Languages spoken in Slovenia
Europe · Capital: Ljubljana · Population 2.1 million
The official language of Slovenia is Slovenian. An estimated 87% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 1.8 million people. After Slovenian, the most widely spoken are Croatian at 61% and English at 59%. Slovenian belongs to the Indo-European language family. Slovenian is not recorded in any of Slovenia's four neighbours. In total, four languages are recorded in Slovenia, and their shares add up to 249% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 2.5 of them.
What languages are spoken in Slovenia?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| SlovenianIndo-European | 87% | Official | 1.8 million |
| CroatianIndo-European | 61% | Spoken | 1.3 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 59% | Spoken | 1.2 million |
| GermanIndo-European | 42% | Spoken | 881,114 |
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 Slovenia?
The official language of Slovenia is Slovenian. Slovenian is spoken by an estimated 87% of the population, or roughly 1.8 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 Slovenian in Slovenia?
An estimated 87% of Slovenia's 2.1 million people speak Slovenian, which works out at roughly 1.8 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 Slovenia
- Capital
- Ljubljana
- Population
- 2.1 million
- Continent
- Europe
- Area
- 20,273 km²
- Currency
- EUR
- Languages recorded
- 4
- Land borders
- 4
- ISO codes
- SI / SVN / 705
Which countries border Slovenia?
Slovenia shares a land border with four countries: Austria, Croatia, Hungary, and Italy. None of them records Slovenian, the most widely spoken language in Slovenia, 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.