# List of countries and territories where English is an official language

The following is a list of countries and territories where English is an official language used in citizen interactions with government officials. As of 2024, there are 57 sovereign states and 28 non-sovereign entities where English is an official language. Many administrative divisions have declared English an official language at the local or regional level.
Most states where English is an official language are former territories of the British Empire. Exceptions include Rwanda and Burundi, which were formerly German and then Belgian colonies; Cameroon, where only part of the country was under the British mandate; and Liberia, the Philippines, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau, which were American territories. English is the sole official language of the Commonwealth of Nations and of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). English is one of the official languages of the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Caribbean Community, the Union of South American Nations, and many other international organisations. Although English is not de jure an official language at the national level in the United States, most states and territories within the United States have English as an official language, and only Puerto Rico uses a language other than English as a primary working language.
The United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, where the overwhelming majority of native English speakers reside, do not have English as an official language de jure, but English is considered their de facto official language because it dominates in these countries.

## Sovereign states
### English is a de jure official language

| Country | code | Geographic region | Population | Primary language? |
| The Bahamas | BHS | Caribbean | 331,000 | Yes (English-based creole language) |
| Barbados | BRB | Caribbean | 294,000 | Yes (English-based creole language) |
| Belize | BLZ | Central America | 288,000 | Yes (English-based creole language) |
| Botswana | BWA | Africa | 2,549,207 | Yes |
| Burundi | BDI | Africa | 10,114,505 | No |
| Cameroon | CMR | Africa | 22,534,532 | No (co-official with French, but only spoken primarily in the Northwest and Southwest of the country) |
| Canada | CAN | North America | 38,048,738 | Yes (Co-official with French, and a predominant language nationwide except for Quebec (where French is the predominant language) and Nunavut (where Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun are the predominant languages)) |
| Dominica | DMA | Caribbean | 73,000 | No (French-based creole language) |
| Eswatini | SWZ | Africa | 1,141,000 | No |
| Fiji | FJI | Oceania | 828,000 | Yes (used as lingua franca, mostly and widely spoken, educational, commerce, and government) |
| The Gambia | GMB | Africa | 1,709,000 | Yes |
| Ghana | GHA | Africa | 27,000,000 | Yes (used as lingua franca) |
| Grenada | GRD | Caribbean | 111,000 | Yes (English-based creole language) |
| Guyana | GUY | South America | 738,000 | Yes (English-based creole language) |
| India | IND | Asia | 1,428,627,663 | No (but official and educational) |
| Ireland | IRL | Europe | 4,900,000 | Yes (Irish is co-official) |
| Jamaica | JAM | Caribbean | 2,714,000 | Yes (English-based creole language) |
| Kenya | KEN | Africa | 45,010,056 | Yes (used in business and education) |
| Kiribati | KIR | Oceania | 95,000 | No |
| Lesotho | LSO | Africa | 2,008,000 | No |
| Liberia | LBR | Africa | 3,750,000 | Yes |
| Malawi | MWI | Africa | 16,407,000 | Yes (used as lingua franca) |
| Malta | MLT | Europe | 537,000 | No (but official and in business and education) |
| Marshall Islands | MHL | Oceania | 59,000 | No |
| Micronesia | FSM | Oceania | 110,000 | Yes |
| Namibia | NAM | Africa | 2,074,000 | No (used as lingua franca) |
| Nauru | NRU | Oceania | 10,000 | No (but widely spoken) |
| Nigeria | NGA | Africa | 182,202,000 | Yes (used as official language) |
| Pakistan | PAK | Asia | 212,742,631 | No (but official and educational) |
| Palau | PLW | Oceania | 20,000 | No |
| Papua New Guinea | PNG | Oceania | 7,059,653 | Yes (official and educational) |
| Philippines | PHL | Asia | 110,864,327 | No (but official, educational, used in government, and used as lingua franca) |
| Rwanda | RWA | Africa | 13,240,439 | No |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | KNA | Caribbean | 50,000 | Yes (English-based creole language) |
| Saint Lucia | LCA | Caribbean | 165,000 | No (French-based creole language) |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | VCT | Caribbean | 120,000 | Yes (English-based creole language) |
| Samoa | WSM | Oceania | 188,000 | No |
| Seychelles | SYC | Africa / Indian Ocean | 87,000 | No |
| Sierra Leone | SLE | Africa | 6,190,280 | Yes (English-based creole language) |
| Singapore | SGP | Asia | 5,469,700 | Yes (official language, lingua franca, mostly and widely spoken, and educational) |
| Solomon Islands | SLB | Oceania | 507,000 | Yes |
| South Africa | ZAF | Africa | 54,956,900 | Yes (official, educational and lingua franca in formal economy) |
| South Sudan | SSD | Africa | 12,340,000 | Yes |
| Sudan | SDN | Africa | 40,235,000 | No |
| Tanzania | TZA | Africa | 51,820,000 | Yes (used in business and education) |
| Tonga | TON | Oceania | 100,000 | No |
| Trinidad and Tobago | TTO | Caribbean | 1,333,000 | Yes (English-based creole language) |
| Tuvalu | TUV | Oceania | 11,000 | No |
| Uganda | UGA | Africa | 47,053,690 | Yes |
| Vanuatu | VUT | Oceania | 226,000 | No |
| Zambia | ZMB | Africa | 16,212,000 | Yes (used as lingua franca) |
| Zimbabwe | ZWE | Africa | 15,178,957 | Yes |

