The following is a list of countries and territories where English is an

official language An official language is defined by the Cambridge English Dictionary as, "the language or one of the languages that is accepted by a country's government, is taught in schools, used in the courts of law, etc." Depending on the decree, establishmen ...

used in citizen interactions with government officials. , there are 58 sovereign states and 28 non-sovereign entities where English is an official language. Many

administrative divisions Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...

have declared English an official language at the local or regional level. Most states where English is an official language are former territories of the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

. Exceptions include

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

and

Burundi Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa, with a population of over 14 million peop ...

, which were formerly German and then Belgian colonies; Cameroon, where only part of the country was under the British mandate; and

Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

, the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau, which were American territories. English is the sole official language of the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...

and of the

Association of Southeast Asian Nations The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated as ASEAN, is a regional grouping of 10 Sovereign state, states in Southeast Asia "that aims to promote economic and security cooperation among its ten members." Together, its ...

(ASEAN). English is one of the official languages of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

, the

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The b ...

, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Caribbean Community, the Union of South American Nations, and many other international organisations. The

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, and Antigua and Barbuda do not have English as an official language, but it is the '' de facto'' working language for their governments.

Sovereign states

English is a ''de jure'' official language

English is a predominant language without ''de jure'' designation as official

In these countries, English is conventionally spoken by both the government and main population, despite it having no ''de jure'' official status at national level.

English is a ''de facto'' working language

While English is not recognised as ''de jure'' or ''de facto'' official in these countries, it is used as a working language in administration and many professional sectors, as well as being a primary language in the education system.

Non-sovereign entities

English is a ''de jure'' official language

English is a ''de facto'' official language

English is a ''de facto'' official, but not a primary language

Country subdivisions

In these country subdivisions, English has ''de jure'' official status, but English is not official in their respective countries at the national level.

U.S. states

As of 2025, 39 out of the 50 states of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

have designated English as their official language.

Footnotes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Countries and territories * * English as a global language English as an official language

Sovereign states

English is a ''de jure'' official language

English is a predominant language without ''de jure'' designation as official

English is a ''de facto'' working language

Non-sovereign entities

English is a ''de jure'' official language

English is a ''de facto'' official language

English is a ''de facto'' official, but not a primary language

Country subdivisions

U.S. states

See also

Footnotes

References