List of Indian languages by total speakers

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List of Indian languages by total speakers

India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
is home to several hundred languages

Languages of India

The languages of India belong to several major Language family, the two largest being the Indo-European languages---Indo-Aryan languages and the Dravidian languages, ....
. Most languages spoken in India belong either to the Indo-European

Indo-European languages

The Indo-European languages are a Language family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau , Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent ....
(ca.

Circa

Circa means "in approximately", generally referring to a year. It is widely used in genealogy and historical writing, when the dates of events are approximately known....
74%), the Dravidian

Dravidian languages

The Dravidian Language families and languages includes approximately 73 languages and are mainly spoken in South India and northeastern Sri Lanka Tamils , as well as certain areas in Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and eastern and central India, as well as in parts of Afghanistan, Iran, and overseas in other countries such as Malaysia and Si...
(ca. 24%), the Austroasiatic (Munda

Munda languages

The Munda languages are a language family spoken by about nine million people in central and eastern India and Bangladesh. They constitute a branch of the Austroasiatic languages, generally placed in opposition to the Mon-Khmer languages of Southeast Asia, which means they are distantly related to Vietnamese language and Khmer language....
) (ca. 1.2%), or the Tibeto-Burman

Tibeto-Burman languages

The Tibeto-Burman family of languages is spoken in various Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia and southeast Asian countries, including Burma , Tibet, northern Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, parts of central China , northern parts of Nepal, eastern parts of Bangladesh , Bhutan, northern parts of Pakistan , and various regions of India ....
(ca. 0.6%) families, with some languages of the Himalayas

Himalayas

The Himalaya Range or Himalayas for short , meaning "abode of snow" ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau....
still unclassified. The SIL

SIL International

SIL International is a United States, worldwide Evangelicalism non-profit organization, whose main purpose is to study, develop and document lesser-known languages, in order to expand linguistics knowledge, promote literacy and aid minority language development....
Ethnologue lists 415 living languages for India.

i (Standard Hindi besides many dialects of varying mutual intelligibility) is the most widespread language of India.

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Encyclopedia

India

Languages of India

Indo-European languages

Circa

Circa means "in approximately", generally referring to a year. It is widely used in genealogy and historical writing, when the dates of events are approximately known....
74%), the Dravidian

Dravidian languages

Munda languages

Tibeto-Burman languages

Himalayas

The Himalaya Range or Himalayas for short , meaning "abode of snow" ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau....
still unclassified. The SIL

SIL International

Overview

Hindi (Standard Hindi besides many dialects of varying mutual intelligibility) is the most widespread language of India. The Indian census takes the widest possible definition of "Hindi" as a broad variety of "Hindi languages". The native speakers of Hindi so defined accounts for about 40% of Indians.

Indian English

Indian English

Indian English comprises several dialects or varieties of English language spoken primarily in India, and by first-generation members of the Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin....
is recorded as the native language of 226,449 Indians in the 2001 census. English is the second "language of the Union" besides Hindi.

Thirteen languages account for more than 1% of Indian population each, and between themselves for over 95%; all of them are "scheduled languages of the constitution".

Scheduled languages spoken by less than 1% of Indians are Santali

Santali language

Santali is a language in the Santali subfamily of Austroasiatic languages, related to Ho language and Mundari language. It is spoken by about six million people in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan ....
(0.64%), Nepali

Nepali language

Nepali is a language in the Indo-Aryan languages of the Indo-European languages.It is the lingua-franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar ....
(0.28%), Sindhi

Sindhi language

Sindhi is the language of the Sindh region of Pakistan. It is spoken by approximately 41 million people in Pakistan, and is also spoken by a minority 12 million in India; it is the third most spoken language of Pakistan, and the official language of Sindh in Pakistan....
(0.25%), Manipuri (0.14%), Bodo

Bodo language

Bodo is a Tibeto-Burman languages spoken by the Bodo people of north-eastern India, Nepal and Bangladesh. The language is one of the official languages of the Indian state of Assam, and is one of 22 List of national languages of India given a special Constitution of India status in India....
(0.13%), Dogri

Dogri language

Dogri is an Indo-Aryan languages language spoken by about two million people in India and Pakistan, chiefly in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, but also in northern Punjab region, Himachal Pradesh, other parts of Kashmir, and elsewhere....
(0.01%, spoken in the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost States and territories of India of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayas mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the People's Republic of China to the northeast, the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and Pakistani-administered territories of Kashmir, namely Azad Kashm...
). The largest language that is not "scheduled" is Bhili

