

English Speaking Countries and Territories









English is one of the West Germanic Indo-European languages, it is the language of England, although Norman French and Latin influenced its vocabulary.



List of countries and regions where English is the national, the primary language, or is spoken by a significant portion of the population. The majority of states where English is an official language are former colonies of the British Empire.







English Speaking Countries in Europe

Gibraltar Malta Cyprus

English Speaking Countries in Africa

English is an official language in several African countries. It is the primary or majority language only in

Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.



Botswana

English is the official language; however, Setswana is the first language. Cameroon

French is by far the most understood language (by more than 80%). The Gambia

The main languages are Mandinka, Fula, and Wolof. English is the language of education and business.

Ghana

English is the official language and lingua franca in Ghana. French is widely taught. Akan is the primary native language and most commonly spoken throughout the country. Ghana's government wants to make French the second official language of the country. [1]

Kenya

Official languages are English and Swahili. Lesotho

Basotho is the country's primary language.

Liberia

English varieties serve as the lingua franca of Liberia. Malawi

The official language is English. The common language is Chichewa, spoken by more than half of the population.

Mauritius

English and French are common languages of Mauritius.

Namibia

The most common language in Namibia is Oshiwambo. The most widely understood language and lingua franca is Afrikaans. Nigeria

Nigeria is a multilingual country. Nigerian English and Nigerian pidgin are spoken by one-third of the Nigerian population as a second language.

Rwanda

The principal language of Rwanda is Kinyarwanda. Official languages are Kinyarwanda, English, French, and Swahili.

Saint Helena

On St. Helena, a variant of English is spoken. Seychelles

French-based Seychellois Creole is the most-spoken language in the Seychelles archipelago. Sierra Leone

Krio, an English-based creole language, is the lingua franca in Sierra Leone.

South Africa

Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, and English are the primary spoken languages in South Africa. Swaziland (Eswatini)

SiSwati is the official language, along with English in Eswatini. Uganda

English, Luganda, and Swahili are the dominant languages in Uganda.



Zambia

English is the official language; major national languages are Nyanja (Chewa) and Bemba. Zimbabwe

Shona and Ndebele are the country's main languages. English is lingua franca used by the government and in business.

English Speaking Countries in the Americas and the Caribbean

Canada

English and French are the two official languages and are spoken by the majority. About 56 percent of Canadians speak English, and 21 percent use French in everyday life.

United States

American English is de facto the national language of the US. Spanish is spoken by 13.5% of the population.

Guyana

The only country in South America, where English is the primary language. Belize

Belize is the only country in Central America where English is one of the main languages (the others are Kriol and Spanish).





English Speaking Countries in Asia

Brunei Darussalam

The principal spoken language in the former British protectorate is Brunei Malay. English is widely spoken. India

India is a society with a multitude of languages and dialects. English is after Hindi, the second-most spoken language in the country. Pakistan

Pakistani English is widely used in education, trade, and the legal and judicial system.

Philippines

Filipino (Tagalog) and English are the official languages of the country. Both languages are used in government, education, print, and broadcast media and in business. Singapore

Singapore has four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil. English and Mandarin are the predominant languages.

Sri Lanka

Sinhala and Tamil are the two official languages. English is widely used as a language of communication and education.



English is co-official or a recognized language also in Bahrain, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka.

English Speaking Countries in Australia and the Pacifics

Australia

There is no official language in Australia; the de facto national language is English. About 80% of the population speak English or Australian English.

American Samoa

Official languages are English and Samoan. Cook Islands

Official languages in the self-governing island country are English and Cook Islands Māori.

Fiji

Official languages of the island state are Fijian, English, and Fiji-Hindi.

Guam

The official and common language is English spoken by about 40 percent. Kiribati

Although English is one of the two official languages, the commonly spoken language is Gilbertese. (96%).



Marshall Islands

The official languages are English and Marshallese (Ebon). Both languages are widely spoken.

Micronesia (Fed. States of)

Official language and language of communication is English. Nauru

About 95 percent of the population speak Nauruan at home. English is widely spoken and is the language of government and commerce.



New Zealand

English is the predominant language in New Zealand, spoken by about 95 percent of the population.

Niue

Official languages on the coral island are English and Niuean. Northern Mariana Islands

Chamorro, Carolinian, and English are the official languages on the islands. Philippine languages are spoken by about 33%.



Palau

Palauan is one of the two official languages of the island state besides English. Pitcairn

Pitkern is a language based on an 18th-century mix of English and Tahitian; it is the language spoken on the Pitcairn Islands.

Samoa

Samoan, a Polynesian language, is the official language on Samoa and American Samoa, alongside English.

Solomon Islands

The official language of the archipelago is English. Pijin, a Creole language, which is based on English, is the common language of communication (lingua franca).

Tonga

Tongan (Lea Faka-Tonga) is the official language of Tonga besides English. Tuvalu

Spoken languages in Tuvalu are Tuvaluan (official), English (official), Samoan, and Kiribati.

Vanuatu

In the archipelago of Vanuatu, Bislama, English, and some French are spoken; they are all official languages.

