Languages of North Macedonia at a glance
- 16living languages
- 2language families
- 2.1 millionpeople (CLDR estimate)
- 3with a CLDR share
Tap the map to list every language whose area covers a spot in North Macedonia. Areas are generalisations from published atlases and overlap, and a language that is mapped here is not necessarily spoken everywhere inside its area.
Languages spoken in North Macedonia
Languages with a Unicode CLDR share come first, biggest first by estimated speakers; the rest follow A to Z. Estimated speakers are the share applied to CLDR’s own population figure for the country.
| Language | Family | Share of population | Estimated speakers | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macedonian | Indo-European | 67% | 1,430,865 | Not endangered |
| Northern Tosk Albanian | Indo-European | 25% | 533,905 | Not endangered |
| Turkish | Turkic | 3.5% | 74,747 | Not endangered |
| Aromanian | Indo-European | Shifting | ||
| Balkan Romani | Indo-European | Not endangered | ||
| Bulgarian | Indo-European | Not endangered | ||
| Central Romani | Indo-European | Not endangered | ||
| Gagauz | Turkic | Threatened | ||
| Gheg Albanian | Indo-European | Not endangered | ||
| Ladino | Indo-European | Not endangered | ||
| Megleno-Romanian | Indo-European | Shifting | ||
| Modern Greek | Indo-European | Not endangered | ||
| Pontic | Indo-European | Not endangered | ||
| Rumelian Turkish | Turkic | Shifting | ||
| Sinte-Manus Romani | Indo-European | Not endangered | ||
| Vlax Romani | Indo-European | Not endangered |
Read more: where is Macedonian spoken?
Language families in North Macedonia
- Indo-European (13 languages)
- Turkic (3 languages)
About these numbers
The list of languages in North Macedonia comes from the overlap of Glottography and Glottolog language areas and positions with the country outline, together with the languages Glottolog assigns to the country. The shares come from Unicode CLDR release 48 and are estimates. See every source and licence.
Questions about languages in North Macedonia
How many languages are spoken in North Macedonia?
16 living languages are mapped in North Macedonia, from 2 families. The number depends on how a catalogue decides where one language ends and another begins, so other sources give other totals.
What is the most spoken language in North Macedonia?
By Unicode CLDR's estimate, Macedonian is spoken by 67% of the population, about 1,430,865 people, followed by Northern Tosk Albanian (25%). Shares are approximate, can add up to more than 100% because many people speak several languages, and only cover languages CLDR has a figure for.
Which language families are found in North Macedonia?
Indo-European (13 languages) and Turkic (3 languages).