Bhili language

Bhili is a Western Indo-Aryan languages spoken in west-central India, in the region east of Ahmedabad district. Other names for the language include Bhagoria, Bhil, Bhilbari, Bhilboli, Bhilla, Lengotia, and Vil....
(0.95%), followed by Gondi

Gondi language

Gondi is spoken by the Gondi people. It is one of the most important Central Dravidian languages, spoken by about two million people chiefly in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattishgarh and in various adjoining areas of neighbouring states....
(0.27%), Tulu

Tulu language

Tulu is a Dravidian languages language of India with fewer than two million speakers, known as Tuluvas. Most Tuluvas live in the districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in the west of the state of Karnataka....
(0.17%) and Kurukh

Kurukh language

Kurukh , also called Kurux, Ku?ux or Kuru??, is a Dravidian languages spoken by the Oraon tribe, a Adivasi people of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, India, as well as in northern Bangladesh....
(0.098980986%)

List by number of native speakers

Ordered by number of speakers as first language. Indian population in 1991 exhibited 19.4% of bilingualism and 7.2% of trilingualism, so that the total percentage of "native languages" is at about 127%.

More than one million speakers

The 2001 census recorded 29 individual languages as having more than 1 million native speakers (0.1% of total population).

***Table: Ordered by number of native speakers***
Rank	Language	colspan=2	2001 census (total population 1,004.59 million)	colspan=2	1991 census (total population 838.14 million)	Encarta Encarta *Encartais a digital multimedia encyclopedia published by Microsoft. , the complete English version, Encarta Premium* consists of more than 62,000 articles, numerous photos and illustrations, music clips, videos, interactivities, timelines, maps and atlas, and homework tools, and is available on the World Wide Web by yearly subscripti... estimate (2007)
		Speakers	Percentage	Speakers	Percentage	Speakers
1	Hindi	422,048,642	41.03%	337,272,114	40.0%	336 M
2	Bengali Bengali language Bengali or Bangla is an Indo-European languages language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages....	83,369,769	8.11%	69,595,738	8.30%	-
3	Telugu	74,002,856	7.37%	66,017,615	7.87%	89.7 M
4	Marathi Marathi language Marathi is an Indo-Aryan languages spoken by the Marathi people of western India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are 90 million fluent speakers worldwide....	71,936,894	6.99%	62,481,681	7.45%	68.0 M
5	Tamil Tamil language Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has Official language in India, Sri Lanka and Singapore....	60,793,814	5.91%	53,006,368	6.32%	66.0 M
6	Urdu Urdu Urdu is a Central_Indo-Aryan_languages#Central_Zone_.28Madhya_or_Hindi.29 Indo-Aryan languages of the Indo-Iranian languages, belonging to the Indo-European languages family of languages....	51,536,111	5.01%	43,406,932	5.18%	60.3 M
7	Gujarati Gujarati language Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan languages, and part of the greater Indo-European languages language family. It is native to the Indian state of Gujarat, and is its chief language, as well as of the adjacent union territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli....	46,091,617	4.48%	40,673,814	4.85%	46.1 M
8	Kannada Kannada language Kannada is one of the major Dravidian languages of India, spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas , number roughly 35 million, making it the 27th most spoken language in the world....	37,924,011	3.69%	32,753,676	3.91%	40.3 M
9	Malayalam Malayalam language Malayalam is a Dravidian language used predominantly in the States and territories of India of Kerala, in South India India. It is one of the 22 List of national languages of India, and it is used by around 36 million people....	33,066,392	3.21%	30,377,176	3.62%	35.7 M
10	Oriya Oriya language Oriya is an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is mainly spoken in the Indian States and territories of India of Orissa....	33,017,446	3.21%	28,061,313	3.35%	32.3 M
11	Punjabi Punjabi language 'Punjabi' , , is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region and their diasporas. Speakers include adherents of the religions of Islam, Sikhism and Hinduism....	29,102,477	2.83%	23,378,744	2.79%	57.1 M
12	Assamese Assamese language Assamese is the easternmost Indo-Aryan language that is spoken mainly in the States and territories of India of Assam in North-East India. It is also the official language of Assam....	13,168,484	1.28%	13,079,696	1.56%	15.4 M
