Languages spoken in Tajikistan
Asia · Capital: Dushanbe · Population 10.4 million
In Tajikistan, two languages have official status: Tajik and Russian. Tajik is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 100% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 10.4 million people. After Tajik, the most widely spoken are Russian at 12% and Persian at 0.8%. Tajik belongs to the Indo-European language family. Tajik is not recorded in any of Tajikistan's four neighbours. In total, three languages are recorded in Tajikistan, and their shares add up to 112.8% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.1 of them.
What languages are spoken in Tajikistan?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| TajikIndo-European | 100% | Official | 10.4 million |
| RussianIndo-European | 12% | Official | 1.2 million |
| PersianIndo-European | 0.8% | Spoken | 81,074 |
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 Tajikistan?
In Tajikistan, two languages have official status: Tajik and Russian. Tajik is spoken by an estimated 100% of the population, or roughly 10.4 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 Tajik in Tajikistan?
An estimated 100% of Tajikistan's 10.4 million people speak Tajik, which works out at roughly 10.4 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 Tajikistan
- Capital
- Dushanbe
- Population
- 10.4 million
- Continent
- Asia
- Area
- 143,100 km²
- Currency
- TJS
- Languages recorded
- 3
- Land borders
- 4
- ISO codes
- TJ / TJK / 762
Which countries border Tajikistan?
Tajikistan shares a land border with four countries: Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. None of them records Tajik, the most widely spoken language in Tajikistan, so the land borders here are also language borders.
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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.