Languages spoken in Nauru
Oceania · Capital: Yaren · Population 11,680
In Nauru, two languages have official status: English and Nauru. English is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 95% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 11,096 people. The only other recorded language is Nauru, at 70% of the population. English belongs to the Indo-European language family. In total, two languages are recorded in Nauru, and their shares add up to 165% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.6 of them.
What languages are spoken in Nauru?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| EnglishIndo-European | 95% | Official | 11,096 |
| Nauru | 70% | Official | 8,176 |
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 Nauru?
In Nauru, two languages have official status: English and Nauru. English is spoken by an estimated 95% of the population, or roughly 11,096 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 English in Nauru?
An estimated 95% of Nauru's 11,680 people speak English, which works out at roughly 11,096 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 Nauru
- Capital
- Yaren
- Population
- 11,680
- Continent
- Oceania
- Area
- 21 km²
- Currency
- AUD
- Languages recorded
- 2
- Land borders
- None
- ISO codes
- NR / NRU / 520
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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.