Languages spoken in Singapore
Asia · Capital: Singapore · Population 6 million
In Singapore, four languages have official status: English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. English is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 93% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 5.6 million people. After English, the most widely spoken are Chinese at 77% and Malay at 14%. English belongs to the Indo-European language family. In total, four languages are recorded in Singapore, and their shares add up to 186.1% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.9 of them.
What languages are spoken in Singapore?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| EnglishIndo-European | 93% | Official | 5.6 million |
| ChineseSino-Tibetan | 77% | Official | 4.6 million |
| MalayAustronesian | 14% | Official | 843,984 |
| TamilDravidian | 2.1% | Official | 126,598 |
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 Singapore?
In Singapore, four languages have official status: English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. English is spoken by an estimated 93% of the population, or roughly 5.6 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 Singapore?
An estimated 93% of Singapore's 6 million people speak English, which works out at roughly 5.6 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 Singapore
- Capital
- Singapore
- Population
- 6 million
- Continent
- Asia
- Area
- 710 km²
- Currency
- SGD
- Languages recorded
- 4
- Land borders
- None
- ISO codes
- SG / SGP / 702
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.