Languages spoken in Egypt
Africa · Capital: Cairo · Population 111.2 million
The official language of Egypt is Arabic. An estimated 94% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 104.6 million people. After Arabic, the most widely spoken are Egyptian Arabic at 64% and English at 35%. Arabic belongs to the Afro-Asiatic language family. Arabic is also spoken in all four of its neighbours. In total, four languages are recorded in Egypt, and their shares add up to 199% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 2.0 of them.
What languages are spoken in Egypt?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| ArabicAfro-Asiatic | 94% | Official | 104.6 million |
| Egyptian Arabic | 64% | Spoken | 71.2 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 35% | Spoken | 38.9 million |
| Coptic | 6% | Spoken | 6.7 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 Egypt?
The official language of Egypt is Arabic. Arabic is spoken by an estimated 94% of the population, or roughly 104.6 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 Arabic in Egypt?
An estimated 94% of Egypt's 111.2 million people speak Arabic, which works out at roughly 104.6 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 Egypt
- Capital
- Cairo
- Population
- 111.2 million
- Continent
- Africa
- Area
- 1,002,450 km²
- Currency
- EGP
- Languages recorded
- 4
- Land borders
- 4
- ISO codes
- EG / EGY / 818
Which countries border Egypt?
Egypt shares a land border with four countries: Israel, Libya, the Palestinian Territories, and Sudan. Arabic, the most widely spoken language in Egypt, is also spoken in Israel, Libya, the Palestinian Territories, and Sudan.
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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.