Most Spoken Endangered Languages in the World

Source: UNESCO

Most Spoken Endangered Languages in the World

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Key Findings

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Sicilian (Italy) leads in Estimated Speakers with 5,000,000.

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Average Estimated Speakers: 2,288,163 · median: 2,350,000.

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Gap: Sicilian (Italy) is 2,777.8× larger than Manx (Isle of Man).

About This Dataset

Most Spoken Endangered Languages in the World

Languages classified as vulnerable or endangered by UNESCO's Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger, ranked by estimated number of remaining speakers. While some major languages like Sicilian and Venetian retain millions of speakers, they face increasing pressure from dominant national languages and lack formal education support.

Analysis

Sicilian (Italy) heads the table on 5,000,000, ahead of Venetian (Italy) (3,900,000) and Bavarian (Germany) (3,700,000) in Estimated Speakers. 4,998,200 separates the highest figure (5,000,000) from the lowest (1,800) in Estimated Speakers. First and second are separated by 1,100,000, so the leader sits inside the field rather than apart from it. Only 4 of the 8 reach even half the leader's figure (2,500,000 or more).

Data Insights Below

Data Insights

Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart

Client

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Data Points

8 categories · 1 year

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Top Value

5,000,000

Sicilian (Italy)

Estimated Speakers · All Time

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Metrics

Estimated Speakers

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Period

All Time

Single year snapshot

Methodology & source

Data source: UNESCO
Coverage: 8 entities · 8 observations
Measure: Estimated Speakers
Last updated: 6 September 2026
Compiled by: The ANYSTAT team, from the source above

How the figures are calculated

Values use the measure and unit named on this page. Consult the dataset description and cited source for coverage, definitions and any unit conversions. Displayed values may be rounded for readability.
Entities are ranked highest-first on their value.

Rankings & Full Data

8 records · Estimated Speakers · ranked by All Time

✓ 8 sourced

#	Category	All Time
🥇	Sicilian (Italy)	5,000,000
🥈	Venetian (Italy)	3,900,000
🥉	Bavarian (Germany)	3,700,000
4	Lombard (Italy)	3,500,000
5	Swabi (Pakistan)	1,200,000
6	Sardinian (Italy)	1,000,000
7	Cornish (UK)	3,500
8	Manx (Isle of Man)	1,800

Data Sources & References

All external sources cited in this dataset

1 https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/atlas-worlds-languages-danger Visit ↗

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APA

ANYSTAT. (2026). Most Spoken Endangered Languages in the World [Data set]. Data: UNESCO. https://anystat.ai/stats/187/most-spoken-endangered-languages

MLA

"Most Spoken Endangered Languages in the World." ANYSTAT, 6 Sep. 2026, https://anystat.ai/stats/187/most-spoken-endangered-languages.

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<a href="https://anystat.ai/stats/187/most-spoken-endangered-languages">Most Spoken Endangered Languages in the World</a> (ANYSTAT)

Most Spoken Endangered Languages in the World