Languages spoken in Israel
Asia · Capital: Jerusalem · Population 9.4 million
In Israel, two languages have official status: Hebrew and Arabic. Hebrew is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 100% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 9.4 million people. After Hebrew, the most widely spoken are English at 85% and Arabic at 20%. Hebrew belongs to the Afro-Asiatic language family. Hebrew is not recorded in any of Israel's five neighbours. In total, nine languages are recorded in Israel, and their shares add up to 239.8% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 2.4 of them.
What languages are spoken in Israel?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| HebrewAfro-Asiatic | 100% | Official | 9.4 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 85% | Spoken | 8 million |
| ArabicAfro-Asiatic | 20% | Official | 1.9 million |
| Levantine ArabicAfro-Asiatic | 17% | Spoken | 1.6 million |
| RussianIndo-European | 11% | Spoken | 1 million |
| RomanianIndo-European | 3.7% | Spoken | 347,897 |
| PolishIndo-European | 1.5% | Spoken | 141,039 |
| HungarianUralic | 1% | Spoken | 94,026 |
| AmharicAfro-Asiatic | 0.6% | Spoken | 55,475 |
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 Israel?
In Israel, two languages have official status: Hebrew and Arabic. Hebrew is spoken by an estimated 100% of the population, or roughly 9.4 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 Hebrew in Israel?
An estimated 100% of Israel's 9.4 million people speak Hebrew, which works out at roughly 9.4 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 Israel
- Capital
- Jerusalem
- Population
- 9.4 million
- Continent
- Asia
- Area
- 20,770 km²
- Currency
- ILS
- Languages recorded
- 9
- Land borders
- 5
- ISO codes
- IL / ISR / 376
Which countries border Israel?
Israel shares a land border with five countries: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, and Syria. None of them records Hebrew, the most widely spoken language in Israel, 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.