Spoken languages in Pakistan

The national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. About 9% speak it as a mother tongue, but it is understood across the country.

Origin. Developed in the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal era from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi, with a large Persian, Arabic and Turkic vocabulary.

Spoken in: Nationwide. 9.25% of the population in the 2023 census.

Official language used in government, the courts, the military and higher education. Few speak it as a mother tongue.

Origin. Became prominent under British rule and was kept as an official language after independence in 1947.

Spoken in: Nationwide.

The most widely spoken mother tongue in Pakistan, mainly in Punjab. Known for the Sufi poetry of Bulleh Shah and Waris Shah.

Origin. Evolved from Shauraseni Prakrit in the Punjab region, with writing dating back about a thousand years.

Spoken in: Punjab. 36.98% of the population in the 2023 census.

The main language of southern Punjab, close to Punjabi but with its own sounds and a strong tradition of folk music and poetry.

Origin. Part of the Lahnda group of languages. It was first counted separately from Punjabi in the 1981 census.

Spoken in: Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan. 12% of the population in the 2023 census.

The language of Sindh, with its own extended Perso-Arabic alphabet and a literary heritage including the poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai.

Origin. Named after the Indus river (Sindhu). It developed through Old and Middle Indo-Aryan into its modern form around the 10th century.

Spoken in: Sindh. 14.31% of the population in the 2023 census.

Spoken in Tharparkar and other parts of southern Sindh, and in Cholistan in Punjab.

Origin. From the Marwar region of Rajasthan, spread to Sindh through migration and trade.

Spoken in: Sindh, Punjab. Not counted separately in the census.

The language of the Pashtun people, mainly spoken in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Balochistan, with a rich tradition of poetry.

Origin. An Eastern Iranian language. The earliest known Pashto writings date from the 16th century.

Spoken in: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan. 18.15% of the population in the 2023 census.

Spoken in the Hazara region and Peshawar, and around Attock in Punjab.

Origin. Part of the Lahnda group, closely related to Punjabi and Saraiki. The name is usually explained as "the Indian language", in contrast to Pashto.

Spoken in: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab. 2.32% of the population in the 2023 census.

The main language of Chitral, also spoken in Ghizer. It was the court language of the former princely state of Chitral.

Origin. A Dardic language and long the lingua franca of Chitral.

Spoken in: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan. Not counted separately in the census.

Spoken by the Kalash people of the Chitral valleys, about 5,000 speakers, who keep a distinct pre-Islamic culture.

Origin. A Dardic language closely related to Khowar.

Spoken in: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Not counted separately in the census.

Spoken in upper Swat, with ongoing efforts to document and preserve it.

Origin. A Dardic language of the Kohistani group.

Spoken in: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Not counted separately in the census.

The language of the Baloch people, mainly spoken in Balochistan, with Makrani, Rakhshani and Sulaimani dialects.

Origin. A Northwestern Iranian language, related to Kurdish and Persian. Baloch tradition places their origins further west, near the Caspian region.

Spoken in: Balochistan, Sindh. 3.38% of the population in the 2023 census.

Spoken in central Balochistan. It is the only Dravidian language in Pakistan; its relatives are spoken mainly in southern India.

Origin. One of the northernmost Dravidian languages. Whether it reflects an ancient migration or an older population is still debated.

Spoken in: Balochistan. 1.16% of the population in the 2023 census.

The main language of Gilgit and the Indus valleys, also spoken in Kohistan, with dialects varying by valley.

Origin. A Dardic language of the Indo-Aryan family.

Spoken in: Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Not counted separately in the census.

Spoken in Baltistan (Skardu and nearby valleys). It is the only Tibetic language widely spoken in Pakistan.

Origin. A conservative form of Tibetan, now mostly written in Perso-Arabic script. Buddhism was followed in Baltistan until Islam spread from the 14th century.

Spoken in: Gilgit-Baltistan. Not counted separately in the census.

Spoken in Hunza, Nagar and Yasin. A language isolate with no proven relatives anywhere in the world.

Origin. Attempts to link Burushaski to other language families remain unproven.

Spoken in: Gilgit-Baltistan. Not counted separately in the census.

Spoken in upper Hunza and Broghil, and across the Wakhan corridor in Afghanistan, Tajikistan and China.

Origin. An Eastern Iranian (Pamir) language of the high valleys along old Silk Road routes.

Spoken in: Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Not counted separately in the census.

Classified as “definitely endangered” in UNESCO’s atlas of the world’s languages in danger.

Spoken in parts of Azad Kashmir, especially the Neelum valley, with a literary tradition going back to the 14th century.

Origin. A Dardic language that developed in the Kashmir valley, influenced by Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic.

Spoken in: Azad Kashmir. Not counted separately in the census.

The main language of most of Azad Kashmir and of the Pothohar plateau around Rawalpindi.

Origin. Part of the northern Lahnda group, close to Punjabi and Hindko.

Spoken in: Azad Kashmir, Punjab. Not counted separately in the census.