English as an official language facts for kids

English is a super important language around the world! This article lists all the countries and territories where English is an official language. This means it's a language used by the government, in schools, for business, and often in daily life.

In 2014, English was an official language in 88 places. This included 60 independent countries and 38 territories that are not independent.

Most places where English is an official language used to be part of the British Empire. This was a huge empire that controlled many parts of the world a long time ago. When these places became independent, many kept English as an official language.

However, there are some exceptions. For example, Rwanda was a Belgian colony, not British. And Eritrea was an Italian colony, though the British did control it for a short time during and after World War II (from 1941 to 1952).

English is also very important in many international groups. It's the only official language of the Commonwealth of Nations, which is a group of countries that were mostly part of the British Empire. It's also one of the official languages of the United Nations, the European Union, and the International Olympic Committee.

Even though English isn't officially called an "official language" for the whole United States, many individual states and regions within the U.S. have made English their official language.

English in India and Pakistan

The way languages are used in India is quite interesting. The country's main official language is Hindi. But English is also a very important "subsidiary official language." This means that all federal laws and Supreme Court decisions must be written in English. English is also one of the two languages used in the Indian Parliament, along with Hindi.

English is taught in schools across India. However, how well it's taught can be very different from place to place. English is used almost everywhere for higher education, like in universities.

Pakistan also has a mix of languages. Its national language is Urdu. But English is an official language there too. It's widely used in business, government, and for legal matters.

Countries Where English is an Official Language

Here are the independent countries where English is an official language. This means it's recognized by their laws.

Countries where English is an official language by law

Country	Region	Population
Antigua and Barbuda	Caribbean	85,000
Bahamas	Caribbean	331,000
Barbados	Caribbean	294,000
Belize	Central America / Caribbean	288,000
Botswana	Africa	1,882,000
Cameroon	Africa	18,549,000
Canada	North America	33,531,000
Dominica	Caribbean	73,000
Eritrea	Africa	5,224,000
Fiji	Oceania	827,900
Ghana	Africa	23,478,000
Grenada	Caribbean	106,000
Guyana	South America / Caribbean	738,000
India	Asia	1,247,540,000
Ireland	Europe	4,581,269
Jamaica	Caribbean	2,714,000
Kenya	Africa	37,538,000
Kiribati	Oceania	95,000
Lesotho	Africa	2,008,000
Liberia	Africa	3,750,000
Malawi	Africa	13,925,000
Malta	Europe	412,600
Marshall Islands	Oceania	59,000
Mauritius	Africa / Indian Ocean	1,262,000
Federated States of Micronesia	Oceania	111,000
Namibia	Africa	2,074,000
Nauru	Oceania	10,000
New Zealand	Oceania	4,294,350
Nigeria	Africa	148,093,000
Pakistan	Asia	165,449,000
Palau	Oceania	20,000
Papua New Guinea	Oceania	6,331,000
Philippines	Asia	90,457,200
Rwanda	Africa	9,725,000
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Caribbean	50,000
Saint Lucia	Caribbean	165,000
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Caribbean	120,000
Samoa	Oceania	188,359
Seychelles	Africa / Indian Ocean	87,000
Sierra Leone	Africa	5,866,000
Singapore	Asia	5,312,400
Solomon Islands	Oceania	506,992
South Africa	Africa	47,850,700
South Sudan	Africa	8,260,490
Sudan	Africa	31,894,000
Swaziland	Africa	1,141,000
Tanzania	Africa	40,454,000
Tonga	Oceania	100,000
Trinidad and Tobago	Caribbean	1,333,000
Tuvalu	Oceania	11,000
Uganda	Africa	30,884,000
Vanuatu	Oceania	226,000
Zambia	Africa	11,922,000
Zimbabwe	Africa	13,349,000

Countries Where English is the Main Language (but not always "official")

In some countries, English is the main language used by almost everyone, even if it's not officially written down as the "official language" in their laws.

Countries where English is the main language

Country	Region	Population
Australia	Australia / Oceania	22,930,577
United Kingdom	Europe	61,612,300
United States	North America	309,442,000

Territories Where English is an Official Language

These are places that are not independent countries but where English is an official language. They are often linked to a larger country, like the United Kingdom or the United States.

Entity	Region	Population
American Samoa	Oceania	67,700
Anguilla	Caribbean	13,000
Bermuda	North America	65,000
British Virgin Islands	Caribbean	23,000
Cayman Islands	Caribbean	47,000
Christmas Island	Australia	1,508
Cocos (Keeling) Islands	Australia	596
Cook Islands	Oceania	20,200
Curaçao	Caribbean	150,563
Falkland Islands	South Atlantic	3,000
Gibraltar	Europe	29,257
Guam	Oceania	173,000
Guernsey	Europe	61,811
Hong Kong	Asia	7,097,600
Isle of Man	Europe	80,058
Jersey	Europe	89,300
Montserrat	Caribbean	5,900
Niue	Oceania	1,600
Norfolk Island	Australia	1,828
Northern Mariana Islands	Oceania	53,883
Pitcairn Islands	Oceania	50
Puerto Rico	Caribbean	3,991,000
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha	South Atlantic	5,660
Sint Maarten	Caribbean	40,900
Tokelau	Oceania	1,400
Turks and Caicos Islands	Caribbean	26,000
U.S. Virgin Islands	Caribbean	111,000

Images for kids

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  This map shows all the areas of the world that were ever part of the British Empire. The names of current British Overseas Territories are underlined in red.