### English is a predominant language without de jure designation as official

In these countries, English is conventionally spoken by both the government and main population, despite it having no de jure official status at national level.
| ISO code | Country | Geographic region | Population | Primary language? |
| ATG | Antigua and Barbuda | Caribbean | 85,000 | Yes (English-based creole language) |
| AUS | Australia | Oceania | 26,461,166 | Yes |
| NZL | New Zealand | Oceania | 5,109,702 | Yes |
| GBR | United Kingdom | Europe | 68,138,484 | Yes |
| USA | United States | North America | 339,665,118 | Yes |

### English is a de facto working language

In these countries, English is spoken in government or education, but it is not recognised as de jure official, nor a primary language spoken by the main population
| Country | ISO code | Geographic region | Population |
| Bahrain | BHR | Asia / Middle East | 1,500,000 |
| Bangladesh | BAN | Asia | 172,954,319 |
| Bhutan | BTN | Asia | 727,145 |
| Brunei | BRN | Asia | 440,715 |
| Israel | ISR | Asia / Middle East | 8,051,200 |
| Jordan | JOR | Asia / Middle East | 11,500,000 |
| Kuwait | KWT | Asia / Middle East | 4,310,000 |
| Malaysia | MYS | Asia | 32,730,000 |
| Mauritius | MUS | Africa / Indian Ocean | 1,262,000 |
| Nepal | NPL | Asia | 31,000,000 |
| Oman | OMN | Asia / Middle East | 4,700,000 |
| Qatar | QAT | Asia / Middle East | 2,675,522 |
| Sri Lanka | LKA | Asia | 20,277,597 |
| Timor-Leste | TLS | Asia | 1,340,513 |
| United Arab Emirates | ARE | Asia / Middle East | 9,809,000 |

