Languages spoken in Syria
Asia · Capital: Damascus · Population 23.9 million
The official language of Syria is Arabic. Levantine Arabic is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 85% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 20.3 million people. Levantine Arabic itself holds no official status in Syria, despite being the most widely spoken. After Levantine Arabic, the most widely spoken are Arabic at 80% and Kurdish at 8%. Levantine Arabic belongs to the Afro-Asiatic language family. Levantine Arabic is also spoken in four of its five neighbours: Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Türkiye. In total, five languages are recorded in Syria, and their shares add up to 180.7% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.8 of them.
What languages are spoken in Syria?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Levantine ArabicAfro-Asiatic | 85% | Spoken | 20.3 million |
| ArabicAfro-Asiatic | 80% | Official | 19.1 million |
| KurdishIndo-European | 8% | Spoken | 1.9 million |
| FrenchIndo-European | 5.9% | Spoken | 1.4 million |
| ArmenianIndo-European | 1.8% | Spoken | 429,577 |
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 Syria?
The official language of Syria is Arabic. Arabic is spoken by an estimated 80% of the population, or roughly 19.1 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers. That is not the most widely spoken language in the country: Levantine Arabic is, at 85%.
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 Levantine Arabic in Syria?
An estimated 85% of Syria's 23.9 million people speak Levantine Arabic, which works out at roughly 20.3 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 Syria
- Capital
- Damascus
- Population
- 23.9 million
- Continent
- Asia
- Area
- 185,180 km²
- Currency
- SYP
- Languages recorded
- 5
- Land borders
- 5
- ISO codes
- SY / SYR / 760
Which countries border Syria?
Syria shares a land border with five countries: Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Türkiye. Levantine Arabic, the most widely spoken language in Syria, is also spoken in Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Türkiye.
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.