India is linguistically very diverse, with the number of languages spoken ranging widely depending on definitions used. According to the 2001 Census of India, there are 122 major languages and 1599 other languages spoken in the country. Overall estimates of languages and dialects can go up to over 19,500 mother tongues as reported in more detailed census analyses. The Constitution of India officially recognizes 22 languages as scheduled languages, which have official status at the national level. These include languages such as Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Urdu, Assamese, Kannada, Punjabi, and others. Besides these, many other languages are spoken regionally or by tribal populations. In summary:
- About 122 major languages spoken
- Over 1,500 other languages (various dialects and smaller languages)
- More than 19,000 mother tongues recorded in detailed census analyses
- 22 official (scheduled) languages recognized by the Constitution of India
This highlights India’s extraordinary linguistic diversity across its population and regions.