Map of nations using English as a de facto or official majority language (dark blue) or an official minority language (light blue)
The following is a list of territories where English is an official language, i.e., the language of government. In 2014, there were 58 sovereign states and 21 non-sovereign entities where English was an official language. Many country subdivisions have declared English the official language at the local or regional level.
The majority of countries where English is an official language are former territories of the British Empire. Notable exceptions include Rwanda, which was a former Belgian colony, and Eritrea, which was an Italian colony where the British Empire spanned its control only in World War II and shortly after (1941-1952). English is the sole official language of the Commonwealth of Nations. English is one of the official languages of the United Nations, the European Union and the International Olympic Committee. Although English is not an official language in the United States or United Kingdom generally, Scotland, Wales, and many states and territories within the U.S. have English as an official language.
Sovereign states
Countries where English is a de jure/official language
Antigua and Barbuda[1] |
Caribbean |
85,000 |
Yes |
Bahamas[1] |
Caribbean |
331,000 |
Yes |
Barbados[2] |
Caribbean |
294,000 |
Yes |
Belize [3] |
Central America / Caribbean |
288,000 |
Yes |
Botswana [3] |
Africa |
1,882,000 |
No |
Cameroon[1] |
Africa |
18,549,000 |
No |
Canada[1] |
North America |
33,531,000 |
Yes (ex. Quebec and New Brunswick) |
Cook Islands14[1] |
Oceania |
20,200 |
Yes |
Dominica[1] |
Caribbean |
73,000 |
Yes |
Eritrea[1] |
Africa |
6,233,682 |
No |
Fiji[1] |
Oceania |
827,900 |
No |
Gambia[1] |
Africa |
1,709,000 |
No |
Ghana[1] |
Africa |
23,478,000 |
No |
Grenada[1] |
Caribbean |
106,000 |
Yes |
Guyana[4] |
South America / Caribbean |
738,000 |
Yes |
India [3][5] |
Asia |
1,247,540,000 |
No |
Ireland[6] |
Europe |
4,581,269 |
Yes |
Jamaica[7] |
Caribbean |
2,714,000 |
Yes |
Kenya[1] |
Africa |
37,538,000 |
No |
Kiribati[1] |
Oceania |
95,000 |
No |
Lesotho[1] |
Africa |
2,008,000 |
No |
Liberia[1] |
Africa |
3,750,000 |
No |
Malawi[8] |
Africa |
13,925,000 |
No |
Malta[1] |
Europe |
430,000 |
No |
Marshall Islands[1] |
Oceania |
59,000 |
No |
Mauritius[1] |
Africa / Indian Ocean |
1,262,000 |
No |
Federated States of Micronesia[1] |
Oceania |
111,000 |
No |
Namibia[1] |
Africa |
2,074,000 |
No |
Nauru[9] |
Oceania |
10,000 |
No |
New Zealand[1] |
Oceania |
4,294,350 |
Yes |
Nigeria[1][10] |
Africa |
148,093,000 |
No |
Niue14[1] |
Oceania |
1,600 |
No |
Pakistan[1] |
Asia |
165,449,000 |
No |
Palau [3] |
Oceania |
20,000 |
No |
Papua New Guinea[11][12] |
Oceania |
6,331,000 |
No |
Philippines[13][1] |
Asia |
90,457,200 |
No |
Rwanda[1] |
Africa |
9,725,000 |
No |
Saint Kitts and Nevis[14] |
Caribbean |
50,000 |
Yes |
Saint Lucia[1] |
Caribbean |
165,000 |
No |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines[15] |
Caribbean |
120,000 |
Yes |
Samoa[16] |
Oceania |
188,359 |
No |
Seychelles[1] |
Africa / Indian Ocean |
87,000 |
No |
Sierra Leone[1] |
Africa |
5,866,000 |
No |
Singapore[17] |
Asia |
5,312,400[18] |
Yes |
Solomon Islands[1] |
Oceania |
506,992 |
No |
Somaliland15 |
Africa |
3,500,000 |
No |
South Africa[19] |
Africa |
47,850,700 |
No |
South Sudan[20] |
Africa |
8,260,490 |
No |
Sudan[1] |
Africa |
31,894,000 |
No |
Swaziland[1] |
Africa |
1,141,000 |
|
Tanzania[1] |
Africa |
40,454,000 |
No |
Tonga[21] |
Oceania |
100,000 |
No |
Trinidad and Tobago[1] |
Caribbean |
1,333,000 |
Yes |
Tuvalu[3] |
Oceania |
11,000 |
No |
Uganda[1] |
Africa |
30,884,000 |
No |
Vanuatu[22] |
Oceania |
226,000 |
No |
Zambia[1] |
Africa |
11,922,000 |
No |
Zimbabwe[1] |
Africa |
13,349,000 |
No |
Countries where English is the de facto language
Australia |
Oceania |
23,520,299 |
Yes |
Bahamas |
Caribbean |
