Languages spoken in the United Arab Emirates
Asia · Capital: Abu Dhabi · Population 11.3 million
The official language of the United Arab Emirates is Arabic. An estimated 78% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 8.8 million people. After Arabic, the most widely spoken are English at 40% and Malayalam at 7%. Arabic belongs to the Afro-Asiatic language family. Arabic is also spoken in all two of its neighbours. In total, six languages are recorded in the United Arab Emirates, and their shares add up to 132.1% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.3 of them.
What languages are spoken in the United Arab Emirates?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| ArabicAfro-Asiatic | 78% | Official | 8.8 million |
| EnglishIndo-European | 40% | Spoken | 4.5 million |
| MalayalamDravidian | 7% | Spoken | 790,597 |
| PashtoIndo-European | 2.9% | Spoken | 327,533 |
| Baluchi | 2.3% | Spoken | 259,768 |
| PersianIndo-European | 1.9% | Spoken | 214,591 |
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 the United Arab Emirates?
The official language of the United Arab Emirates is Arabic. Arabic is spoken by an estimated 78% of the population, or roughly 8.8 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 Arabic in the United Arab Emirates?
An estimated 78% of the United Arab Emirates's 11.3 million people speak Arabic, which works out at roughly 8.8 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 the United Arab Emirates
- Capital
- Abu Dhabi
- Population
- 11.3 million
- Continent
- Asia
- Area
- 83,600 km²
- Currency
- AED
- Languages recorded
- 6
- Land borders
- 2
- ISO codes
- AE / ARE / 784
Which countries border the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates shares a land border with two countries: Oman and Saudi Arabia. Arabic, the most widely spoken language in the United Arab Emirates, is also spoken in Oman and Saudi Arabia.
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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.