How many languages are spoken in the world?
About 7,000 languages are spoken in the world today. Ethnologue, a widely used reference, lists more than 7,100 living languages, but around 40 percent are endangered.
Languages are not spread evenly. Papua New Guinea has more than 800 languages, the most of any country, followed by Indonesia, Nigeria and India. Many languages have only a few thousand speakers or fewer. About half the world's population speaks one of just two dozen major languages.
Counting languages is complicated because the line between a language and a dialect is not always clear and can depend on politics and history as well as linguistics. New languages are sometimes recognized, while others lose their last speakers.
Endangered languages
Many small languages are endangered as younger generations switch to dominant languages like English, Spanish or Mandarin. When a language disappears, unique knowledge, stories and ways of thinking can be lost. Communities and linguists work to record and revive endangered languages, and the UN declared 2022 to 2032 the International Decade of Indigenous Languages.
Did You Know?
English is the most widely spoken language when counting both native and second-language speakers, while Mandarin Chinese has the most native speakers.