Languages spoken in India
Asia · Capital: New Delhi · Population 1.4 billion
In India, two languages have official status: Hindi and English. A further 18 languages hold official status at regional level: Bangla, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, and 12 others. Hindi is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 41% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 577.7 million people. After Hindi, the most widely spoken are English at 19% and Bangla at 8.1%. Hindi belongs to the Indo-European language family. Hindi is not recorded in any of India's six neighbours. In total, 28 languages are recorded in India, and their shares add up to 125.9% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.3 of them.
What languages are spoken in India?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| HindiIndo-European | 41% | Official | 577.7 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 19% | Official | 267.7 million |
| BanglaIndo-European | 8.1% | Official (regional) | 114.1 million |
| TeluguDravidian | 7.2% | Official (regional) | 101.5 million |
| MarathiIndo-European | 7% | Official (regional) | 98.6 million |
| TamilDravidian | 5.9% | Official (regional) | 83.1 million |
| UrduIndo-European | 5% | Official (regional) | 70.5 million |
| GujaratiIndo-European | 4.5% | Official (regional) | 63.4 million |
| KannadaDravidian | 3.7% | Official (regional) | 52.1 million |
| MalayalamDravidian | 3.2% | Official (regional) | 45.1 million |
| OdiaIndo-European | 3.2% | Official (regional) | 45.1 million |
| PunjabiIndo-European | 2.8% | Official (regional) | 39.5 million |
| BhojpuriIndo-European | 2.3% | Spoken | 32.4 million |
| Awadhi | 1.9% | Spoken | 26.8 million |
| AssameseIndo-European | 1.3% | Official (regional) | 18.3 million |
| HaryanviIndo-European | 1.2% | Spoken | 16.9 million |
| MagahiIndo-European | 1.2% | Spoken | 16.9 million |
| MaithiliIndo-European | 1.2% | Official (regional) | 16.9 million |
| Marwari | 1.2% | Spoken | 16.9 million |
| ChhattisgarhiIndo-European | 1.1% | Spoken | 15.5 million |
| DeccanIndo-European | 1% | Spoken | 14 million |
| KanaujiIndo-European | 0.6% | Spoken | 7.9 million |
| NepaliIndo-European | 0.6% | Official (regional) | 7.9 million |
| Santali | 0.6% | Official (regional) | 7.8 million |
| KashmiriIndo-European | 0.4% | Official (regional) | 5.8 million |
| SindhiIndo-European | 0.4% | Official (regional) | 5.6 million |
| Konkani | 0.3% | Official (regional) | 4.5 million |
| Khasi | 0.1% | Official (regional) | 1.1 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 India?
In India, two languages have official status: Hindi and English. A further 18 languages are official at regional or state level: Bangla, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Punjabi, Assamese, Maithili, Nepali, Santali, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Konkani, and Khasi. Hindi is spoken by an estimated 41% of the population, or roughly 577.7 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 Hindi in India?
An estimated 41% of India's 1.4 billion people speak Hindi, which works out at roughly 577.7 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 India
- Capital
- New Delhi
- Population
- 1.4 billion
- Continent
- Asia
- Area
- 3,287,590 km²
- Currency
- INR
- Languages recorded
- 28
- Land borders
- 6
- ISO codes
- IN / IND / 356
Which countries border India?
India shares a land border with six countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, and Pakistan. None of them records Hindi, the most widely spoken language in India, so the land borders here are also language borders.
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.