Languages spoken in Portugal
Europe · Capital: Lisbon · Population 10.2 million
The official language of Portugal is Portuguese. An estimated 96% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 9.8 million people. After Portuguese, the most widely spoken are English at 27% and French at 15%. Portuguese belongs to the Indo-European language family. Portuguese is not recorded in any of Portugal's one neighbour. In total, four languages are recorded in Portugal, and their shares add up to 148% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.5 of them.
What languages are spoken in Portugal?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| PortugueseIndo-European | 96% | Official | 9.8 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 27% | Spoken | 2.8 million |
| FrenchIndo-European | 15% | Spoken | 1.5 million |
| SpanishIndo-European | 10% | Spoken | 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 Portugal?
The official language of Portugal is Portuguese. Portuguese is spoken by an estimated 96% of the population, or roughly 9.8 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 Portuguese in Portugal?
An estimated 96% of Portugal's 10.2 million people speak Portuguese, which works out at roughly 9.8 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 Portugal
- Capital
- Lisbon
- Population
- 10.2 million
- Continent
- Europe
- Area
- 92,090 km²
- Currency
- EUR
- Languages recorded
- 4
- Land borders
- 1
- ISO codes
- PT / PRT / 620
Which countries border Portugal?
Portugal shares a land border with one country: Spain. None of them records Portuguese, the most widely spoken language in Portugal, 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.