Arabic is an official language in the 22 Arab League member states: twelve in Asia and ten in Africa. Algeria is the largest by area. Arabic is also co-official in Chad, which is not an Arab League member.
How many countries speak Arabic?
Arabic is an official language in 22 Arab League member states, plus Chad, where it is co-official with French. That makes 23 sovereign countries where Arabic has official status. It is also widely used in neighboring countries and spoken by Arab communities around the world.
The Arab League (League of Arab States) was founded in 1945 by seven Arab states. Membership grew as other Arab countries gained independence. Syria's membership was suspended in 2011 and restored in 2023.
Arabic is also one of the six official languages of the United Nations, and it holds a special place for Muslims everywhere as the language of the Quran. Our article on the role of Arabic in Islam explains why so many non-Arab Muslims learn it.
Which countries speak Arabic? The full list by region
The 22 Arab League countries split into two regions: Asia (the Levant, Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula) and Africa (North Africa and the Horn of Africa). The tables list each country, its capital and the languages that share official status with Arabic.
Arabic-speaking countries in Asia
| Country | Capital | Official language(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Bahrain | Manama | Arabic |
| Iraq | Baghdad | Arabic and Kurdish |
| Jordan | Amman | Arabic |
| Kuwait | Kuwait City | Arabic |
| Lebanon | Beirut | Arabic |
| Oman | Muscat | Arabic |
| Palestine | Jerusalem (proclaimed); Ramallah (administrative center) | Arabic |
| Qatar | Doha | Arabic |
| Saudi Arabia | Riyadh | Arabic |
| Syria | Damascus | Arabic |
| United Arab Emirates | Abu Dhabi | Arabic |
| Yemen | Sana'a | Arabic |
Arabic-speaking countries in Africa
| Country | Capital | Official language(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Algeria | Algiers | Arabic and Tamazight (Berber) |
| Comoros | Moroni | Comorian, Arabic and French |
| Djibouti | Djibouti | Arabic and French |
| Egypt | Cairo | Arabic |
| Libya | Tripoli | Arabic |
| Mauritania | Nouakchott | Arabic |
| Morocco | Rabat | Arabic and Tamazight (Berber) |
| Somalia | Mogadishu | Somali and Arabic |
| Sudan | Khartoum | Arabic and English |
| Tunisia | Tunis | Arabic |
In some countries the day-to-day seat of government has moved because of conflict, but the capitals above are the official ones.
Which countries in Asia speak Arabic?
Twelve Asian countries have Arabic as an official language: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Saudi Arabia is the largest of them by area, and it is home to Makkah and Madinah, the two holiest cities in Islam.
These countries fall into two broad groups. The Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Oman) share Gulf Arabic dialects, while Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine speak Levantine Arabic. Iraq and Yemen each have their own well-known dialects.
Many other Asian countries have large Muslim populations, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey and Iran, but Arabic is not their everyday language. Muslims there learn Arabic mainly to read the Quran and to pray. There are, however, long-established Arabic-speaking communities in parts of Iran and Turkey near the Arab world.
Which countries in Africa speak Arabic?
Ten African countries are Arab League members with Arabic as an official language: Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan and Tunisia. Algeria is the largest country in Africa by area.
North Africa, often called the Maghreb in its western part, is where most African Arabic speakers live. In Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, everyday speech is Maghrebi Arabic (often called Darija), and French is still widely used in business and education. In Somalia, Djibouti and Comoros, Arabic is co-official, but most people speak Somali, Afar or Comorian at home.
Outside the Arab League, Chad has Arabic as an official language alongside French, and a form of Arabic is widely spoken there. Arabic is also widely used in Eritrea, which has no single official language.
How many people speak Arabic?
Estimates vary, but Arabic is usually said to have roughly 300 to 400 million native speakers, with many more people who learn it as a second language. That places it among the most widely spoken languages in the world.
The numbers are hard to pin down because spoken Arabic comes in many dialects, and surveys count speakers in different ways. Beyond the Arab world, there are sizable Arabic-speaking communities in Europe, North America, South America and Australia, built by generations of migration.
Do all Arabic-speaking countries speak the same Arabic?
They share one written language, Modern Standard Arabic (Fusha), but everyday spoken Arabic differs from region to region. An educated Moroccan and an educated Iraqi can both read the same newspaper, yet their home dialects can sound quite different.
| Dialect group | Where it is spoken |
|---|---|
| Levantine Arabic | Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine |
| Gulf Arabic | Saudi Arabia (east), Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman |
| Iraqi Arabic | Iraq |
| Maghrebi Arabic (Darija) | Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya |
| Sudanese Arabic | Sudan |
| Hassaniya Arabic | Mauritania |
| Yemeni Arabic | Yemen |
Modern Standard Arabic is used for news, books, formal speeches and schooling across all 22 countries. It is a modern form of Classical Arabic, the language of the Quran, so it is the natural place to start if you want to read Islamic texts as well as talk to Arabs across the region.
Where did the Arabic language come from?
Arabic is a Semitic language, part of the same family as Hebrew and Aramaic. It developed in the Arabian Peninsula, where it had a rich tradition of oral poetry long before Islam.
The revelation of the Quran in Arabic in the seventh century gave the language a fixed classical standard. As Islam spread, Arabic became the language of faith, government and scholarship across the Arab world, and over the following centuries it became the everyday language of much of that region. To see how its script works, read our guide to the Arabic alphabet.
Is Arabic worth learning?
Yes, for many people. Arabic opens up the Quran and the wider Islamic tradition in their original language, and it lets you communicate across more than twenty countries. Because Modern Standard Arabic is shared across the region, what you learn in one country is useful in all the others.
Learning Arabic with native Arab teachers is one of the most direct ways to get the pronunciation and natural phrasing right from the start. At Murouj Academy, our online Modern Standard Arabic course is taught one-to-one by native Arab teachers, with a plan built around your goals, whether that is reading the Quran or speaking with confidence.
If you want to know what to expect first, our guide on how to learn the Arabic language is a good starting point, and you can book a free trial class whenever you are ready.
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest Arabic-speaking country?
By land area, Algeria is the largest Arabic-speaking country, followed by Saudi Arabia.
Is Iran an Arabic-speaking country?
No. Iran's official language is Persian (Farsi), which is written in a script adapted from Arabic. There is an Arabic-speaking minority in the southwest of the country.
Is Turkey an Arab country?
No. Turkey's official language is Turkish, and it is not a member of the Arab League. Turkish used the Arabic script until 1928 and borrowed many Arabic words, but it belongs to a different language family.
Which Arabic should I learn first?
Most learners start with Modern Standard Arabic because it is understood in every Arab country and is closest to the Arabic of the Quran. You can add a dialect, such as Levantine or Gulf Arabic, later for everyday conversation.
Is Arabic hard to learn for English speakers?
Arabic takes steady effort because of its new script and some unfamiliar sounds, but the alphabet can be learned in a few weeks. Regular practice with a teacher who corrects your pronunciation makes progress much faster.