13	Nepali Nepali language Nepali is a language in the Indo-Aryan languages of the Indo-European languages.It is the lingua-franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar ....	13,168,484	1.28%	13,079,696	1.56%	15.4 M
14	Maithili Maithili language Maithili is a language spoken in the eastern part of India, mainly in the Indian States and territories of India of Bihar and in the eastern Terai region of Nepal....	12,179,122	1.18%
15	Bhili/Bhilodi Bhili language Bhili is a Western Indo-Aryan languages spoken in west-central India, in the region east of Ahmedabad district. Other names for the language include Bhagoria, Bhil, Bhilbari, Bhilboli, Bhilla, Lengotia, and Vil....	9,582,957	0.95%	5,572,308	0.665%
16	Santali Santali language Santali is a language in the Santali subfamily of Austroasiatic languages, related to Ho language and Mundari language. It is spoken by about six million people in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan ....	6,469,600	0.64%	5,216,325	0.622%
17	Kashmiri Kashmiri language Kashmiri belongs to the Dardic languages and is spoken primarily in the Kashmir Valley, in the indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It had about 5,554,496 speakers in India according to the Census of 2001....	5,527,698
18	Gondi Gondi language Gondi is spoken by the Gondi people. It is one of the most important Central Dravidian languages, spoken by about two million people chiefly in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattishgarh and in various adjoining areas of neighbouring states....	2,713,790	0.27%	2,124,852	0.253%
19	Sindhi Sindhi language Sindhi is the language of the Sindh region of Pakistan. It is spoken by approximately 41 million people in Pakistan, and is also spoken by a minority 12 million in India; it is the third most spoken language of Pakistan, and the official language of Sindh in Pakistan....	2,535,485	0.25%	2,122,848	0.248%
20	Konkani Konkani language Konkani is an Indo-Aryan languages belonging to the Indo-European languages family of languages spoken in the Konkan coast of India. It has approximately 7.6 million speakers of its two individual languages, Konkani and Goan Konkani....	2,489,015	0.24%	1,760,607	0.210%
21	Dogri Dogri language Dogri is an Indo-Aryan languages language spoken by about two million people in India and Pakistan, chiefly in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, but also in northern Punjab region, Himachal Pradesh, other parts of Kashmir, and elsewhere....		0.22%
22	Khandeshi	2,075,258	0.21%
23	Kurukh Kurukh language Kurukh , also called Kurux, Ku?ux or Kuru??, is a Dravidian languages spoken by the Oraon tribe, a Adivasi people of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, India, as well as in northern Bangladesh....	1,751,489	0.17%	1,426,618	0.170%
24	Tulu Tulu language Tulu is a Dravidian languages language of India with fewer than two million speakers, known as Tuluvas. Most Tuluvas live in the districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in the west of the state of Karnataka....	1,722,768	0.17%	1,552,259	0.185%
25	Meitei (Manipuri)	1,466,705^*	0.14%	1,270,216	0.151%
26	Bodo Bodo language Bodo is a Tibeto-Burman languages spoken by the Bodo people of north-eastern India, Nepal and Bangladesh. The language is one of the official languages of the Indian state of Assam, and is one of 22 List of national languages of India given a special Constitution of India status in India....	1,350,478	0.13%	1,221,881	0.146%
27	Khasi Khasi language Khasi is an Austro-Asiatic languages spoken primarily in Meghalaya state in India. Khasi is part of the Khasi-Khmuic group of languages, and is distantly related to the Munda languages branch of the Austroasiatic family, which is found in east-central India....	1,128,575	0.112%
28	Mundari Mundari language The Mundari are a small nilotic tribe of cattle herders and agriculturalists native to Southern Sudan. Mandari language is also the name of the language spoken by that people and they are among the Bari people Speakers like the Kuku, Kakaw,Pojulu People and Nyangwara....	1,061,352	0.105%
29	Ho Ho language Ho is a Munda languages of the Austroasiatic languages spoken primarily in India by about 1,077,000 people. It is written with the Devanagari and the Varang Kshiti scripts....	1,042,724	0.103%

* Excludes figures of Paomata, Mao-Maram and Purul sub-divisions of Senapati district of Manipur for 2001.
** The percentage of speakers of each language for 2001 has been worked out on the total population of India excluding the population of Mao-Maram, Paomata and Purul subdivisions of Senapati district of Manipur due to cancellation of census results.

