In numerous entrance tests and recruitment exams for government jobs, questions regarding the National and languages of India are often asked. If you are also wondering what is the national language of India then you might be surprised to know that there is no national language in India. Instead, Indian constitution recognizes 22 regional languages. India is a diverse country with a large number of languages and dialects. Go through this post to know how many official languages are in India and many more interesting facts about National/ Official languages in India.
Languages with official status in India: Facts and Figures
As per the Indian Constitution, here are some important facts related to Languages in India.
- Many queries are often made such as what is the national language of India?. Well, the answer to this question is that there is no national language in India.
- In Article 343 (1) of the Indian Constitution, it is mentioned that “The official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagari script. The form of numerals to be used for the official purposes of the Union shall be the international form of Indian numerals”.
- The proceedings in Indian Parliament are transacted in Hindi and English Languages.
- Our constitution allows English to be used for official purposes such as parliamentary proceedings, judiciary, communications between the Central Government and a State Government.
- Different states in India have the right to choose their languages through legislation.
- Please note that it is not compulsory for any state to choose its official language only from the list of scheduled languages.
List of official languages in India as per Indian Constitution
| Name of the Language | Number of Speakers | Officially recognized in State |
| Assamese | 15.3 million | Assam |
| Bengali | 97.2 million | West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, Jharkhand |
| Bodo | 1.48 million | Assam |
| Dogri | 2.6 million | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Gujarati | 55.5 million | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu and Gujarat |
| Hindi | 528 million | Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bihar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Ladakh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal |
| Kannada | 43.7 million | Karnataka |
| Kashmiri | 6.8 million | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Konkani | 2.25 million | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Goa |
| Maithili | 13.6 million | Jharkhand |
| Malayalam | 34.8 million | Kerala, Lakshadweep, Puducherry |
| Manipuri | 1.8 million | Manipur |
| Marathi | 83 million | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Goa, Maharashtra |
| Nepali | 2.9 million | Sikkim, West Bengal |
| Odia | 37.5 million | Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal |
| Punjabi | 33.1 million | Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, West Bengal |
| Sanskrit | 0.02 million | Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand |
| Santali | 7.3 million | Jharkhand |
| Sindhi | 2.7 million | |
| Tamil | 69 million | Tamil Nadu, Puducherry |
| Telugu | 81.1 million | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Puducherry |
| Urdu | 50.7 million | Bihar, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal |
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State-wise Official Languages in India
As mentioned above, states are free to choose their official languages through legislation. Plus, it is not mandatory for states to choose languages only the list of 22 scheduled languages. For example – English is not mentioned in the list of scheduled languages. Still, it is an official language in many states in India.
| State | Official Languages | Additional official languages |
| Andhra Pradesh | Telugu | English |
| Arunachal Pradesh | English | |
| Assam | Assamese | |
| Bihar | Hindi | |
| Chhattisgarh | Hindi | |
| Goa | Konkani, English | |
| Gujarat | Gujarati | |
| Haryana | Hindi | |
| Himachal Pradesh | Hindi | |
| Jharkhand | Hindi | |
| Karnataka | Kannada | English |
| Kerala | Malayalam | English |
| Madhya Pradesh | Hindi | |
| Maharashtra | Marathi | |
| Manipur | Manipuri | English |
| Meghalaya | English | Khasi and Garo |
| Mizoram | Mizo | Khasi and Garo |
| Nagaland | English | |
| Odisha | Odia | |
| Punjab | Punjabi | |
| Rajasthan | Hindi | |
| Sikkim | English, Nepali, Sikkimese, Lepcha | Gurung, Limbu, Magar, Mukhia, Newari, Rai, Sherpa and Tamang |
| Tamil Nadu | Tamil | English |
| Telangana | Telugu | Urdu |
| Tripura | Bengali, English, Kokborok | |
| Uttar Pradesh | Hindi | Urdu |
| Uttarakhand | Hindi | Sanskrit |
| West Bengal | Bengali, English | Darjeeling and Kurseong Sub-division – Nepali
Urdu, Hindi, Odia, Santali, Punjabi, Kamtapuri, Rajbanshi, Kurmali, Kurukh and Telugu in blocks, divisions or districts with population greater than 10 percent |
Official Language of Union Territories in India
| State | Official Languages | Additional official languages |
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Hindi, English | Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Andamanese |
| Chandigarh | English | |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | Gujarati, Konkani, Marathi, Hindi | |
| Delhi | Hindi, English | |
| Lakshadweep | Malayalam | English |
| Jammu and Kashmir | Kashmiri, Dogri, Hindi, Urdu, English | |
| Ladakh | Hindi, English | |
| Puducherry | Tamil, French, English | Telugu, Malayalam. |
