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Linguistic Diversity Index by Country 2024
Linguistic diversity refers to the number of languages spoken within a country. The Linguistic Diversity Index (LDI) is a tool that measures the likelihood that any two people within the country will have a different native language. The LDI is generally higher in countries where many languages are spoken.
Country | Linguistic Diversity Index (LDI) |
|---|---|
| Papua New Guinea | 99% |
| Cameroon | 97% |
| Solomon Islands | 97% |
| Vanuatu | 97% |
| Central African Republic | 96% |
| DR Congo | 95% |
| Kenya | 93% |
| Uganda | 93% |
| Mozambique | 93% |
| Chad | 93% |
Papua New Guinea has the greatest language diversity. At least 840 languages are spoken within this island country in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Throughout the country's history, its geographical features, like forests and mountains, kept groups isolated, resulting in excellent language diversity. Papua New Guinea also has the highest LDI of any country globally. Its LDI is 99 percent.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, Cameroon has an LDI of 97 percent, the world's second highest. Cameroon has more than 250 national languages. The diversity of language comes about because of the country's history of more than 240 tribes. The Solomon Islands also have an LDI of 97 percent. The Solomon Islands are in the western South Pacific Ocean. The nation is very culturally diverse, and more than 60 distinct languages, many with multiple dialects, are spoken there.
Vanuatu is another western South Pacific country. Its chain of islands extends for about 400 miles in a Y-shape. The indigenous population is Melanesian, and about 100 languages, most of them Melanesian, are spoken there. Its LDI is also 97 percent.
The country with the fifth-highest LDI is the Central African Republic. About 72 languages are spoken there.
- Greenberg's Diversity Index (LDI) is an analytical tool that measures the likelihood that any two people within a given population will have different mother tongues.
- LDI is not a direct correlation to probability. Therefore, a score of 0.99 does not necessarily indicate a 99% chance of language diversity, and an LDI of 0.00 does represent a 0% chance of linguistic diversity.