Afghanistan Languages

Afghanistan Languages

Pashtu and Dari are the official languages of Afghanistan. Pashtu (also written Pushtu) was declared the National Language of the country during the beginning of Zahir Shah's reign; however, Dari has always been used for business and government transactions. Both belong to the Indo-European group of languages.

According to estimates, approximately 35% of the Afghan population speaks Pashtu, and about 50% speaks Dari. Turkic languages (Uzbek and Turkmen) are spoken by about 11% of the population. There are also numerous other languages spoken in the country (Baluchi, Pashai, Nuristani, etc.) and bilingualism is very common.

Most Spoken Language

Pashto, Dari, Hazaragi, Uzbek, Aimaq

Dari Persian 50 %

Pashto 35 %

Uzbek and Turkmen 11 %

Other minority languages 4 %