Languages of India (2026): What Languages are Spoken in India?

India is home to one of the most linguistically rich environments on earth. With over 19,500 dialects and sub-dialects recorded across its states and territories, the country offers a fascinating — and sometimes complex — picture of human communication. Whether you are a student, a traveller, or a business preparing to enter the Indian market, understanding the languages of India is a vital first step.

The Official Languages Spoken in India

Federal Level

India does not have a single “national language.” The Constitution of India instead designates two languages for official use at the central (federal) level: Hindi and English. This distinction matters a great deal — many people assume Hindi is the national language, but it holds official status, not national status. The difference is especially significant in southern states, where Hindi is not widely spoken and has historically met strong resistance.

Hindi

Hindi is the most spoken language in India. According to the 2011 Census, approximately 43.63% of the Indian population identified Hindi as their mother tongue. It is the primary language in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi. Written in the Devanagari script, Hindi belongs to the Indo-Aryan language family and draws deeply from Sanskrit. Because of its wide geographic reach, Hindi often acts as a bridge language between speakers of different regional tongues across the country.

English

English holds co-official status at the federal level and is widely used in government, education, law, and business. Its role as a neutral lingua franca makes it particularly useful in multilingual settings. In southern India, where resistance to Hindi dominance has historically been strong, English often serves as a practical middle ground for inter-regional communication. It is also the dominant language in India’s booming technology, finance, and media industries.

Scheduled Languages

The Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution lists languages that receive formal government recognition. These are known as “scheduled languages.” As of 2026, 22 languages are listed in the Eighth Schedule. Originally, only 14 languages were included when the Constitution came into force in 1950. Over the decades, languages such as Sindhi (1967), Konkani, Manipuri, and Nepali (1992), and Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, and Santali (2003) were added. More than 96% of India’s population speaks at least one of these 22 languages.

The 22 Constitutionally Recognised Languages in India

India’s Constitution recognises 22 languages as scheduled languages. These languages come from several distinct language families, reflecting thousands of years of linguistic evolution.

Indo-Aryan Language Family

The Indo-Aryan family is the largest in India, spoken by approximately 78% of the population. Languages in this group include Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Odia, Assamese, Maithili, Kashmiri, Dogri, Konkani, Sindhi, Nepali, Urdu, and Sanskrit. All share common roots in ancient Sanskrit and are spoken primarily in northern and central India.

Dravidian Language Family

Dravidian languages dominate southern India, accounting for roughly 19.64% of the Indian population. The four scheduled Dravidian languages — Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam — all have ancient literary traditions and distinct scripts. Tamil is particularly notable for being one of the oldest surviving classical languages in the world, with inscriptions dating back to approximately 300 BCE.

Austroasiatic Language Family

Santali is the only scheduled language from the Austroasiatic family. Spoken by Santali tribal communities primarily in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, and Assam, it uses a unique script called Ol Chiki, which was formalised in the 20th century.

Tibeto-Burman Language Family

Two scheduled languages — Bodo and Meitei (Manipuri) — belong to the Tibeto-Burman branch of the Sino-Tibetan family. Bodo is mainly spoken in Assam, while Meitei is the official language of the northeastern state of Manipur and has been gaining ground in digital and educational settings.

Kra–Dai Language Family

While no scheduled language belongs to the Kra–Dai (Tai–Kadai) family, several smaller languages from this family are spoken in India’s northeastern states, particularly in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. These include Tai Phake and the largely extinct Ahom language, which was once used in administrative records of the Ahom Kingdom.

Andamanese Language Families

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are home to a small number of Andamanese languages spoken by indigenous communities. Languages such as Great Andamanese and Jarawa are completely unrelated to the mainstream language families of mainland India and are considered critically endangered. Linguists regard their survival as a matter of global cultural importance.

Language Isolates

Some languages spoken in India have no known relatives — these are called language isolates. Nihali, spoken in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, is one such example. These languages are of considerable interest to researchers, as they may represent the linguistic remnants of ancient communities that predate the arrival of both Indo-Aryan and Dravidian peoples.

Other Families

Beyond the major families, India is also home to Sino-Tibetan languages such as Tibetan dialects spoken in Ladakh and Sikkim, as well as Burusho — a language isolate spoken in Jammu & Kashmir that has no confirmed relationship to any other language family.

Key Regional Languages

Many regional languages hold official status within individual states without being listed in the Eighth Schedule. These include Bodo (Assam), Kokborok (Tripura), and Mizo (Mizoram). Each state may designate one or more languages for official use in addition to Hindi and English, creating a rich patchwork of linguistic recognition across the country.

Prominent Languages of India

Hindi is spoken by over 528 million people and is the dominant language across northern India. Bengali follows with around 97 million speakers, mainly in West Bengal — it also has a major presence internationally. Assamese is the official language of Assam, with a rich literary heritage stretching back many centuries. Marathi is spoken by over 83 million people in Maharashtra, home to the financial capital Mumbai. Meitei (Manipuri) serves as the lingua franca of Manipur and is actively promoted through cultural and educational programmes.

