English language distribution
Majority native language Official or administrative language, but not native language
The following is a list of countries and territories where English is an official language used in citizen interactions with government officials. As of 2020[update], there were 58 sovereign states and 28 non-sovereign entities where English was an official language. Many administrative divisions have declared English an official language at the local or regional level.
Most states where English is an official language are former territories of the British Empire. Exceptions include Rwanda and Burundi, which were formerly German and then Belgian colonies; Cameroon, where only part of national territory was under British mandate; and Liberia, the Philippines, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau, which were American territories. English is the sole official language of the Commonwealth of Nations and of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). English is one of the official languages of the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Caribbean Community, the Union of South American Nations, and many other international organisations. Although English is not de jure an official language at the national level in the United States, most states and territories within the United States have English as an official language, and only Puerto Rico uses a language other than English as a primary working language.
The United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, where the overwhelming majority of native English speakers reside, do not have English as an official language de jure, but English is considered their de facto official language because it dominates in these countries.
Sovereign states
English is a de jure official language
| Country |
code |
Geographic region |
Population |
Primary language? |
| Antigua and Barbuda |
ATG |
Caribbean |
85,000 |
Yes (English-based creole language) |
| The Bahamas |
BHS |
Caribbean |
331,000 |
Yes (English-based creole language) |
| Barbados |
BRB |
Caribbean |
294,000 |
Yes (English-based creole language) |
| Belize |
BLZ |
Central America |
288,000 |
Yes (English-based creole language) |
| Botswana |
BWA |
Africa |
1,882,000 |
Yes |
| Burundi |
BDI |
Africa |
10,114,505 |
No |
| Cameroon |
CMR |
Africa |
22,534,532 |
No (co-official with French, but only spoken primarily in the Northwest and Southwest of the country) |
| Canada |
CAN |
North America |
38,048,738 |
Yes (Co-official with French, and a predominant language nationwide except for Quebec and Nunavut) |
| Dominica |
DMA |
Caribbean |
73,000 |
Yes (French-based creole language) |
| Eswatini |
SWZ |
Africa |
1,141,000 |
No |
| Fiji |
FJI |
Oceania |
828,000 |
Yes (used as lingua franca, mostly and widely spoken, educational, commerce, and government) |
| The Gambia |
GMB |
Africa |
1,709,000 |
Yes |
| Ghana |
GHA |
Africa |
27,000,000 |
Yes (used as lingua franca) |
| Grenada |
GRD |
Caribbean |
111,000 |
Yes (English-based creole language) |
| Guyana |
GUY |
South America |
738,000 |
Yes (English-based creole language) |
| India |
IND |
Asia |
1,393,500,000 |
No (but official and educational) |
| Ireland |
IRL |
Europe |
4,900,000 |
Yes (Irish is co-official) |
| Jamaica |
JAM |
Caribbean |
2,714,000 |
Yes (English-based creole language) |
| Kenya |
KEN |
Africa |
45,010,056 |
Yes (used in business and education) |
| Kiribati |
KIR |
Oceania |
95,000 |
No |
| Lesotho |
LSO |
Africa |
2,008,000 |
No |
| Liberia |
LBR |
Africa |
3,750,000 |
Yes |
| Malawi |
MWI |
Africa |
16,407,000 |
Yes (used as lingua franca) |
| Malta |
MLT |
Europe |
537,000 |
No (but official and in business / education) |
| Marshall Islands |
MHL |
Oceania |
59,000 |
No |
| Micronesia |
FSM |
Oceania |
110,000 |
Yes |
| Namibia |
NAM |
Africa |
2,074,000 |
No (used as lingua franca) |
| Nauru |
NRU |
Oceania |
10,000 |
No (but widely spoken) |
| Nigeria |
NGA |
Africa |
182,202,000 |
Yes (used as official language) |
| Pakistan |
PAK |
Asia |
212,742,631 |
No (but official and educational) |
| Palau |
PLW |
Oceania |
20,000 |
No |
| Papua New Guinea |
PNG |
Oceania |
7,059,653 |
Yes (official and educational) |
| Philippines |
PHL |
Asia |
110,864,327 |
No (but official, educational, used in government, and used as lingua franca) |
| Rwanda |
RWA |
Africa |
13,240,439 |
No |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis |
KNA |
Caribbean |
50,000 |
Yes (English-based creole language) |
| Saint Lucia |
LCA |
Caribbean |
165,000 |
Yes (French-based creole language) |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
VCT |
Caribbean |
120,000 |
Yes (English-based creole language) |
| Samoa |
WSM |
Oceania |
188,000 |
No |
| Seychelles |
SYC |
Africa / Indian Ocean |
87,000 |
No |
| Sierra Leone |
SLE |
Africa |
6,190,280 |
Yes (English-based creole language) |
| Singapore |
SGP |
Asia |
5,469,700 |
Yes (official language, lingua franca, mostly and widely spoken, and educational) |
| Solomon Islands |
SLB |
Oceania |
507,000 |
Yes |
| South Africa |
ZAF |
Africa |
54,956,900 |
Yes (official, educational and lingua franca in formal economy) |
| South Sudan |
SSD |
Africa |
12,340,000 |
Yes |
| Sudan |
SDN |
Africa |
40,235,000 |
No |
| Tanzania |
TZA |
Africa |
51,820,000 |
Yes (used in business and education) |
| Tonga |
TON |
Oceania |
100,000 |
No |
| Trinidad and Tobago |
TTO |
Caribbean |
1,333,000 |
Yes (English-based creole language) |
| Tuvalu |
TUV |
Oceania |
11,000 |
No |
| Uganda |
UGA |
Africa |
47,053,690 |
Yes |
| Vanuatu |
VUT |
Oceania |
226,000 |
No |
| Zambia |
ZMB |
Africa |
16,212,000 |
Yes (used as lingua franca) |
| Zimbabwe |
ZWE |
Africa |
15,178,957 |
Yes |
English is a predominant language
In these countries, English is conventionally spoken by both the government and main population, despite it having no de jure official status at national level.
English is a de facto working language
In these countries, English is spoken in government or education, but it is not recognised as de jure official, nor a primary language spoken by the main population
| Country |
ISO code |
Geographic region |
Population |
| Bangladesh |
BAN |
Asia |
172,954,319 |
| Bhutan |
BTN |
Asia |
727,145 |
| Brunei |
BRN |
Asia |
440,715 |
| Israel |
ISR |
Asia / Middle East |
8,051,200 |
| Malaysia |
MYS |
Asia |
32,730,000 |
| Mauritius |
MUS |
Africa / Indian Ocean |
1,262,000 |
| Qatar |
QAT |
Asia / Middle East |
2,675,522 |
| Sri Lanka |
LKA |
Asia |
20,277,597 |
| Timor-Leste |
TLS |
Asia |
1,340,513 |
| United Arab Emirates |
ARE |
Asia / Middle East |
9,809,000 |
Non-sovereign entities
English is a de jure official language
English is a de facto official language
English is a de facto official, but not a primary language
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.
See also
