The official language of India is Hindi, but the government also officially recognises 21 other languages. For centuries, India has been the meeting point of cultures, ancient and modern, which is why it is home to at least 426 living indigenous languages, 32 living non-indigenous languages, and four major language families.
As the second-largest country in Asia with a population of around 1.4 billion people, India is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. If you’re planning a trip to India, you don’t need to worry about speaking all of the languages to get by though. Hindi will serve you well.
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What is the official language of India?
Hindi is the official language of India, spoken by 43.6% of the population as a mother tongue. English is recognized as an associate official language.
Hindi
Hindi (in Devanagari script) is the official language of India’s Union government used for government administration, as well as official and inter-state communication. It is also one of the 22 languages officially recognized in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
English
English is an associate official language used for administration and higher education. It often serves as a bridge language in a country rich with mother tongues, but it’s not one of the 22 languages officially recognized in the constitution.
Just 0.02% of the population speaks English as a mother tongue. However, around 33% of the population speaks English as their second or third language.
State official languages
Article 345 of the Constitution of India also allows for each of the 28 states to select its own official language from the languages in use.
How many languages are spoken in India?
According to Ethnologue, a staggering 458 living languages are spoken in India, making it one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world.
The Census of India 2011 recorded 121 major languages spoken in India (that had 10,000 or more speakers). These were categorised into the 22 Scheduled languages and 99 Non-Scheduled languages.
However, there were many more mother tongues recorded in the census that either had fewer than 10,000 speakers or were classified under the major languages. If you had to count the total number of languages identified as a mother tongue in the 2011 census, irrespective of speaker count or classification, the number of languages would be in the hundreds, if not thousands.
Scheduled languages
The constitution of India officially recognizes 22 languages called “Scheduled” languages. These languages are supported by the government and are represented in the education system. Speakers of Scheduled languages make up 96.72% of the total population.
- Assamese
- Bengali
- Bodo
- Dogri
- Gujarati
- Hindi
- Kannada
- Kashmiri
- Konkani
- Maithili
- Malayalam
- Manipuri
- Marathi
- Nepali
- Oriya
- Punjabi
- Sanskrit
- Santhali
- Sindhi
- Tamil
- Telugu
- Urdu
Non-Scheduled languages
In India’s 2011 census, 99 Non-Scheduled languages were identified by respondents as their mother tongue. These languages do not receive government support and development.
Despite the large number of languages, speakers of Non-Scheduled languages represent 3.28% of the total population. The following languages represent more than a 1% share of the total speakers of Non-Scheduled languages:
- Bhil/Bhilodi
- Garo
- Gondi
- Halabi
- Ho
- Karbi/Mikir
- Khandeshi
- Khasi
- Korku
- Koya
- Kui
- Kurukh/Oraon
- Lushai/Mizo
- Miri/Mishing
- Munda
- Mundari
- Nissi/Dafla
- Savara
- Tripuri
- Tulu
Classical languages
Of the 22 Scheduled languages, Sanskrit and Tamil are classified as Classical Languages. This means they have met certain criteria that indicate the languages are original, of ancient origin, and have a large body of ancient literature.
Sanskrit is the oldest documented language from the Indo-European language family and is a fundamental part of India’s history and culture. Today, just 0.002% of the population speaks Sanskrit and its variants.
Tamil is one of the world’s oldest living languages with a literary tradition that dates back to the 5th century BCE. Today, 5.7% of the population of India speaks Tamil.
Top 5 most spoken languages in India
What language do they speak in India? Not one, but many. In fact, schools in India adopt the three-language formula, which means many Indians speak three or more languages. Some, however, are spoken by more people than others.
1. Hindi
If you ask what language is spoken in India, Hindi is likely to be the answer. It’s the official language and is spoken by 43.6% of the population as a mother tongue. Hindi falls within the Indo-Aryan language family.
The language is most widely spoken in the northern parts of India. In particular, the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh have the most Hindi speakers.
The Hindi-speaking region of India is often referred to as the “Hindi Belt” and, while there is a standard form of Hindi, various Hindi dialects are spoken across the Hindi Belt. It might be more accurate to describe these “dialects” as regional languages, because their resemblance to standard Hindi varies quite a lot depending on their location within the belt.
2. Bengali
Bengali, a language of the Indo-Aryan language family, is spoken by 8% of the population as their primary language. It is the second most widely spoken language in India after Hindi.
Bengali is spoken in the eastern region, specifically in the states of West Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand, and Tripura. It is the official language of the states of West Bengal and Tripura, and the Cachar district of Assam.
As the national language of Bangladesh, more people speak Bengali in India’s eastern neighbour than in India.
3. Marathi
Marathi is spoken by 6.9% of the population of India and in the central easterly state of Maharashtra where it is the official language.
It is also of the Indo-Aryan language family and ranks third in the most widely spoken languages. If you travel to Goa, Marathi is one of the languages you’re likely to hear
4. Telugu
Telugu is spoken by 6.7% of the population, primarily in the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh located to the east central part of India. It is the official language of the Andhra Pradesh state.
Telugu is of the Dravidian language family. Not only does it have four dialects but there is also a literary form of Telugu distinct from these spoken dialects. When there are two or more forms of the same language used for different functions—in this case, literary and spoken forms—it is known as diglossia.
5. Tamil
Tamil, also of the Dravidian language family, is spoken by 5.7% of the population, mostly in the states of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in the south. It is the official language of Tamil Nadu state and the fifth most widely spoken mother tongue in India.
As one of the oldest living languages, spoken Tamil has evolved greatly. As a result, there’s quite a distinction between the formal written Tamil and the Tamil used in daily life.
Language families present in India
Not only does India have an impressive number of languages spoken in the country, but it also boasts a large number of speakers in four major language families, which is rare.
Indo-European language family
The Indo-European language family includes some of the most spoken languages in the world, including English, Spanish, Russian, and Hindi.
In India, speakers of languages that fall within this language group make up 78.07% of the population and are concentrated in the northern part of the country.
Most of India’s Indo-European languages are from the Indo-Aryan branch of this family. India has 21 Indo-Aryan languages.
Dravidian language family
There are four Dravidian languages spoken in India: Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam. Speakers of languages of the Dravidian language family make up 19.64% of the population (Census of India, 2011) and are concentrated in Southern India.
Austro-Asiatic language family
Mostly in central and eastern India, Austro-Asiatic language speakers account for 1.11% of the population (Census of India, 2011). There are 14 languages in India that fall within the Austro-Asiatic language family.
Tibeto-Burman language family
There are 66 languages in India from the Tibeto-Burman language family. Despite this large number, speakers of this language group amount to 1.01% of the population (Census of India, 2011), concentrated in eastern India.
FAQs about the languages of India
India’s linguistic landscape is complex and has a rich cultural and historical legacy. Discover a few more frequently asked questions.
Is English spoken in India?
Yes, English is spoken in India. As the associate official language of India at the Union level, it is used in administration and higher education.
In the 2011 census, 0.02% of the population indicated that English was their first language. However, around 33% indicated that English was their second or third language.
How do you say ‘hello’ in India?
You’ve discovered that there are many languages spoken in India. Based on the number of speakers, learning to say namaste (hello) in Hindi is your best bet.
Depending on where you go in India, you might want to learn to say ‘hello’ in the area’s predominantly spoken language.
What is the oldest language in India?
The oldest living language in India is Tamil, a language of the Dravidian language family spoken by 5.7% of the population and still used in daily life.
Sanskrit would be considered the oldest language in terms of the earliest historical record of the language—in the Rigveda dating to 1500 BCE. Both Tamil and Sanskrit are among the oldest languages in the world.
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