What Languages Are Spoken In Afghanistan? (Find Out!)

Afghanistan has two nationally recognized official languages: Pashto and Dari Persian. Dari Persian is the most common language, with 78% of people in Afghanistan able to speak the language. Pashto is second, with 35% of Afghans speaking the language.

A country ridden with wars and conflict, Afghanistan has had little time to focus on cultural growth.

Nevertheless, language is always necessary and the people of Afghanistan hold a rich diversity of tongues and accompanying dialects that are sure to wow an avid linguist.

While there are just two dominant languages, many cultural groups in and around Afghanistan bring their own flavor of language to the table.

In This Article

What is the political language of Afghanistan?

A country’s political language is the language used by politicians when governing, making decisions, and writing laws.

Most people are expected to know this language so that they can understand laws and regulations as well as political speeches.

Dari Persian is the political language of choice in Afghanistan, even though the majority of the people living in Afghanistan are Pashtun.

Dari Persian is also widely used in poetry, newscasts, newspapers, and other broadcast media.

Because of this, most urban Afghans speak Dari Persian as either their first or second language.

What is Pashto?

Pashto is one of the two official languages of the Afghanistan nation.

Pashto is the native language of the Pashtun people who make up over 45% of the Afghan population and are the largest ethnic group in the country.

They are also the second-largest ethnic group in Pakistan.

Pashtuns are an ethnic group who have lived around southeastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan for centuries.

They were originally referred to as Afghans by the world until the term evolved into one used to refer to all the residents of what is now Afghanistan.

Pashtuns also dominate the political sphere, even though their language is not the preferred governmental language.

Most Pashtuns speak Dari Persian as their second language.

Both Pashto and Dari Persian are Indo-European languages from the Iranian languages sub-family.

What is Dari Persian?

As the second official language of Afghanistan, Dari Persian is widely spoken by many people in and around the country.

It is also the language most used in government affairs.

Dari Persian is traditionally called Farsi. It is slightly different from Iranian Farsi, although the differences are limited to small matters of vocabulary.

Some Western sources even call it Afghan Persian.

Dari Persian is the native tongue of the Tajiks, Hazaras, and Aymāqs whose homelands are in and around Afghanistan.

These peoples make up the larger portion of the rest of the people of Afghanistan after the Pashtuns.

The term Dari Persian was first used in the 10^th century AD, although the government never officially used it until 1964 when it became one of the official languages of Afghanistan.

This move was more of a national unification tactic than a linguistic one.

The word “Dari” is believed to come from the Persian word “dar”, meaning court. Its official usage in political courts of the Middle East has been passed down for centuries and remains today.

What are the minority languages spoken in Afghanistan?

According to the CIA World Factbook, there are various minority languages in Afghanistan outside the two majority ones.

Uzbek is spoken by 10% of the population, English by 5%, Turkmen by 2%, Urdu by 2%, Pashayi by 1%, Nuristani by 1%, Arabic by 1%, and Balochi by 1%.

Other minority languages outside these include Ashkunu, Kamkata-viri, Vasi-vari, Tregami and Kalasha-ala, Pamiri, Brahui, Arabic, Qizilbash, Aimaq, Kyrgyz, and Punjabi.

Most of these languages are officially recognized, but you will hear them being spoken if you venture into the various regions of the country.

Does Afghanistan have regional languages?

Yes, Afghanistan has various regional languages that are spread across its diverse landscape.

Some regions of Afghanistan even have a third official language.

Turkish regions in the northern parts of the country have Uzbek, Turkmen, Balochi, Pashayi, Nuristani, and Pamiri as their third official languages where the majority of the people speak them.

The Turks are a proud people and even though the national government hasn’t made these languages official, the regional governments certainly have. Even so, the two major languages are still preferred in matters of business and politics in these areas.

What language is growing in Afghanistan?

The significant influence of recent Bollywood movies and songs in Afghanistan has led to an increase in Hindustani speakers.

Most of these new speakers are from Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan.

Hindustani is the predominant bridge language in Pakistan and northern India. Pakistan borders Afghanistan in the east and cultures from the two countries mix easily as people migrate from one area to another and share their visual and audio media.

What endangered languages are spoken in Afghanistan?

Recent UNESCO surveys found that 23 endangered languages are spoken in Afghanistan, with 12 being found exclusively in the country.

Of these 23 languages, 1 has gone extinct, 2 are moribund (on the verge of death), 6 are severely endangered, 11 are definitely endangered, and 3 are vulnerable.

Immediate action has to be taken for these languages to survive, although the nomadic nature of many of the ethnic speakers makes this a difficult task.

Are Afghan languages are spoken outside Afghanistan?

Yes, many Afghan languages have spread to other Near Asian and Middle Eastern countries due to the Afghan diaspora.

The continued conflicts, wars, and terrorism in the country have driven many people from their homelands as they seek safer places to live.

Neighboring countries such as Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, and even India have received many Afghan refugees.

Because Afghan languages are similar to some spoken in those countries, the Afghan languages are expected to integrate and assimilate instead of being spoken alongside as part of multiculturalism.

Afghanistan is a nation rich in culture and language.

Even though only two languages, Dari Persian and Pashto, are officially recognized, the country has over 40 different languages spoken within its borders.

Most of these languages share a common family, but they are each still unique and actively used in their respective regions.

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Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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