Languages spoken in Greece
Europe · Capital: Athens · Population 10.5 million
The official language of Greece is Greek. An estimated 99% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 10.4 million people. After Greek, the most widely spoken are English at 51% and French at 7.3%. Greek belongs to the Indo-European language family. Greek is also spoken in one of its four neighbours: Albania. In total, six languages are recorded in Greece, and their shares add up to 165.1% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.7 of them.
What languages are spoken in Greece?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| GreekIndo-European | 99% | Official | 10.4 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 51% | Spoken | 5.3 million |
| FrenchIndo-European | 7.3% | Spoken | 763,660 |
| GermanIndo-European | 5% | Spoken | 523,055 |
| MacedonianIndo-European | 1.6% | Spoken | 167,378 |
| TurkishTurkic | 1.2% | Spoken | 125,533 |
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 Greece?
The official language of Greece is Greek. Greek is spoken by an estimated 99% of the population, or roughly 10.4 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 Greece?
An estimated 99% of Greece's 10.5 million people speak Greek, which works out at roughly 10.4 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 Greece
- Capital
- Athens
- Population
- 10.5 million
- Continent
- Europe
- Area
- 131,990 km²
- Currency
- EUR
- Languages recorded
- 6
- Land borders
- 4
- ISO codes
- GR / GRC / 300
Which countries border Greece?
Greece shares a land border with four countries: Albania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Türkiye. Greek, the most widely spoken language in Greece, is also spoken in Albania.
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.