Languages spoken in Uzbekistan
Asia · Capital: Tashkent · Population 36.5 million
In Uzbekistan, two languages have official status: Uzbek and Russian. Uzbek is the most widely spoken language, with an estimated 100% of the population speaking it as a first or additional language, or roughly 36.5 million people. After Uzbek, the most widely spoken are Russian at 14% and Kara-Kalpak at 2.1%. Uzbek belongs to the Turkic language family. Uzbek is also spoken in two of its five neighbours: Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. In total, four languages are recorded in Uzbekistan, and their shares add up to 116.7% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.2 of them.
What languages are spoken in Uzbekistan?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| UzbekTurkic | 100% | Official | 36.5 million |
| RussianIndo-European | 14% | Official | 5.1 million |
| Kara-Kalpak | 2.1% | Spoken | 766,933 |
| TurkishTurkic | 0.6% | Spoken | 226,428 |
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 Uzbekistan?
In Uzbekistan, two languages have official status: Uzbek and Russian. Uzbek is spoken by an estimated 100% of the population, or roughly 36.5 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 Uzbek in Uzbekistan?
An estimated 100% of Uzbekistan's 36.5 million people speak Uzbek, which works out at roughly 36.5 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 Uzbekistan
- Capital
- Tashkent
- Population
- 36.5 million
- Continent
- Asia
- Area
- 447,400 km²
- Currency
- UZS
- Languages recorded
- 4
- Land borders
- 5
- ISO codes
- UZ / UZB / 860
Which countries border Uzbekistan?
Uzbekistan shares a land border with five countries: Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Uzbek, the most widely spoken language in Uzbekistan, is also spoken in Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.
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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.