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Languages · Asia

Flag of PakistanWhat Language Do They Speak in Pakistan?

The official languages of Pakistan are Urdu and English. In total about 76 living languages are spoken there, the most common being Urdu (95%), Panjabi (70%) and English (50%).

2
Official languages
76
Living languages · #29
0
Regional official languages
11
Endangered languages

Official languages of Pakistan

Official

Urdu

اردو

95% of the population · Indo-European

Official

English

50% of the population · Indo-European

Most spoken languages in Pakistan

Urdu Official
95%
70%
English Official
50%
45%
40%
16%
15%
12%
7%
3%
3%
2%
Share of the population who speak the language (first or second language).

Languages commonly listed for Pakistan

BalochiBrahuiHindkoPashtoPunjabiSaraikiSindhiUrdu

Languages of neighbouring countries

Flag of IndiaEnglish
Flag of AfghanistanPersian
Flag of IranPersian
Flag of ChinaChinese

All languages of Pakistan (76)

LanguageSpeakers hereFamilyStatus
Urdu239,745,800 · 95%Indo-EuropeanOfficial
Panjabi176,654,800 · 70%Indo-EuropeanSafe
English126,182,000 · 50%Indo-EuropeanOfficial
Western Panjabi113,000,000 · 45%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Lahnda100,945,600 · 40%Indo-European—
Pushto40,378,240 · 16%Indo-European—
Sindhi37,854,600 · 15%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Saraiki30,283,680 · 12%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Rajasthani18,000,000 · 7%Indo-European—
Baluchi6,561,464 · 3%——
Central Pashto6,500,000 · 3%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Northern Hindko4,290,188 · 2%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Southern Balochi3,800,000 · 2%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Southern Pashto3,700,000 · 1%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Brahui3,028,368 · 1%DravidianThreatened
Pahari-Potwari2,500,000 · 0.99%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Eastern Balochi1,800,000 · 0.71%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Persian1,665,602 · 0.66%Indo-European—
Western Balochi1,438,474 · 0.57%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Southern Hindko1,034,692 · 0.41%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Tajik832,801 · 0.33%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Gujari504,728 · 0.2%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Balti454,255 · 0.18%Sino-TibetanSafe
Parkari Koli403,782 · 0.16%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Khowar378,546 · 0.15%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Shina370,000 · 0.15%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Indus Kohistani353,309 · 0.14%Indo-EuropeanThreatened
Wadiyara Koli277,600 · 0.11%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Kachi Koli277,600 · 0.11%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Marwari (Pakistan)220,000 · 0.09%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Bagri200,000 · 0.08%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Kohistani Shina200,000 · 0.08%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Kashmiri174,131 · 0.07%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Dhatki150,000 · 0.06%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Torwali133,752 · 0.05%Indo-EuropeanThreatened
Gawri100,000 · 0.04%Indo-EuropeanVulnerable
Khetrani100,000 · 0.04%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Burushaski97,000 · 0.04%—Vulnerable
Waneci95,000 · 0.04%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Sindhi Bhil86,500 · 0.03%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Kabutra80,000 · 0.03%Indo-EuropeanThreatened
Wakhi58,000 · 0.02%Indo-EuropeanThreatened
Od50,000 · 0.02%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Bateri47,949 · 0.02%Indo-EuropeanThreatened
Gurgula35,000 · 0.01%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Goaria25,000 · 0.01%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Gade Lohar20,000 · 0.01%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Loarki20,000 · 0.01%BookkeepingSafe
Dehwari19,000 · 0.01%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Jadgali15,600 · 0.01%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Ghera10,000 · 0%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Phalura10,000 · 0%Indo-EuropeanThreatened
Gawar-Bati9,500 · 0%Indo-EuropeanThreatened
Ormuri6,380 · 0%Indo-EuropeanVulnerable
Yidgha6,200 · 0%Indo-EuropeanVulnerable
Kalkoti6,000 · 0%Indo-EuropeanVulnerable
Kalasha5,000 · 0%Indo-EuropeanVulnerable
Dameli5,000 · 0%Indo-EuropeanThreatened
Jandavra5,000 · 0%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Vaghri4,800 · 0%Indo-EuropeanSafe
Kati3,700 · 0%Indo-EuropeanVulnerable
Ushojo2,000 · 0%Indo-EuropeanVulnerable
Chilisso1,000 · 0%Indo-EuropeanVulnerable
Gowro1,000 · 0%Indo-EuropeanVulnerable
Kundal Shahi700 · 0%Indo-EuropeanVulnerable
Mankiyali500 · 0%Indo-EuropeanThreatened
Domaaki340 · 0%Indo-EuropeanMoribund
Aer100Indo-EuropeanVulnerable
Bhaya70Indo-EuropeanVulnerable
Northern Pashto—Indo-EuropeanSafe
Lasi—Indo-EuropeanSafe
Memoni—Indo-EuropeanVulnerable
Purik—Sino-TibetanSafe
Savi—Indo-EuropeanSafe
Sansi—Indo-EuropeanVulnerable
Kamviri———

Frequently asked questions

What language do they speak in Pakistan?

The official languages of Pakistan are Urdu and English. In total about 76 living languages are spoken there, the most common being Urdu (95%), Panjabi (70%) and English (50%).

What is the official language of Pakistan?

Urdu and English.

Is English spoken in Pakistan?

Yes — English is official in Pakistan, spoken by about 50% of people.

How many languages are spoken in Pakistan?

About 76 living languages — #29 in the world for linguistic diversity. 11 of them are endangered.

Data: Languages of the World dataset (MIT) — ISO 639-3, Glottolog (CC BY 4.0), Unicode CLDR, Google LinguaMeta (CC BY 4.0) and Wikidata; country lists: samayo/country-json (MIT).

Pakistan country profileLanguages by country