List of countries where English is an official language

The following is a list of sovereign states and territories where English is an official language or language of government. In 2012, there were 88 states in total (60 sovereign states and 28 non-sovereign states).

In many countries English is the dominant language, but does not have official status. In Australia, English is spoken by the vast majority of the population and is the only language used in government institutions, but Australia does not have an official language. The case is the same in the United Kingdom and the United States, though many states and regions within the U.S. do have English as an official language. English is the dominant language of New Zealand and an official language of Canada (along with French), India (along with Hindi and several other languages), Ireland (along with Irish), and the Philippines (along with Tagalog). English is the sole official language of the Commonwealth of Nations and the Commonwealth Games. English is one of the official languages of the United Nations, the European Union and the International Olympic Committee.

Many of these countries are current or former colonies or dependencies of the United Kingdom (see also British Empire), or of the United States, itself a former colony of the UK. Notable exceptions include Rwanda, which was a former Belgian colony and Eritrea, which was an Italian colony where the British Empire spanned its control only in World War II and shortly after( 1941-1952).

India's linguistic picture is complex. According to the Constitution of India, "Hindi in the Devanagari script" is the official language of the union; and English the 'subsidiary official language'; however, English is mandated for the authoritative texts of all federal laws and Supreme Court decisions and (along with Hindi) is one of the two languages of the Indian Parliament. English is used almost exclusively for higher education, business and science. Courses in majority of the schools are taught exclusively in English. English is extensively used for administrative purposes in India. India is the second-largest English-speaking country in the world by number of speakers, after the United States. As such, many consider English to be the de facto official language of India.^{[citation needed]} See Official languages of India.

The linguistic makeup of Pakistan is similarly complex. While the national language is Urdu, English is an official language and used in business, government and law. English is a compulsory language in schools. All school courses are taught in English.^{[citation needed]} Pakistan is the 9th largest English-speaking country in the world by population.

Sovereign states

Countries where English is a de jure/official language

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
Gambia	Africa	1,709,000
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
Somaliland	Africa	3,500,000
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 de facto language

Country	Region	Population
Australia	Australia	22,930,576
United Kingdom	Europe	61,612,300
United States	North America	309,442,000

Non-sovereign entities

Entity	Region	Population
American Samoa	Oceania	67,000
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
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	84,000
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
San Andrés y Providencia, Colombia	Caribbean	59,573
Tokelau	Oceania	1,400
Turks and Caicos Islands	Caribbean	26,000
U.S. Virgin Islands	Caribbean	111,000

Map of English status

Map of nations using English as an official language or as the predominant language

See also

• Anglosphere
  • Anglo-America
• Commonwealth of Nations
  • English in the Commonwealth of Nations
• British Overseas Territories
• List of countries by English-speaking population
• British Empire

Footnotes

^1 The population figures are based on the sources in List of countries by population, with information as of 23 January 2009 (UN estimates, et al.)

^2 Hong Kong is a former British Crown colony (1843-1981) and British Dependent Territory (1981-1997); it is currently a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (1997- present)

^3 Puerto Rico is, historically and geographically, connected to the Spanish-speaking Caribbean; Spanish is the main language of the majority of Puerto Ricans. Puerto Rico is an unincorporated United States territory referred to as a "Commonwealth"

^4 Guam is an organized unincorporated territory of the United States

^5 The US Virgin Islands is an insular area of the United States

^6 Jersey is a British Crown dependency

^7 The Northern Mariana Islands is a commonwealth in political union with the United States

^8 Isle of Man is a British Crown dependency

^9 Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory

^10 Guernsey is a British Crown dependency

^11 American Samoa is an unincorporated U.S. territory

^12 Christmas Island is an external territory of Australia

^13 Pitcairn Islands is a British Overseas Territory