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Arabic-speaking countries

List of the 25 countries where Arabic is an official language

Official languages

Arabic-speaking countries

Country Capital Capital Continent Population Continent Official languages
Algeria Algeria Algiers Algiers Africa 46,814,308Africa Arabe, Berbère
Bahrain Bahrain Manama Manama Asia 1,588,670Asia Arabe
Chad Chad N'Djamena N'Djamena Africa 20,299,123Africa Français, Arabe
Comoros Comoros Moroni Moroni Africa 866,628Africa Comorien, Français, Arabe
Djibouti Djibouti Djibouti Djibouti Africa 1,168,722Africa Français, Arabe
Egypt Egypt Cairo Cairo Africa 116,538,258Africa Arabe
Eritrea Eritrea Asmara Asmara Africa 3,535,603Africa Arabe, Anglais, Tigrigna
Iraq Iraq Baghdad Baghdad Asia 46,042,015Asia Arabe, Kurde
Israel Israel Jerusalem Jerusalem Asia 9,974,400Asia Hébreu, Arabe
Jordan Jordan Amman Amman Asia 11,552,876Asia Arabe
Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait City Kuwait City Asia 4,973,861Asia Arabe
Lebanon Lebanon Beirut Beirut Asia 5,805,962Asia Arabe
Libya Libya Tripoli Tripoli Africa 7,381,023Africa Arabe
Mauritania Mauritania Nouakchott Nouakchott Africa 5,169,395Africa Arabe
Morocco Morocco Rabat Rabat Africa 38,081,173Africa Berbère, Arabe
Oman Oman Muscat Muscat Asia 5,281,538Asia Arabe
Palestine Palestine East Jerusalem East Jerusalem Asia 5,289,152Asia Arabe
Qatar Qatar Doha Doha Asia 2,857,822Asia Arabe
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia Riyadh Riyadh Asia 35,300,280Asia Arabe
Somalia Somalia Mogadishu Mogadishu Africa 19,009,151Africa Somali, Arabe
Sudan Sudan Khartoum Khartoum Africa 50,448,963Africa Anglais, Arabe
Syria Syria Damascus Damascus Asia 24,672,760Asia Arabe
Tunisia Tunisia Tunis Tunis Africa 12,277,109Africa Arabe
United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi Asia 10,876,981Asia Arabe
Yemen Yemen Sana'a Sana'a Asia 40,583,164Asia Arabe

Frequently asked questions

How many Arabic-speaking countries are there in the world?

There are 25 countries where Arabic is an official language, all in the Middle East or North Africa (MENA region). Arabic is also one of the UN's 6 official languages and is spoken by over 400 million people.

Do all Arabic speakers speak the same Arabic?

No. There is a wide dialectal continuum: Moroccan Arabic (Darija), Egyptian Arabic, Levantine Arabic, Gulf Arabic, etc. Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is the common written and formal language used in media, education and diplomacy.

What is the most populous Arabic-speaking country?

Egypt is the most populous Arabic-speaking country with about 104 million inhabitants, followed by Sudan (~46 million) and Algeria (~45 million). The Arab world has a total of over 400 million people.

Is Arabic difficult to learn?

Arabic is ranked among the most challenging languages for European speakers. The alphabet, right-to-left script, trilateral roots and diglossia (gap between spoken and written forms) make it demanding. The FSI estimates about 2,200 hours to reach proficiency.