The European continent is very linguistically diversified, and a number of languages are officially represented because of the rich cultural background. The official languages recognized by the European Union are 24, including English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian, among many others.
Other countries have their official languages: Finnish in Finland, Greek in Greece, and Hungarian in Hungary. Some countries have adopted more than one official language. In Belgium, they have embraced Dutch, French, and German while in Switzerland they have embraced German, French, Italian, and Romansh.
Official languages are put into practice in all government, educational, and judicial affairs and provide a basis for preserving cultural identities and communicating effectively throughout the continent.
There are 24 official languages in the European Union (EU):
| No. | Official Languages | Countries |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bulgarian | Bulgaria |
| 2 | Croatian | Croatia |
| 3 | Czech | Czech Republic |
| 4 | Danish | Denmark |
| 5 | Dutch | Belgium Netherlands |
| 6 | English | Ireland Malta United Kingdom |
| 7 | Estonian | Estonia |
| 8 | Finnish | Finland |
| 9 | French | Belgium France Luxembourg |
| 10 | German | Austria Belgium Germany Luxembourg |
| 11 | Greek | Cyprus Greece |
| 12 | Hungarian | Hungary |
| 13 | Irish | Ireland |
| 14 | Italian | Italy |
| 15 | Latvian | Latvia |
| 16 | Lithunian | Lithuania |
| 17 | Maltese | Malta |
| 18 | Polish | Poland |
| 19 | Portugese | Portugal |
| 20 | Romanian | Romania |
| 21 | Slovak | Slovakia |
| 22 | Slovenian | Slovenia |
| 23 | Spanish | Spain |
| 24 | Swedish | Sweden Finland |
Official languages outside European Union:
| No. | Official Languages | Countries |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albanian | Albania |
| 2 | Catalan | Andorra |
| 3 | Armenian | Armenia |
| 4 | Azerbaijani | Azerbaijan |
| 5 | Belarusian | Belarus |
| 6 | Bosnian | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| 7 | Greek | Cyprus |
| 8 | Abkhazian | Georgia |
| 9 | Georgians | Georgia |
| 10 | Icelandic | Iceland |
| 11 | Kazakh | Kazakhstan |
| 12 | German | Liechtenstein Switzerland |
| 13 | Macedonian | Macedonia |
| 14 | Romanian | Moldova |
| 15 | French | Monaco Switzerland |
| 16 | Montenegrin | Montenegro |
| 17 | Sami | Norway |
| 18 | Norwegian | Norway |
| 19 | Portuguese | Portugal |
| 20 | Russian | Russia |
| 21 | Italian | San Marino Switzerland |
| 22 | Serbian | Serbia |
| 23 | Romansh | Switzerland |
| 24 | Turkish | Turkey Cyprus |
| 25 | Ukrainian | Ukraine |
| 26 | Latin | Vatican City |
Facts to Know:
- German, French, Italian, and Romansh are the four official languages of Switzerland.
- The official languages of Malta are English and Maltese.
- Importantly, there are over 200 indigenous languages that are still spoken today, some of which are endangered.
- English is becoming one of the most widely spoken languages in Europe.
- Over 200 million people in Europe speak English as their second language.
- Approximately 94% of Europeans are native speakers of an Indo-European language.
FAQs
The EU has 24 official languages, which include English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and others that are spoken in member states.
Yes, many countries have more than one official language. For example, Belgium has Dutch, French, and German, while Switzerland has German, French, Italian, and Romansh.
Countries such as Hungary (Hungarian), Finland (Finnish), and Greece (Greek) have official languages that are not very common in the rest of Europe.
