Official Use of Tamil by Country 2025

Tamil-Speaking Population

0

10M

20M

30M

40M

50M

60M

70M

80M

5 Countries with the Most Tamil Speakers

Country
Tamil Status
Tamil-Speaking Population
Additional Tamil Details
United States Flag
United StatesRecognized as a minority language
Indonesia Flag
IndonesiaRecognized as a minority language
Philippines Flag
PhilippinesRecognized as a minority language
Germany Flag
GermanyRecognized as a minority language
South Africa Flag
South AfricaRecognized as a minority language600KThe Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 - Chapter 1: Founding Provisions states that "A Pan South African Language Board established by national legislation must promote and ensure respect for all languages commonly used by communities in South Africa, including... Tamil" along with several other minority languages.
Canada Flag
CanadaRecognized as a minority language
Malaysia Flag
MalaysiaRecognized as a minority language4.8MThe Malaysian government recognizes Tamil as a minority language along with Chinese. The "national-type" school's medium of instruction is either in Tamil or Chinese.
Netherlands Flag
NetherlandsRecognized as a minority language
Mauritius Flag
MauritiusRecognized as a minority language72.1KTamils were the first immigrants to be brought to Mauritius by the French. Later, the British would also bring Tamils to fight with French. In recognition of their impact on the country's history, Tamil is one of the languages featured on the currency of Mauritius.
Fiji Flag
FijiRecognized as a minority language
India Flag
IndiaOfficial language of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry73.4MTamil is one of the 22 official languages of India. The Tamil-speaking population is highly concentrated in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, to which it is native. Tamil was recognized as a classical language by the Government of India in 2004 and was the first language to achieve such status.
Sri Lanka Flag
Sri LankaOfficial language4.2MCo-official language along with Sinhala.
Singapore Flag
SingaporeOfficial language688.6KCo-official language along with English, Malay and Mandarin.
  • Tamil is also spoken on a smaller scale by immigrants and their descendants in many additional countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.