Telugu is the most spoken Dravidian language, with over 81 million speakers across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Tamil is spoken by nearly 69 million people in Tamil Nadu and holds significant global reach across Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Malaysia. Urdu is spoken by over 50 million people in India and is closely related to Hindi, though written in a Perso-Arabic script. Gujarati has approximately 55 million speakers and is the language of Gujarat’s prominent business communities. Kannada is the official language of Karnataka, spoken by around 43.7 million people.

Malayalam is the language of Kerala, a state with one of India’s highest literacy rates. Odia is the official language of Odisha and holds classical language status. Santali is spoken by indigenous tribal communities across eastern India. Punjabi is spoken widely in Punjab and among large Sikh diaspora communities around the world. Maithili, spoken in Bihar and parts of Nepal, is also a recognised classical language.

Classical Languages of India

As of 2026, India has officially designated 11 classical languages: Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Pali, and Prakrit. A language qualifies as classical if it has a rich and ancient literary tradition, a recorded history spanning more than 1,500 to 2,000 years, and texts that are predominantly original rather than borrowed from another tradition. Tamil is widely considered the oldest among them, with inscriptions dating back over 2,000 years.

Other Regional Languages and Dialects

Practical Problems

The sheer number of languages in India creates real practical challenges. In education, children may be taught in their regional language, then Hindi, then English — a three-language system that varies considerably from state to state. In business, marketing campaigns often require localisation into several Indian languages to reach the intended audience effectively.

For businesses planning to enter India, these challenges are well worth preparing for. Understanding what makes certain languages structurally demanding is also helpful — you can learn more in this guide on the 20 most difficult languages in the world, which puts India’s linguistic complexity in a broader global context.

Languages by Earliest Known Inscriptions

Some Indian languages have extraordinarily old written records:

• Tamil — inscriptions from around 300 BCE
• Prakrit/Brahmi — Edicts of Ashoka, dating to the 3rd century BCE
• Sanskrit — Vedic texts are among the oldest recorded writings in human history
• Kannada — inscriptions from around the 5th century CE
• Telugu — inscriptions from around the 7th century CE

India’s Wealth of Languages

India’s linguistic diversity is both a cultural strength and an everyday challenge. The 2011 Census recorded 121 languages spoken by 10,000 or more people, and over 19,500 dialects and sub-dialects in total. This makes India arguably the most linguistically diverse country in the world.

Indian languages use a wide variety of writing systems, including Devanagari, Tamil script, Telugu script, Kannada script, Malayalam script, Bengali script, Gurmukhi (Punjabi), Odia script, Gujarati script, Urdu’s Nastaliq, Ol Chiki (Santali), and Meitei Mayek (Manipuri). For businesses creating digital content in multiple Indian languages, professional localisation is not optional — it is essential. A solid understanding of the distinction between internationalisation and localisation will help you lay the correct foundations before entering this market.

Choosing the Right Languages To Enter the Indian Market

Entering India’s market means making strategic choices about which languages to prioritise. With over a billion people and 22 official languages, targeting every language from day one is rarely realistic. Here are practical considerations for planning your approach:

• Hindi and English are your starting point for national reach, covering the widest possible audience across northern and central India.
• Tamil is essential for Tamil Nadu, and also for the significant Tamil diaspora communities in Singapore, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka. If Tamil translation is on your agenda, Elite Asia’s Tamil translation and interpretation services provide professional, native-level support tailored to your needs.
• Bengali is critical for West Bengal and the broader Bengali-speaking world — a combined market of over 200 million people.
• Telugu and Marathi are ideal for reaching the large consumer bases of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra.
• Kannada and Malayalam open doors to two of India’s most economically active southern states.
• Gujarati connects you to major business communities both within India and in the global Indian diaspora.

For inspiration on how global brands have approached markets like India, the guide on localisation strategy company examples is a valuable resource. You should also consider marketing localisation to make sure your message resonates culturally, not just linguistically.

If you plan to build a digital presence in India, understanding international SEO best practices will help your content rank in the right regions and in the right languages. It is also worth understanding the difference between SEO translation and SEO localisation — a distinction that becomes very important when targeting multilingual Indian audiences online.

Tamil is also one of the most widely spoken Indian languages beyond India itself. If you are considering regional expansion across Southeast Asia, exploring what languages are spoken in Malaysia will show you the broader reach of Indian linguistic communities.

Inventories

Census of India Figures

India’s Census provides the most authoritative data on language use. The most recent full language dataset comes from the 2011 Census, as the 2021 Census was significantly delayed. Key findings are as follows:

Source: Census of India, 2011.

Multilingualism

India is not just multilingual as a nation — it is multilingual at the level of individual people. Many Indians speak two, three, or even four languages fluently: their regional mother tongue, Hindi, English, and sometimes a neighbouring state’s language.