100,000 to one million speakers

27	Kui Kui language For the Dravidian language see Kui language For the Trans-New Guinea languages see Kui language ...	916,222
28	Garo Garo language Garo is the language of the majority of the people of the Garo Hills in the Indian state of Meghalaya. Garo is also used in Kamrup, Dhubri, Goalpara and the Darrang districts of Assam, India as well as in neighboring Bangladesh....	889,479
29	Kokborok Kokborok language Kokborok also known as Tiprakok or Tripuri is the native language of the Tripuri people in the Indian state of Tripura and its neighbouring areas of Bangladesh....	854,023
30	Mizo Mizo language The Mizo language is spoken in Mizoram, known as the Lushai Hills District till 1954, and which is now a state in the Indian Union. The word Mizo is a generic term applying to all Mizos living in Mizoram and its adjoining areas of Manipur, Tripura, the Chittagong Hill tracts and Chin Hills....	674,756
31	Halabi	593,443
32	Korku	574,481
33	Munda Munda languages The Munda languages are a language family spoken by about nine million people in central and eastern India and Bangladesh. They constitute a branch of the Austroasiatic languages, generally placed in opposition to the Mon-Khmer languages of Southeast Asia, which means they are distantly related to Vietnamese language and Khmer language....	469,357
34	Mishing Mishing language Mishing is Tibetan-Burman language spoken by the Mishing. There are almost 400,000 speakers of the language. It is also known as Plains Miri or Takam....	390,583	0.047%
35	Karbi/Mikir Karbi The Karbis, mentioned as the Mikir in the Constitution Order of the Government of India, are one of the major ethnic groups in North-east India and especially in the hill areas of Assam....	366,229	0.044%
36	Saurashtra	310,000	0.037%
37	Savara Savara language The Savara language is a South-Central Dravidian languages language spoken in eastern India.References...	273,168	0.033%
38	Koya Koya language Koya is a South Central Dravidian language of the Kui language-Gondi language subgroup.It is variously written in theOriya script, Telugu script, Devanagari or Latin alphabet script....	270,994	0.032%
39	Kharia Kharia language The Kharia language is an Austro-Asiatic languages language that is primarily spoken by adivasi Kharia people of eastern India....	225,556	0.027%
40	Khond/Kondh Khonds Khonds, or Kandhs are an Adivasi of India, inhabiting the tributary states of Orissa and Srikakulam, in the Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts of Andhra Pradesh....	220,783	0.026%
41	English English language English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...	178,598	0.021%
42	Nishi Nishi (Tribe) The Nishi tribe principally inhabit the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. Known as the Nishi .They inhabit the Papum Pare, East Kameng and Lower Subansiri, Kurung Kume, parts of upper Subansiri districts of Arunachal Pradesh, as well as the Darrang District District and North Lakhimpur district of Assam....	173,791	0.021%
43	Ao Ao language Mongsen Ao is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by the Ao of Nagaland in northeast India. Conventionally classified as "Naga", the Ao languages are not clearly related to other Naga languages....	172,449	0.021%
44	Sema	166,157	0.020%
45	Kisan Kisan Tribe Kisan Tribe in Orissa are found in Sundergarh, Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur and Keonjhar. They are traditional farmers and food gathering people. They speak the kisan dialect along with Oriya, Hindi and English....	162,088	0.019%
46	Adi Adi people The Adi is a major collective tribe living in the Himalayan hills of Arunachal Pradesh , and they are found in the temperate and sub-tropical regions within the districts of East Siang, Upper Siang, and Dibang Valley....	158,409	0.019%
47	Rabha Rabha Rabha is a little known Scheduled Tribe community of West Bengal and Assam. The language/dialect spoken by the Rabha people is also of the same name....	139,365	0.017%
48	Konyak Konyak The Konyak are a Naga people tribe known for their valour and head-hunting practices. They are recognised among other Naga people by their tattoos, which they have all over their face and hands....	137,722	0.016%
49	Malto	108,148	0.013%
50	Thado	107,992	0.013%
51	Tangkhul Tangkhul Tangkhul is a Naga tribe living in the Indo-Myanmar border area occupying Ukhrul district in Manipur, India and the Somra Tangkhul hills in Myanmar....	101,841	0.012%

10,000 to 100,000 speakers

		1991 census	SIL estimate
52	Kolami Kolami language Kolami is a tribal Dravidian language used in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra states of India....	98,281 (0.012%)	115,000 (1997) Northwestern: 50,000; Southeastern: 10,000
53	Angami Angami language Angami is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken in the Naga Hills in the northeastern part of India, in Kohima district, Nagaland.There are several dialects, the most prominent being Chokri , Khonoma , and Kohima ....	97,631 (0.012%)	109,000 (1997)
54	Kodagu	97,011 (0.012%)	122,000
55	Dogri Dogri language Dogri is an Indo-Aryan languages language spoken by about two million people in India and Pakistan, chiefly in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, but also in northern Punjab region, Himachal Pradesh, other parts of Kashmir, and elsewhere....	89,681 (0.011%)	(Pakistan+India: 2.1 million)
56	Dimasa Dimasa language Dimasa language is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by the Dimasa people in the state of Assam in North East India.Kachar Barman and Kachar Hoja speak Dimasa as first language....	88,543 (0.011%)	106,000
57	Lotha Lotha language The Lotha language is spoken by approximately 80,000 people in the northeastern Indian states of India of Nagaland. It is centered in the small district of Wokha ....	85,802 (0.010%)	80,000
58	Mao	77,810 (0.009%)	81,000
59	Tibetan Tibetan language The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering South Asia, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh, Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan....	69,146 (0.008%)	124,280 (1994)
60	Kabui (Rongmei)	68,925 (0.008%)	59,000 (1997)
61	Phom	65,350 (0.008%)	34,000 (1997)

