There are approximately 7,159 living languages spoken worldwide as of 2025, according to Ethnologue, a widely recognized authoritative source on global language statistics. This number can vary slightly due to different classification criteria and ongoing changes as languages evolve or become extinct. About 44% of these languages are endangered, often with fewer than 1,000 speakers each.
Geographic Distribution
- Asia holds the largest number of languages at around 2,300, representing about 32% of the world's total.
- Africa follows with about 2,144 languages, or 30%.
- The Pacific region has around 1,313 languages.
- The Americas account for approximately 1,061 languages.
- Europe has fewer languages, with about 287 spoken.
Language Diversity Insights
- Many languages have very small speaker communities; about 44% of languages are endangered.
- Some languages are spoken by only a few or even a single individual.
- The complex classification between languages and dialects influences the total count.
- The top 20 languages are spoken by more than half of the world's population despite the large number of languages worldwide.
Thus, the most accurate and up-to-date estimate from credible linguistic research places the number of living languages in the world close to 7,159.