2011 Census India

According to the 2011 Census, over 26% of Indians reported knowing two languages, and around 7% reported knowing three or more. This level of individual multilingualism is rare globally and gives India a remarkable degree of communication flexibility. However, it also means that translation and localisation must account for subtle differences in how people use language — a bilingual Hindi-Tamil speaker may respond very differently to content than a monolingual Tamil speaker would.

Language Policy

India’s language policy is complex and often politically sensitive. The three-language formula — encouraging the learning of Hindi, English, and a regional language — has not been implemented uniformly across all states, and debate over its implementation continues to this day.

In the Prime Minister’s Office

The Prime Minister’s Office makes its official website available in 12 of the 22 scheduled languages: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Meitei (Manipuri), Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu, in addition to English.

In the Press Information Bureau

The Press Information Bureau (PIB) disseminates government information in 15 of the 22 scheduled languages: Assamese, Bengali, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Marathi, Meitei (Manipuri), Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu, along with English.

In the Staff Selection Commission

The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) conducts national-level examinations primarily in Hindi and English. Regional languages are used for state-level papers, and question papers may be made available in the official language of the respective state.

In the Central Armed Police Forces

Recruitment for the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) — including bodies such as the BSF and CRPF — follows national-level procedures in Hindi and English. Candidates may submit applications and answer certain written tests in their state’s official language where this is applicable.

Language Conflicts

Language has been a source of political tension throughout India’s history. Questions about which languages receive official recognition, government funding, and teaching time in schools have sparked protests, campaigns, and at times, civil unrest.

Linguistic Movements

• Bengali: The partition of Bengal in 1905 and again in 1947 forged a powerful Bengali linguistic identity. The echoes of the 1952 Bengali Language Movement in what is now Bangladesh shaped how both India and its neighbours think about language rights.
• Bhojpuri: Despite having over 50 million speakers, Bhojpuri is not included in the Eighth Schedule. Campaigners have pushed for its inclusion for decades, pointing to its vast musical and cinematic tradition.
• Meitei (Manipuri): Added to the Eighth Schedule in 1992, Meitei continues to be at the centre of debates over its use in education and official settings. Activists are pushing for the broader use of the traditional Meitei Mayek script over the Bengali script that was historically used to write it.
• Rajasthani: Despite millions of speakers across Rajasthan, Rajasthani remains excluded from the Eighth Schedule. Linguistic activists argue that this exclusion marginalises a rich and distinctive cultural tradition.
• Tamil: Tamil linguistic movements have historically been among the most assertive in India. The anti-Hindi agitations of the 1930s and 1960s in Tamil Nadu directly shaped India’s language policy and established the precedent that regional languages would be protected from national-level language imposition.

Developmental Works

Meitei (Manipuri)

Efforts to develop and preserve Meitei include the promotion of the Meitei Mayek script in schools and across digital platforms. The Manipur state government has pushed for greater use of Meitei in official communications, and the language is increasingly visible in online content.

Sanskrit

Sanskrit, although spoken by fewer than 25,000 people as a first language, receives substantial government funding for preservation and revival. It is taught in schools across India and is central to many religious and cultural practices. Several universities offer full degree programmes in Sanskrit studies, and its influence on Hindi and many other Indian languages remains profound.

Tamil

Tamil is arguably the best-supported classical language in India in terms of institutional investment. The Tamil Virtual Academy and various government initiatives have digitised thousands of Tamil manuscripts and developed Tamil computing tools. Tamil is also spoken in Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Malaysia — giving it a reach that extends well beyond India’s borders and making it one of the most globally significant Indian languages.

Telugu and Kannada

Both Telugu and Kannada have benefited from classical language status, leading to increased funding for literary archives, research institutions, and digital resources. Telugu’s thriving film industry — often called Tollywood — helps sustain the language’s cultural presence on a national and global scale.

Writing Systems

India has one of the most diverse collections of writing systems in the world. Most Indian scripts descend from the ancient Brahmi script, which dates back to at least the 3rd century BCE. Major scripts in use today include:

• Devanagari — Hindi, Sanskrit, Marathi, Maithili
• Bengali script — Bengali, Assamese
• Tamil script — Tamil exclusively
• Telugu script — Telugu
• Kannada script — Kannada
• Malayalam script — Malayalam
• Gurmukhi — Punjabi
• Odia script — Odia
• Gujarati script — Gujarati
• Nastaliq (Perso-Arabic) — Urdu
• Ol Chiki — Santali
• Meitei Mayek — Meitei (Manipuri)

For businesses creating content across multiple Indian languages, this diversity in writing systems means that digital rendering, font support, and layout requirements can differ significantly from one language to the next. Working with a professional language partner makes all the difference. You can explore the full range of types of translation available for your project, and discover how AI translation technology can support and accelerate your localisation efforts.

If you would like to know more about the full range of Indian and Asian languages available for professional translation, what languages Elite Asia translates covers all major Indian, Southeast Asian, and European languages in one place.

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