The following are SIL Ethnologue estimates:

	estimated native speakers
Gaddi	120,000
Pardhi	119,700
Pardhan Pardhan language Pardhan is a South-Central Dravidian languages spoken in India, mostly in Andhra Pradesh, Adilbad District; Madhya Pradesh, Seoni, Mandla, Chhindawara, Hoshangabad, Betul, Balaghat, Jabalpur districts; Chhattisgarh, Raipur, Bilaspur districts; Maharashtra, Bhandara, Garhchiroli, Nagpur, Wardha, and Yavatmal districts....	116,919
Churahi	110,552
Sauria Paharia Sauria Paharia language The Sauria Paharia language is spoken in the Bihar and West Bengal states of India, and some pockets of Bangladesh. It is a member of the Northern branch of the Dravidian language family, along with the Kurukh language and the Brahui language spoken in Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan....	110,000
Kullu	109,000
Dhanwar Dhanwar language Dhanwar also known as Rai is a language spoken in parts of Nepal by an Indo-Aryan ethnic group. It is an Indo-Aryan language belonging to the East Central zone and must not be confused with Tibeto-Burmese Rai languages spoken by the Rai of Southern Mongoloid phenotype....	104,195
Bhattiyali Bhattiyali language Bhattiyali is a language spoken by 76 ethnic groups in India. Most such groups are actually caste groups that correspond to those speaking other languages....	102,252
Ladakhi Ladakhi language The Ladakhi language, more generally called Western Archaic Tibetan when the Balti dialect and Burig dialects are included, is the predominant language in the Ladakh and Baltistan regions of the Jammu and Kashmir state of India....	102,000
Dungra Bhil	100,000
Adiwasi Garasia	100,000
Rajput Garasia	100,000
Noiri Noiri language Noiri is one of the Bhil languages spoken in India. There are approximately 100,000 speakers of Noiri.The language is spoken by the Noiri one of the Adivasi of India....	100,000
Jaunsari	97,000
Pnar	84,000
Andh Andh language The Andh language, also known as Andhi, is spoken by somewhere between 80,000 and 100,000 Andhs in India.The language is unclassified. Although these numbers sound substantial, it appears Andh may be losing ground with many Andhs speaking Marathi language at home....	80,000
Mara Mara language The Mara language is a language spoken by Mara people living in South Mizoram, India and the adjacent people living in Chin State in Myanmar, formerly Burma....	79,000 (India: 47,000 Myanmar:32,000)
Mawchi	76,000
Bishnupriya	75,000
Duruwa	75,000
Lodhi:	75,000
Bhadrawahi	69,000
Eastern Magar	67,691
Balti Balti language Balti is a language spoken in Baltistan, in the Northern Areas, Pakistan of Pakistan and adjoining parts of Ladakh, India. Baltistan - before 1948 - was part of Ladakh province....	67,000
Korwa	66,000
Mahali	66,000
Rana Tharu	64,000
Paniya Paniya Paniya is one of the languages of India. It is a language of the scheduled tribes with a majority of its speakers in the state of Kerala. It is also called as Pania, Paniyan and Panyah....	63,827
Rathwi Bareli	63,700
Rawang	60,536
Sansi	60,000
Kachari Kachari language Kachari is a Tibeto-Burman languages spoken by about 59,000 people in Assam, India.Less than 30% of the Kachari people speak the Kachari language as their first language. Most grow up speaking Assamese language instead....	59,000
Bazigar	58,236
Agariya Agariya language The Agariya language is spoken by the Agariya especially in Madhya Pradesh in India. It is an Austro-Asiatic language.In 1981 there were over 55,000 speakers of Agariya....	55,757
Kanjari	55,386
Mal Paharia Mal Paharia language Mal Paharia, is an Indo-Aryan languages spoken by about 60,000 of 111,000 ethnic Mal Paharia in the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal in India and possibly in Bangladesh....	51,000
Poumei Naga	51,000
Bodo Parja	50,000
Hmar Hmar language The Hmar language belongs to the Kuki-Chin-Naga languages group of Tibeto-Burman languages stock of the great Sino-Tibetan languages family of languages....	50,000
Juang Juang language The Juang language is a language spoken primarily by the Juang of eastern India....	50,000
Desiya Oriya	50,000
Kinnauri Kinnauri language Kinnauri, also known as Kanauri, Kanor, Koonawur, or Kunawar is a Tibeto-Burman languages language spoken in the Kinnaur district of the Indian States and territories of India of Himachal Pradesh by approximately 49,000 native speakers....	48,778
Moinba	46,000
Paite Chin	45,000
Tase Naga	45,000
Wancho Naga	45,000
Braj Bhasha	44,000
Buksa	43,000
Sangtam Naga	39,000
Lepcha Lepcha language Lepcha is a language spoken by the Lepcha people in Sikkim in India, and parts of Nepal and Bhutan. The Lepcha script is a syllabary script which has a lot of special marks and requires ligatures....	38,000
Kudmali	37,000
Yimchungru Naga	37,000
Gowli	35,000
Jennu Kurumba	35,000
Nocte Naga	35,000
Khirwar	34,251
Betta Kurumba	32,000
Chang Naga	31,000
Dangaura Tharu	31,000
