Mauritania

None

Algeria

Bahrain

Egypt

Iraq

Jordan

Kuwait

Lebanon

Libya

Morocco

Oman

Palestine

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Tunisia

United Arab Emirates

Western Sahara

Yemen

Southwest Asia and North Africa

Chad

Comoros

Djibouti

Eritrea

Somalia

Sudan

Sub-Saharan Africa

A world map shows countries where Arabic is an official or de facto language. The countries are highlighted in dark green and include Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Chad, Egypt, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Somalia.

Countries where Arabic is an official (or serves as a de facto) language

Countries

World

Arabic as Official or de facto Language

American Samoa (U.S.)

Guam (U.S.)

Marshall Is.

Palau

Papua New Guinea

Samoa

Solomon Is.

Australia & Oceania

Antigua and Barbuda

Aruba (Neth.)

Barbados

Cayman Is. (U.K.)

Cuba

Dominican Republic

Grenada

Haiti

Jamaica

Martinique (France)

Seychelles

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Trinidad and Tobago

Caribbean

Afghanistan

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Uzbekistan

Central Asia

China

Macau S.A.R. (China)

Mongolia

Nepal

North Korea

South Korea

East Asia

Armenia

Azerbaijan

Georgia

Russia

Eurasia

Albania

Belarus

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria

Croatia

Cyprus

Estonia

Greece

Hungary

Italy

Latvia

Lithuania

Malta

Moldova

Montenegro

Northern Macedonia

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Serbia

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Ukraine

Europe

Argentina

Belize

Bolivia

Brazil

Chile

Colombia

Costa Rica

Ecuador

El Salvador

Guatemala

Guyana

Honduras

Nicaragua

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Suriname

Uruguay

Venezuela

Latin America

Guadeloupe (France)

Mauritius

New Caledonia (France)

Puerto Rico (U.S.)

Réunion (France)

São Tomé and Príncipe

Tonga

Vanuatu

Mexico

North America

Bangladesh

Bhutan

India

Maldives

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

South Asia

Brunei

Cambodia

Indonesia

Laos

Malaysia

Myanmar

Philippines

Singapore

Thailand

Timor-Leste

Vietnam

Southeast Asia

Iran

Israel

Turkey

Angola

Benin

Botswana

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cabo Verde

Cameroon

Central African Republic

Côte d'Ivoire

Democratic Republic of Congo

Equatorial Guinea

eSwatini

Ethiopia

Gabon

Gambia

Ghana

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Kenya

Lesotho

Liberia

Madagascar

Malawi

Mali

Mozambique

Namibia

Niger

Nigeria

Republic of the Congo

Rwanda

Senegal

Sierra Leone

South Africa

South Sudan

Tanzania

Togo

Uganda

Zambia

Zimbabwe

A world map shows literacy rates. Dark purple (more than 98 percent): Russia, Argentina, Poland, Ukraine, and Mongolia. Purple to light purple (70 to 98 percent): China, Brazil, India. Very light purple (less than 70 percent): Countries in central Africa.

The percentage of the population, age 15 years or older, who has the ability to read, write, and use arithmetic. Some countries, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia do not report these rates to UNESCO.

Arabic as Official or de facto Language	Literacy Rate
Value	Class	Rank	Percent