · Population 10.8 million
In Czechia, two languages have official status: Czech and Slovak. Czech is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 98% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 10.6 million people. After Czech, the most widely spoken are English at 27% and Slovak at 16%. Czech belongs to the Indo-European language family. Czech is also spoken in one of its four neighbours: Slovakia. In total, four languages are recorded in Czechia, and their shares add up to 156% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.6 of them.
What languages are spoken in Czechia?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| CzechIndo-European | 98% | Official | 10.6 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 27% | Spoken | 2.9 million |
| SlovakIndo-European | 16% | Official | 1.7 million |
| GermanIndo-European | 15% | Spoken | 1.6 million |
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 Czechia?
In Czechia, two languages have official status: Czech and Slovak. Czech is spoken by an estimated 98% of the population, or roughly 10.6 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 Czech in Czechia?
An estimated 98% of Czechia's 10.8 million people speak Czech, which works out at roughly 10.6 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 Czechia
- Capital
- Prague
- Population
- 10.8 million
- Continent
- Europe
- Area
- 78,865 km²
- Currency
- CZK
- Languages recorded
- 4
- Land borders
- 4
- ISO codes
- CZ / CZE / 203
Which countries border Czechia?
Czechia shares a land border with four countries: Austria, Germany, Poland, and Slovakia. Czech, the most widely spoken language in Czechia, is also spoken in Slovakia.
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.