Gadaba Gadaba language Gadaba language may refer to:...	31,000 (Pottangi Ollar: 15,000; Bodo: 8,000; Mudhili: 8,000)
Zeme Naga	30,800
Naga Pidgin	30,000
Car Nicobarese	30,000
Kurichiya	29,375
Mzieme Naga	29,000
Chenchu Chenchu language Chenchu language is a Dravidian languages language which belongs to the Telugu branch of its South-Central family. This language is spoken mostly in Andhra Pradesh state in India....	28,754
Sikkimese Sikkimese language Sikkimese Tibetan language is a sublanguage of South Tibetan language. It is a minority language spoken by the Bhutia community in Northern Sikkim. Its own name is Dranjongke ....	28,600
Limbu Limbu language Limbu is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Nepal, Sikkim, Kashmir and Darjeeling district, West Bengal, India, by the Limbu people community. Virtually all Limbus are bilingual in Nepali language....	28,000
Majhwar Majhwar language Majhwar is a language spoken in parts of Nepal and Sikkim. Total population: 27,958.External links...	27,958
Vaiphei	27,791
Ravula	27,413
Western Panjabi	27,386
Deori	26,900
Khoibu Naga	25,600
Falam Chin	25,367
Kanikkaran	25,000
Khiamniungan Naga	25,000
Maram Naga	25,000
Tutsa Naga	25,000
Sirmauri	25,000
Arakanese	24,000
Chokri Naga	24,000
Sholaga	24,000
Thangal Naga	23,600
Kamar	23,456
Apatani	23,000
Koch	23,000
Khezha Naga	23,000
Tiwa	23,000
Southern Rengma Naga	21,000
Shina Shina language Shina is a Dardic languages and is spoken by a plurality of people in Northern Areas of Pakistan. The Valleys include Astore, Chilas, Dareil, Tangeer, Gilgit, Ghizer, and a few parts of Baltistan and Kohistan....	21,000
Gowlan	20,179
Kumarbhag Paharia	20,179
Savara Savara language The Savara language is a South-Central Dravidian languages language spoken in eastern India.References...	20,179
Matu Chin	20,000
Liangmai Naga	20,000
Sakechep	20,000
Seraiki	20,000
Sherpa Sherpa language Sherpa is a language spoken in parts of Nepal and Sikkim mainly by the Sherpa community. About 130,000 speakers live in Nepal , some 20,000 in India , and some 800 in Tibet ....	20,000
Toto Toto language Toto is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken on the border of India and Bhutan, by members of the Toto tribe. The Himalayan Languages Project is working on the first grammatical sketch of Toto....	20,000
Khowar Khowar language For the ethnic group, see Kho people.Khowar,also known as Chitrali, is a Dardic languages language spoken by 250,000 people in Chitral District in Northwest Frontier Province, in Yasin Valley and Gupis in neighboring Gilgit Valley, and in parts of Upper Swat ....	19,200
Biete	19,000
Hajong Hajong language Hajong is an Indo-Aryan languages with Tibeto-Burman languages roots spoken by more than 175,000 ethnic Hajong in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and West Bengal in India and the History of Mymensingh in Bangladesh....	19,000
Reli	19,000
Manna-Dora	18,964
Hrangkhol	18,665
Bhunjia	18,601
Persian Persian language name=Persian\|nativename=\|pronunciation=[f??r'si]\|image=\|caption=Farsi in Perso-Arabic script \|states= Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Bahrain....	18,000
Mukha-Dora	17,456
Maring Naga	17,361
Pangwali	17,000
Asuri	16,596
Dhatki Dhatki language Dhatki, also known as Dhati or Thari, is a sociolect of Marwari dialect of Rajasthani language. It is spoken in western parts of Jaisalmer and Barmer districts of Rajasthan in India and eastern parts of Sindh province of Pakistan....	16,400
Malaryan	16,068
Malavedan	15,241
Gangte	15,100
Konda-Dora	15,000
Korra Koraga	15,000
Mudu Koraga	15,000
Nahali Nahali language Nahali is an Indo-Aryan languages of languages of India....	15,000
Northern Pashto	15,000
Ullatan	14,846
Eastern Tamang Tamang language Tamang is a term used to collectively refer to a dialect cluster spoken in parts of Nepal and Sikkim. It comprises Eastern Tamang, Northwestern Tamang, Southwestern Tamang, Eastern Gorkha Tamang, and Western Tamang....	14,000
Anal Anal language Anal is a Kuki-Chin-Naga language of India and Myanmar, part of the Sino-Tibetan language family. It has 13,853 speakers in India ....	13,853
Northern Rengma Naga	13,000
Pochuri Naga	13,000
Western Muria	12,898
Muthuvan	12,219
Zangskari	12,006
Mirgan	12,000
War War language War or Amwi is an Austro-Asiatic language spoken by about 16,000 people in Bangladesh and 12,000 people in India.References...	12,000
Kaikadi	11,846
Idu-Mishmi	11,041
Pattani Pattani language Pattani, also known as Manchati, Manchad, Patni, Chamba, Chamba Lahuli, Lahuli, Swangla, Changsapa Boli is a Tibeto-Burman languages language spoken in the the Indian States and territories of India of Himachal Pradesh....	11,000
Changthang	10,089
Degaru	10,089
Eastern Muria	10,089
Far Western Muria	10,089
Andaman Creole Hindi	10,000
Palya Bareli	10,000
Birhor	10,000
Lamkang	10,000
Inpui Naga	10,000
Spiti Bhoti	10,000
Vaagri Booli	10,000