371,960 |
Yes |
Canada |
North America |
34,880,000 |
Yes |
New Zealand |
Oceania |
4,433,000 |
Yes |
United Kingdom |
Europe |
63,705,000 |
Yes |
United States |
North America |
318,224,000 |
Yes |
Countries where English is a de facto official, but not primary, language
Bangladesh[23] |
Asia |
150,039,000 |
Brunei [24][25] |
Asia |
415,717 |
Israel[26][27][28] |
Asia / Middle East |
8,051,200 |
Malaysia[29] |
Asia |
30,018,242 |
Sri Lanka [30][31] |
Asia |
20,277,597 |
Non-sovereign entities
Non-sovereign entities where English is a de jure official language
Akrotiri and Dhekelia |
Europe |
15,700 |
American Samoa11 |
Oceania |
67,700 |
Anguilla[1] |
Caribbean |
13,000 |
Bermuda9[1] |
North America |
65,000 |
British Virgin Islands[1] |
Caribbean |
23,000 |
Cayman Islands [3] |
Caribbean |
47,000 |
Christmas Island12[1] |
Australia |
1,508 |
Curaçao[32] |
Caribbean |
150,563 |
Falkland Islands |
South Atlantic |
3,000 |
Gibraltar[1] |
Europe |
29,257 |
Guam4 |
Oceania |
173,000 |
Hong Kong2[1] |
Asia |
7,097,600 |
Isle of Man8 |
Europe |
80,058 |
Jersey6[1] |
Europe |
89,300 |
Norfolk Island[1] |
Australia |
1,828 |
Northern Mariana Islands7 |
Oceania |
53,883 |
Pitcairn Islands13[1] |
Oceania |
50 |
Puerto Rico3 |
Caribbean |
3,991,000 |
Sint Maarten[33] |
Caribbean |
40,900 |
Turks and Caicos Islands[1] |
Caribbean |
26,000 |
U.S. Virgin Islands5 |
Caribbean |
111,000 |
Non-sovereign entities where English is a de facto official, but not primary, language
Tokelau[34] |
Oceania |
1,400 |
Country subdivisions
In these country subdivisions, English has de jure official status, but English is not official in their respective countries at the national level.
Country subdivisions where English is the de jure official language
Alabama[35] |
United States |
North America |
4,833,722 |
Alaska[36] |
United States |
North America |
735,132 |
Arizona[37] |
United States |
North America |
6,626,624 |
Arkansas[35] |
United States |
North America |
2,959,373 |
California[35] |
United States |
North America |
38,332,521 |
Colorado[35] |
United States |
North America |
5,268,367 |
Florida[35] |
United States |
North America |
19,552,860 |
Georgia[35] |
United States |
North America |
9,992,167 |
Hawaii[35] |
United States |
Oceania |
1,404,054 |
Idaho[35] |
United States |
North America |
1,612,136 |
Illinois[35] |
United States |
North America |
12,882,135 |
Indiana[35] |
United States |
North America |
6,570,902 |
Iowa[35] |
United States |
North America |
3,090,416 |
Kansas[35] |
United States |
North America |
2,893,957 |
Kentucky[35] |
United States |
North America |
4,395,295 |
Mississippi[35] |
United States |
North America |
2,991,207 |
Montana[35] |
United States |
North America |
1,015,165 |
Nebraska[35] |
United States |
North America |
1,868,516 |
New Hampshire[35] |
United States |
North America |
1,323,459 |
North Carolina[35] |
United States |
North America |
9,848,060 |
North Dakota[35] |
United States |
North America |
723,393 |
Oklahoma[38] |
United States |
North America |
3,850,568 |
Saba[39] |
Netherlands |
Caribbean |
1,991 |
Scotland[40] |
United Kingdom |
Europe |
5,313,600 |
Sint Eustatius[39] |
Netherlands |
Caribbean |
3,897 |
South Carolina[35] |
United States |
North America |
4,774,839 |
South Dakota[35] |
United States |
North America |
844,877 |
Tennessee[35] |
United States |
North America |
6,495,978 |
Utah[35] |
United States |
North America |
2,900,872 |
Virginia[35] |
United States |
North America |
8,260,405 |
Wales[41] |
United Kingdom |
Europe |
3,063,456 |
Wyoming[35] |
United States |
North America |
582,658 |
See also
- ^1 The population figures are based on the sources in List of countries by population, with information as of 23 January 2009 (UN estimates, et al.), and refer to the population of the country and not necessarily to the number of inhabitants that speak English in the country in question.
