Languages spoken in Türkiye
Asia · Capital: Ankara · Population 84.1 million
The official language of Türkiye is Turkish. An estimated 93% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 78.2 million people. After Turkish, the most widely spoken are English at 17% and Kurdish at 5.5%. Turkish belongs to the Turkic language family. Turkish is also spoken in two of its eight neighbours: Bulgaria and Greece. In total, eight languages are recorded in Türkiye, and their shares add up to 124.8% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.2 of them.
What languages are spoken in Türkiye?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| TurkishTurkic | 93% | Official | 78.2 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 17% | Spoken | 14.3 million |
| KurdishIndo-European | 5.5% | Spoken | 4.6 million |
| Levantine ArabicAfro-Asiatic | 5.2% | Spoken | 4.4 million |
| Zaza | 1.4% | Spoken | 1.2 million |
| AzerbaijaniTurkic | 1.4% | Spoken | 1.2 million |
| Kabardian | 0.8% | Spoken | 647,720 |
| ArabicAfro-Asiatic | 0.6% | Spoken | 471,069 |
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 Türkiye?
The official language of Türkiye is Turkish. Turkish is spoken by an estimated 93% of the population, or roughly 78.2 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 Turkish in Türkiye?
An estimated 93% of Türkiye's 84.1 million people speak Turkish, which works out at roughly 78.2 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 Türkiye
- Capital
- Ankara
- Population
- 84.1 million
- Continent
- Asia
- Area
- 783,562 km²
- Currency
- TRY
- Languages recorded
- 8
- Land borders
- 8
- ISO codes
- TR / TUR / 792
Which countries border Türkiye?
Türkiye shares a land border with eight countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Iraq, Iran, and Syria. Turkish, the most widely spoken language in Türkiye, is also spoken in Bulgaria and Greece.
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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.