Fewer than 10,000 speakers

Zome
Zome language

Zou is a language originating in Myanmar and also spoken in India and is spoken by the Zomi people in Zogam.br:ZomegReferences* ...
: 9,112
Bondo: 9,000
Khamti: 8,879
Bhalay: 8,672
Digaro-Mishmi: 8,622
Paliyan: 8,615
Holiya: 8,000
Rongpo: 7,500
Malankuravan: 7,339
Mannan: 7,289
Pao: 7,223
Simte: 7,150
Nagarchal
Nagarchal language

Nagarchal is a Dravidian language in India. According to the 1971 census, there were 7091 speakers of the language. The Nagarchal speakers live in the Balaghat, Chhindwara, Mandla and Seoni districts of Madhya Pradesh, the Durg District of Chhattisgarh, the Bhandara District in Maharashtra, and Rajasthan....
: 7,090
Chiru: 7,000
Miju-Mishmi: 6,500
Kinnauri, Harijan: 6,331
Sanskrit: 6,106
Turi: 6,054
Darlong: 6,000
Kinnauri, Bhoti: 6,000
Kurumba, Mullu: 6,000
Urali: 5,843
Sulung: 5,443
Chamari: 5,324
Bhatola: 5,045
Nicobarese, Southern: 5,045
Aiton: 5,000
Balochi, Eastern: 5,000
Kom
Kom language

The Kom language is the language spoken by the Kom people of Cameroon. Schultz 1997a and Schutz 1997b contain a comprehensive description of the language's grammar....
: 5,000
Phake: 5,000
Katkari: 4,951
Maldivian: 4,500
Chin, Bawm: 4,439
Manda: 4,036
Gahri
Gahri language

Gahri, also known as Ghara, Lahuli of Bunan, Boonan, Punan, Poonan, Erankad, Keylong Boli or Bunan is a Tibeto-Burman languages language spoken in the the Indian States and territories of India of Himachal Pradesh....
: 4,000
Hruso: 4,000
Kupia: 4,000
Sajalong: 4,000
Naga, Moyon: 3,700
Naga, Chothe: 3,600
Thulung
Thulung language

Thulung is a Kiranti languages language spoken in parts of Nepal and Sikkim. It is also known as Thulunge Rai, Thulu Luwa, Thululoa, Thulung La, Tholong Lo, Thulung Jemu, Toaku Lwa. Total population: 33,313....
: 3,313
Naga, Monsang: 3,200
Malapandaram: 3,147
Sherdukpen: 3,100
Gata': 3,055
Brokskat: 3,000
Dzongkha
Dzongkha language

