Languages spoken in the Philippines
Asia · Capital: Manila · Population 118.3 million
In the Philippines, two languages have official status: English and Filipino. A further seven languages hold official status at regional level: Cebuano, Iloko, Hiligaynon, Waray, Pangasinan, Maguindanaon, and 1 others. English is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 64% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 75.7 million people. After English, the most widely spoken are Filipino at 60% and Spanish at 31%. English belongs to the Indo-European language family. In total, 14 languages are recorded in the Philippines, and their shares add up to 211.9% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 2.1 of them.
What languages are spoken in the Philippines?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| EnglishIndo-European | 64% | Official | 75.7 million |
| FilipinoAustronesian | 60% | Official | 71 million |
| SpanishIndo-European | 31% | Spoken | 36.7 million |
| CebuanoAustronesian | 24% | Official (regional) | 28.4 million |
| Iloko | 9.6% | Official (regional) | 11.4 million |
| Hiligaynon | 8.4% | Official (regional) | 9.9 million |
| Bikol | 3% | Spoken | 3.5 million |
| Waray | 2.9% | Official (regional) | 3.4 million |
| West Albay BikolAustronesian | 2.3% | Spoken | 2.7 million |
| Pampanga | 2.3% | Spoken | 2.7 million |
| Pangasinan | 1.4% | Official (regional) | 1.7 million |
| MaguindanaonAustronesian | 1.2% | Official (regional) | 1.4 million |
| TausugAustronesian | 1.1% | Official (regional) | 1.3 million |
| ChineseSino-Tibetan | 0.7% | Spoken | 863,422 |
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 the Philippines?
In the Philippines, two languages have official status: English and Filipino. A further seven languages are official at regional or state level: Cebuano, Iloko, Hiligaynon, Waray, Pangasinan, Maguindanaon, and Tausug. English is spoken by an estimated 64% of the population, or roughly 75.7 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 English in the Philippines?
An estimated 64% of the Philippines's 118.3 million people speak English, which works out at roughly 75.7 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 the Philippines
- Capital
- Manila
- Population
- 118.3 million
- Continent
- Asia
- Area
- 342,353 km²
- Currency
- PHP
- Languages recorded
- 14
- Land borders
- None
- ISO codes
- PH / PHL / 608
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.