Official Use of Tamil by Country 2025
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5 Countries with the Most Tamil Speakers
Country | Tamil Status↓ | Tamil-Speaking Population | Additional Tamil Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | United States | Recognized as a minority language | ||
 | Indonesia | Recognized as a minority language | ||
 | Philippines | Recognized as a minority language | ||
 | Germany | Recognized as a minority language | ||
 | South Africa | Recognized as a minority language | 600K | The 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 | Recognized as a minority language | ||
 | Malaysia | Recognized as a minority language | 4.8M | The 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 | Recognized as a minority language | ||
 | Mauritius | Recognized as a minority language | 72.1K | Tamils 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 | Recognized as a minority language | ||
 | India | Official language of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry | 73.4M | Tamil 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 | Official language | 4.2M | Co-official language along with Sinhala. |
 | Singapore | Official language | 688.6K | Co-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.
Tamil, ranking as the sixth most spoken language in India, boasts an impressive 66,742,402 speakers and holds the unique distinction of being the only language personified as a god by its speakers. This ancient language, known as the world’s oldest living language, has been an integral part of Indian culture for over 2,000 years. Its influence extends beyond India, serving as an official language in some countries and recognized as a minority language in others.
The 20th century saw the introduction of Tamil to Sri Lanka, where it has since become one of the dominant languages. Despite being a minority, the Tamil-speaking community in Sri Lanka is divided into two distinct groups: Sri Lankan Tamils and Indian Tamils. In Malaysia, Tamil speakers constitute about 6.5% of the population, predominantly following Hinduism.
Mauritius, a member of both the Commonwealth of Nations and La Francophonie, primarily uses English and French as official languages. However, Tamil is spoken by around 3.5% of the Mauritian population. In Singapore, Tamil is one of the four official languages, with Tamils making up about 5% of the population and representing the largest segment of South Indians in the country.
In India, Tamil Nadu stands as the sixth most populous state, located in the southernmost part of the country. Tamil, being the longest-spoken language in India, is the official language of Tamil Nadu. The union territory of Puducherry also recognizes Tamil as its official language. The name ‘Puducherry’ originates from the Tamil words ‘putu’ (new) and ‘ceri’ (village). Initially changed to Pondicherry by the French, it was officially reverted to Puducherry in 2006.
In Fiji, Tamil is the primary language spoken by the South Indian community and is predominantly taught in Sangam schools. Additionally, Tamil is acknowledged as a minority language in South Africa, spoken by the Tamil-origin population alongside other major languages like English, Afrikaans, and Zulu.
