12 Most Spoken Languages in India
India is a land of diverse languages, cultures, and traditions. With a population of over 1.3 billion people, India is the second-most populous country in the world, and it is home to over 19,500 different languages and dialects. Out of these, 22 languages have been recognized by the Indian Constitution, and the most spoken ones are Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati, Urdu, Kannada, Odia, Punjabi, Malayalam, and Assamese.
Let’s take a closer look at the 12 most spoken languages in India by the number of speakers:
- Hindi – 41% of the population
Hindi is the official language of India and is spoken by around 41% of the population. It is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, with over 545 million speakers globally. Hindi is the primary language of the northern states of India and is also spoken in some parts of Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
- Bengali – 8.11% of the population
Bengali is the second most spoken language in India, with over 100 million speakers. It is the official language of the eastern state of West Bengal and is also spoken in the neighboring states of Tripura and Assam. Bengali is also the national language of Bangladesh.
- Telugu – 7.19% of the population
Telugu is the third most spoken language in India, with over 84 million speakers. It is the official language of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh and is also spoken in the neighboring state of Telangana. Telugu is also spoken in some parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra.
- Marathi – 6.99% of the population
Marathi is the fourth most spoken language in India, with over 83 million speakers. It is the official language of the western state of Maharashtra and is also spoken in some parts of Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, and Goa.
- Tamil – 5.91% of the population
Tamil is the fifth most spoken language in India, with over 70 million speakers. It is the official language of the southern state of Tamil Nadu and is also spoken in some parts of Puducherry, Kerala, and Karnataka. Tamil is also spoken in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, and some other countries.
- Urdu – 5.01% of the population
Urdu is the sixth most spoken language in India, with over 60 million speakers. It is the official language of the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir and is also spoken in some parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, and Hyderabad. Urdu is also the national language of Pakistan.
- Gujarati – 4.48% of the population
Gujarati is the seventh most spoken language in India, with over 53 million speakers. It is the official language of the western state of Gujarat and is also spoken in some parts of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh.
- Kannada – 3.69% of the population
Kannada is the eighth most spoken language in India, with over 44 million speakers. It is the official language of the southern state of Karnataka and is also spoken in some parts of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra.
- Odia – 3.21% of the population
Odia is the ninth most spoken language in India, with over 38 million speakers. It is the official language of the eastern state of Odisha and is also spoken in some parts of West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh.
- Punjabi – 2.83% of the population
Punjabi is the tenth most spoken language in India, with over 33 million speakers. It is the official language of the northern state of Punjab and is also spoken in some parts of Haryana, Delhi, and Himachal Pradesh. Pun
- Malayalam – 2.88% of the population
Malayalam is the eleventh most spoken language in India, with over 33 million speakers. Malayalam is primarily spoken in the southern state of Kerala. Malayalam is also spoken in parts of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and the union territory of Lakshadweep. Malayalam is written in the Malayalam script.
- Assamese – 1.26% of the population
Assamese is the twelfth most spoken language in India, with over 15 million speakers. It is the official language of the eastern state of Assam. Assamese is also spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Meghalaya. Assamese is written in the Assamese script.