- ^2 Hong Kong is a former British Crown colony (1843-1981) and British Dependent Territory (1981-1997); it is currently a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (1997- present)
- ^3 Puerto Rico is, historically and culturally, connected to the Spanish-speaking Caribbean; Spanish is also an official language on the island. Puerto Rico is an unincorporated United States territory referred to as a “Commonwealth“
- ^4 Guam is an organized unincorporated territory of the United States
- ^5 The US Virgin Islands is an insular area of the United States
- ^6 Jersey is a British Crown dependency
- ^7 The Northern Mariana Islands is a commonwealth in political union with the United States
- ^8 Isle of Man is a British Crown dependency
- ^9 Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory
- ^10 Guernsey is a British Crown dependency
- ^11 American Samoa is an unincorporated U.S. territory
- ^12 Christmas Island is an external territory of Australia
- ^13 Pitcairn Islands is a British Overseas Territory
- ^14 The Cook Islands and Niue are associated states of New Zealand that lack general recognition.
- ^15 Somaliland is a de facto state, recognized internationally as an autonomous region of Somalia.
References
- Official language; “Field Listing – Languages”. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 2009-01-11..
- “Society”. Government Information Service (Barbados). Retrieved 2009-01-18.
- English usage; “Field Listing – Languages”. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 2009-01-11..
- “National Profile”. Government Information Agency (Guyana). Retrieved 2009-01-18.
- N. Krishnaswamy; Lalitha Krishnaswamy (6 January 2006). “3.14 English Becomes a Second Language”. The story of English in India. Foundation Books. ISBN 978-81-7596-312-2.
- BUNREACHT NA hÉIREANN
- The Constitution of Jamaica (section 20(6e) — implicit)
- Malawi Investment Promotion Agency (August 2005). “Opportunities for investment and Trade in Malawi – the Warm Heart of Africa”. Government of Malawi. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
- “Nauru”. New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 2008-12-03. Retrieved 2009-01-18. English and Nauruan are official.
- “Country profile: Nigeria”. BBC News. April 30, 2008. Retrieved November 10, 2008.
- “General Information on Papua New Guinea”. Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority. Retrieved 2009-01-18.[dead link]
- “Country profile: Papua New Guinea”. BBC News. 2008-11-28.
- “Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, Article XIV”. Chanrobles Law Library. 1987. Retrieved October 27, 2007. (See Article XIV, Section 7)
- “Primary Schools”. Government of St Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
- “St. Vincent and the Grenadines Profile”. Agency for Public Information (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines). Retrieved 2011-06-18.
- “Legislations: List of Acts and Ordinances”. The Parliament of Samoa. Retrieved 2009-01-18.[dead link] Languages for official legislation are Samoan and English.
- Wong, Aline (2000-11-24). “Education in a Multicultural Setting – The Singapore Experience”. Ministry of Education, Government of Singapore. Retrieved 2009-01-18. “There are four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil.”
- “Statistics Singapore – Latest Data – Population (Mid-Year Estimates)”. Statistics Singapore. June 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
- “Constitution of the Republic of South Africa”. Constitutional Court of South Africa. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
- “The Constitution of Southern Sudan”. Southern Sudan Civil Society Initiative. Retrieved 2011-07-09.
- Kingdom of Tonga (March 2008). “The United Nations / Universal Periodic Review by the United Nations Human Rights Council”. Retrieved 2009-01-18.[dead link] English and Tongan are listed as official.
- “Constitution of the Republic of Vanuatu”. Government of the Republic of Vanuatu. 1980-83. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
- “…Teaching of English continued in primary,secondary and tertiary level not because it was the official language but it became thelanguage of trade and commerce. Over the years, the prominence of English continued to rise… English language is dominantly present in every side of our national life while on the other hand in our constitution it is clearly declared that the language of the country is Bangla. In fact, nothing is said about the status of English language in our constitution. On one hand, economic activities in the private companies are carried out in English while there is a government law (Bangla procholon ain1987) that government offices must use Bangla in their official works. So from the government point of view Bangla is the national-official language of Bangladesh and English is the most important foreign language. But in reality English is the second language of the country and in many places English is more important than Bangla in Bangladesh.” http://www.scribd.com/doc/53272796/Sucess-of-English-language-in-Bangladesh-rec
- English is a “Statutory national working language.” Lewis, M. Paul, Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig (eds.). 2013. “Brunei.” Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Seventeenth edition. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Online edition: https://www.ethnologue.com/country/BN Accessed 30 March 2014.