## Non-sovereign entities
### English is a de jure official language

| Entity | Sovereign state | Region | Population | Primary language? |
| Akrotiri and Dhekelia in Cyprus | United Kingdom | Europe | 15,700 | No |
| American Samoa | United States | Oceania | 67,700 | No (official language) |
| Anguilla | United Kingdom | Caribbean | 18,090 | No (English-based creole language) |
| Bermuda | United Kingdom | North America | 65,000 | Yes |
| British Virgin Islands | United Kingdom | Caribbean | 23,000 | No (English-based creole language) |
| Cayman Islands | United Kingdom | Caribbean | 47,000 | Yes (English-based creole language) |
| Cook Islands | New Zealand | Oceania | 20,000 | No |
| Curaçao | Netherlands | Caribbean | 150,563 | No |
| Falkland Islands and South Georgia | United Kingdom | South America | 3,000 | Yes |
| Gibraltar | United Kingdom | Europe | 33,000 | No (Both English and Llanito are spoken on a daily basis as the primary languages) |
| Guam | United States | Oceania | 173,000 | Yes (co-official with Chamorro) |
| Hong Kong | China | Asia | 7,097,600 | No (but de jure and de facto co-official with Chinese) |
| Isle of Man | United Kingdom | Europe | 80,058 | Yes |
| Jersey | United Kingdom | Europe | 89,300 | Yes |
| Niue | New Zealand | Oceania | 1,600 | No |
| Norfolk Island | Australia | Oceania | 1,828 | No (English-based creole language) |
| Northern Mariana Islands | United States | Oceania | 53,883 | Yes (co-official with Chamorro) |
| Pitcairn Islands | United Kingdom | Oceania | 50 | Yes |
| Puerto Rico | United States | Caribbean | 3,991,000 | No (co-official with Spanish as the primary language) |
| Rotuma | Fiji | Oceania | 1,594 | No |
| Sint Maarten | Netherlands | Caribbean | 40,900 | No (English-based creole language) |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | United Kingdom | Caribbean | 26,000 | No (English-based creole language) |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | United States | Caribbean | 111,000 | No (English-based creole language) |

### English is a de facto official language

| Entity | Sovereign state | Region | Population |
| Barbuda | Antigua and Barbuda | Caribbean | 1,300 |
| British Indian Ocean Territory | United Kingdom | Indian Ocean | 3,000 |
| Guernsey | United Kingdom | Europe | 61,811 |
| Montserrat | United Kingdom | Caribbean | 5,900 |
| Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | United Kingdom | South Atlantic | 5,660 |

### English is a de facto official, but not a primary language

| Entity | Sovereign state | Region | Population |
| Christmas Island | Australia | Southeast Asia | 1,508 |
| Cocos (Keeling) Islands | Australia | Southeast Asia | 596 |
| Tokelau | New Zealand | Oceania | 1,400 |

## Country subdivisions

In these country subdivisions, English has de jure official status, but English is not official in their respective countries at the national level.
Country subdivisions where English is a de jure official language :
| Subdivision | Country | Region | Population |
| San Andrés y Providencia | Colombia | South America | 75,167 |
| Sarawak | Malaysia | Asia | 2,471,140 |
| Saba | Netherlands | Caribbean | 1,991 |
| Sint Eustatius | Netherlands | Caribbean | 3,897 |
| Scotland | United Kingdom | Europe | 5,424,800 |
| Wales | United Kingdom | Europe | 3,125,000 |
| Alabama | United States | North America | 4,833,722 |
| Alaska | United States | North America | 735,132 |
| Arizona | United States | North America | 6,626,624 |
| Arkansas | United States | North America | 2,959,373 |
| California | United States | North America | 38,332,521 |
| Colorado | United States | North America | 5,268,367 |
| Florida | United States | North America | 21,299,325 |
| Georgia | United States | North America | 10,519,475 |
| Hawaii | United States | Oceania | 1,404,054 |
| Idaho | United States | North America | 1,612,136 |
| Illinois | United States | North America | 12,882,135 |
| Indiana | United States | North America | 6,570,902 |
| Iowa | United States | North America | 3,090,416 |
| Kansas | United States | North America | 2,893,957 |
| Kentucky | United States | North America | 4,395,295 |
| Louisiana | United States | North America | 4,657,757 |
| Massachusetts | United States | North America | 6,794,422 |
| Mississippi | United States | North America | 2,991,207 |
| Missouri | United States | North America | 6,083,672 |
| Montana | United States | North America | 1,015,165 |
| Nebraska | United States | North America | 1,868,516 |
| New Hampshire | United States | North America | 1,323,459 |
| North Carolina | United States | North America | 9,848,060 |
| North Dakota | United States | North America | 723,393 |
| Oklahoma | United States | North America | 3,850,568 |
| South Carolina | United States | North America | 4,774,839 |
| South Dakota | United States | North America | 844,877 |
| Tennessee | United States | North America | 6,495,978 |
| Utah | United States | North America | 2,900,872 |
| Virginia | United States | North America | 8,260,405 |
| West Virginia | United States | North America | 1,844,128 |
| Wyoming | United States | North America | 582,658 |