Dzongkha is the national language of Bhutan. The word "dzongkha" means the language spoken in the dzong, ? dzong being the fortress-like monasteries established throughout Bhutan by Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal in the 17th century....
: 3,000
Koireng: 3,000
Kurmukar: 3,000
Naga, Puimei: 3,000
Singpho: 3,000
Zyphe
Zyphe language

Zyphe is a Tibeto-Burman languages originating in Burma and also spoken in India. It is spoken by 17,000 Burmese and 3,000 IndiansNotes...
: 3,000
Rawat: 2,926
Byangsi: 2,829
Teressa: 2,767
Aimol: 2,643
Kurumba, Alu: 2,500
Stod Bhoti: 2,500
Kudiya: 2,462
Bijori: 2,391
Kadar: 2,265
Nicobarese, Central: 2,200
Shumcho: 2,174
Darmiya: 2,027
Chaura
Chaura language

Chaura is one of the Nicobarese languages spoken on the Nicobar Islands.It had approximately 2,000 speakers in the year 2000....
: 2,018
Kota
Kota language

Kota is a language of the Dravidian languages, spoken by 1,400 native speakers and 2,000 total speakers in the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu state, India....
: 2,000
Nihali: 2,000
Tinani: 2,000
Jangshung: 1,990
Chaudangsi: 1,825
Na: 1,500
Kanashi: 1,400
Naga, Kharam: 1,400
Bellari: 1,352
Khamba: 1,333
Merwari: 1,312
Mru: 1,231
Kinnauri, Chitkuli: 1,060
Bugun: 1,046
Rangkas: 1,014
Lohar, Gade: 1,009
Phudagi: 1,009
Lhomi: 1,000
Lisu
Lisu language

Lisu is a tonal language Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Yunnan , northern Burma, and Thailand and a small part of India. It is the language of the Lisu people minority....
: 1,000
Yakha
Yakha language

Yakha or Yakkha is a language spoken in parts of Nepal and Sikkim. Total population: 17,003.External links...
: 1,000
Naga, Tarao: 870
Bateri: 800
Parenga: 767
Korlai Creole Portuguese: 750
Lohar, Lahul: 750
Tukpa: 723
Indo-Portuguese
Indo-Portuguese

The expression Indo-Portuguese may mean any of the creole languages spoken in India or Sri Lanka which had a substantial Portuguese language influence in grammar or lexicon, such as...
: 700
Toda
Toda language

Toda is a Dravidian languages well known for its many fricative consonant and trill consonant. It is spoken by the Toda people, a population of about one thousand who live in the Nilgiris of southern India....
: 600
Sunam
Sunam language

The Sunam dialect of Kinnauri language, sometimes considered a separate language, and also known as Sungam, Sungnam, Thebor, Theb?r Skadd, Thebarshad, Central Kinnauri, or Sangnaur, is spoken in the Kinnaur district of the Indian States and territories of India of Himachal Pradesh....
: 558
Naga, Purum: 503
Chinali: 500
Varhadi-Nagpuri: 463
Dhimal: 450
Allar
Allar language

Allar is a Dravidian languages spoken in India.References*...
: 350
Ralte: 303
Jad: 300
Jarawa: 300
Koda: 300
Zakhring: 300
Majhi
Majhi language

Majhi is a language spoken in parts of Nepal and Sikkim. Total population: 22,087.External links...
: 246
Aranadan: 236
Pankhu: 234
Shom Peng: 223
Vishavan: 150
Hinduri: 138
Nahari
Nahari language

Nahari is an Indo-Aryan languages spoken by about 100 people in 1961 in the States and territories of India of Chhattisgarh and Orissa in India....
: 108
Sentinel: 101
Mugom
Mugom language

Mugom is a language spoken by over 3,000 people in Nepal and about 100 in India. Mugom is a Tibeto-Burman language.It is spoken primarily in the Karneli Zone, in the Muga district and in the Jumla district in Nepal....
: 100
Önge
Önge language

The ?nge language is a language spoken by the Onge in Little Andaman Island. It is one of two languages known to belong to the Ongan languages branch of the Andamanese languages....
: 96
Gurung, Western: 82
Godwari: 61
Khamyang: 50
Great Andamanese
Andamanese languages

The Andamanese languages form a proposed language family spoken by the Andamanese indigenous peoples of the Andaman Islands, a union territory of India....
: 24

List of Indian languages by total speakers

Overview

List by number of native speakers

More than one million speakers

100,000 to one million speakers

10,000 to 100,000 speakers

Fewer than 10,000 speakers

See also

External links