Nations with Highest Language Diversity in the World

Throughout the globe, people speak more than roughly 7,000 languages, but the strange fact is the non-uniformity in the language distribution. More than 40% of the world’s population is monolingual, able to speak just 1 language. At the same time, there are countries where the majority of the population can speak 3-4 languages.

As fascinating we find these languages, so are their stories. Most of the developed countries host the most diverse populations. Still, countries like Papua New Guinea and Chad show the highest language diversity. Factors like cultural exchanges and colonialism are majorly responsible for this.

Learning a foreign language helps boost your brainpower and also helps in improving your first language. Nevertheless, half of the languages spoken in the world are expected to disappear by the end of this century. These following countries are helping sustain the medley of languages by adopting and promoting them.

1. India

India has 22 languages recognized by the constitution with Hindi and English playing dominating roles in the official works. Each state has its own official language and most of the Indians are able to speak at least 3 languages.

2. Luxembourg

This small country in the heart of Europe has 3 official languages: Luxembourgish, German, and French. Majority of the population is able to speak all these 3 languages and they are also included in the education system and the official communications.

3. Serbia

Influenced by the formation and breakup of Yugoslavia, Serbia has been blessed with several languages. Apart from the official language Serbian, people speak Russian, Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin, and of course English.

4. Indonesia

Owing to the vast archipelago, Indonesia hosts over 700 different languages. The official language of Bahasa Indonesian is spoken by most of the people. People also speak Austronesian languages and Papuan languages.

5. South Africa

South Africa has 11 official languages. People speak English, Afrikaans, Zulu and Xhosa.

6. Mauritius

Mauritius is another island country where people speak a variety of languages. English and French are compulsory for students to learn. People also speak Mauritian Creole, Chinese and Bhojpuri. Yes, a number of mauritians speak Bhojpuri as their first language.

7. Singapore

Singapore has multiple official languages including Malay, Singapore English, Mandarin Chinese and Tamil. Singaporeans have also produced mixed languages like Singlish.

8. Russia

Russia constitutes 20 republics and all of them have some of their own officially recognized languages. These include Adygean, Bashkir, Ingush, Kabardian, Tatar and many more.

9. Papua New Guinea

The tiny country of Papua New Guinea also speaks many languages including English, Hiri Motu, Tok Pisin and PNG sign language.

10. Malaysia

Despite having fewer official languages than Singapore, Malaysia has more language diversity. People speak Malay, Engish, Manglish and Mandarin.

11. Switzerland

Switzerland has 4 official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. People also speak English, Albanian, Portuguese and Spanish.

Speaking different languages not just helps in their sustenance but also helps in your own personal growth. So if you are stuck at just 1 or 2 languages, join a language program now.