- Under the constitution of 1959, Malay is the official language of Brunei; but English may be used “for all official purposes.” Laws are written in English and Malay, with the English version being the authoritative one. “Laws of Brunei: Revised Edition. Section 82”. 1984. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- Spolsky, Bernard (1999). Round Table on Language and Linguistics. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press. pp. 169–70. ISBN 0-87840-132-6. “In 1948, the newly independent state of Israel took over the old British regulations that had set English, Arabic, and Hebrew as official languages for Mandatory Palestine but, as mentioned, dropped English from the list. In spite of this, official language use has maintained a de facto role for English, after Hebrew but before Arabic.”
- Bat-Zeev Shyldkrot, Hava (2004). “Part I: Language and Discourse”. In Diskin Ravid, Dorit; Bat-Zeev Shyldkrot, Hava. Perspectives on Language and Development: Essays in Honor of Ruth A. Berman. Kluwer Academic Publishers. p. 90. ISBN 1-4020-7911-7. “English is not considered official but it plays a dominant role in the educational and public life of Israeli society. … It is the language most widely used in commerce, business, formal papers, academia, and public interactions, public signs, road directions, names of buildings, etc. English behaves ‘as if’ it were the second and official language in Israel.”
- Shohamy, Elana (2006). Language Policy: Hidden Agendas and New Approaches. Routledge. pp. 72–73. ISBN 0-415-32864-0. “In terms of English, there is no connection between the declared policies and statements and de facto practices. While English is not declared anywhere as an official language, the reality is that it has a very high and unique status in Israel. It is the main language of the academy, commerce, business, and the public space.”
- “English remains an active second language, and serves as the medium of instruction for maths and sciences in all public schools.Malaysian English, also known as Malaysian Standard English, is a form of English derived from British English. Malaysian English is widely used in business, along with Manglish, which is a colloquial form of English with heavy Malay, Chinese, and Tamil influences. The government discourages the misuse of Malay and has instituted fines for public signs that mix Malay and English.” “About Malaysia:Language”. My Government: The Government of Malaysia’s Official Portal. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- English is a “De facto national working language, used in government.” Lewis, M. Paul, Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig (eds.). 2013. “Sri Lanka.” Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Seventeenth edition. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Online edition: https://www.ethnologue.com/country/LK Accessed 30 March 2014.
- Under the constitution of 1978, Sinhala and Tamil are the official languages of Sri Lanka, but English is “the link language.” Any person is entitled “to receive communications from, and to communicate and transact business with, any official in his official capacity” in English, to receive an English translation of “any official register, record, publication or other document,” and “to communicate and transact business in English.” English translations must be made for “all laws and subordinate legislation,” “all Orders, Proclamations, rules, by-laws, regulations and notifications.” “THE CONSTITUTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA: Chapter IV”. 1978. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- “LANDSVERORDENING van de 28ste maart 2007 houdende vaststelling van de officiële talen (Landsverordening officiële talen)” (in Dutch). Government of the Netherlands. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- According to Art. 1 para 2. Constitution of Sint Maarten: “The official languages are Dutch and English”
- “Associated Countries and External Territories: Tokelau”. Commonwealth Secretariat. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
- Crawford, James (June 24, 2008). “Language Legislation in the U.S.A.”. languagepolicy.net. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
- “Alaska Supreme Court Upholds State’s Official English Law”. Business Wire. November 5, 2007. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
- “Arizona makes English official”. Washington Times. November 8, 2006. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
- Slipke, Darla (November 3, 2010). “Oklahoma elections: Republican-backed measures win approval”. NewsOK. The Oklahoman. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
- English can be used in relations with the government
“Invoeringswet openbare lichamen Bonaire, Sint Eustatius en Saba” (in Dutch). wetten.nl. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
- Scottish Government. “Scottish Facts and Information”. Scotland.org. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
- National Assembly for Wales (2012). “National Assembly for Wales (Official Languages) Act 2012”. Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved March 19, 2014.