The second most popular spoken language in each European country

It’s a continent that has given birth to languages spoken in every corner of the globe, but in Europe today the words on everyone’s lips in each country are not always those of the ‘official’ tongue.

Most nations in the landmass have an official language, for example in the UK it’s English and in France it’s French. But of course, many people in those countries also converse in a different lingo, perhaps linked to their cultural or regional heritage.

In Britain, Welsh is spoken in some areas of Wales, and Gaelic in part of Scotland, but surprisingly, the second most popular language used in this country is believed to be French.

Across the English Channel in France the second-most spoken vernacular is Arabic, a nod to France’s colonial past in North Africa from where it has a large immigrant population.

Unsurprisingly perhaps, given the huge influence of pop culture from the USA, English is widely spoken in many countries across Europe.

In no less than 24 countries out of a table of 48, English is registered as the second-most popular way in which to communicate.

In the Nordic countries, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Norway, English takes second place in every nation.

Russian and French are also popular second languages in some countries, with the former especially used in eastern countries in Europe.

Scroll down for our full list of the second-most popular languages in each country…

1. Albania (official language: Albanian) – English 40%

2. Andorra (official language: Catalan) – Spanish 48%

3. Armenia (official language: Armenian) – Russian 94%

4. Austria (official language: German) – English 73%

5. Azerbaijan (official language: Azerbaijani) – Russian, English

6. Belarus (official languages: Belarusian, Russian) – English

7. Bosnia and Herzegovina (official languages: Bosnian, Croatia, Serbian) – no documentation

8. Bulgaria (official language: Bulgarian) – Turkish 9%

9. Croatia (official language: Croatian) – English 49%

10. Cyprus (official languages: Greek, Turkish) – English 79%

11. Czech Republic (official language: Czech) – no documentation

12. Denmark (official language: Danish) – English 86%

13. Estonia (official language: Estonian) – Russian 56%

14. Finland (official languages: Finnish, Swedish) – English 70%

15. France (official language: French) – Arabic 49%

16. Germany (official language: German) – English 56%

11. Czech Republic (official language: Czech) – no documentation

12. Denmark (official language: Danish) – English 86%

13. Estonia (official language: Estonian) – Russian 56%

14. Finland (official languages: Finnish, Swedish) – English 70%

15. France (official language: French) – Arabic 49%

16. Germany (official language: German) – English 56%

17. Greece (official language: Greek) – English 51%

18. Hungary (official language: Hungarian) – English 40%

19. Iceland (official language: Icelandic) – English 98%

20. Ireland (official languages: Irish (Gaeilge), English) – French 20%

21. Italy (official language: Italian) – English 35%

22. Kazakhstan (official languages: Kazakh, Russian) – no documentation

23. Latvia (official language: Latvian) – no documentation

24. Liechtenstein (official language: German) – Italian 2%

25. Lithuania (official language: Lithuanian) – Russian 44%

26. Luxembourg (official language: Luxembourgish) – French 86%

27. Malta (official language: Maltese) – English 88%

28. Moldova (official language: Moldovan) – Romanian 75.8%

29. Monaco (official language: French) – Ligurian 17%

30. Montenegro (official language: Serbian) – Montenegrin 77%

31. Netherlands (official language: Dutch) – English 93%

32. North Macedonia (official language: Macedonian) – Albanian 24%

33. Norway (official languages: Norwegian, Sami) – English 88%

34. Poland (official language: Polish) – English 32%

35. Portugal (official language: Portuguese) – English 27%

36. Romania (official language: Romanian) – Hungarian 6%

37. Russia (official language: Russian) – English 80%

38. San Marino (official language: Italian) – Sammarinese 83%

39. Serbia (official language: Serbian) – Hungarian 4%

40. Slovakia (official language: Slovak) – Hungarian 9.4%

41. Slovenia (official language: Slovenian) – Croatian 37%

42. Spain (official language: Spanish) – Catalan 22%

43. Sweden (official language: Swedish) – English 89%

44. Switzerland (official language: German) – French 23%

45. Turkey (official language: Turkish) – English 17%

46. United Kingdom (official language: English) – French 23%

47. Ukraine (official language: Ukrainian) – Russian 34%

48. Vatican City (official language: Italian) – no documentation

Information from national censuses and surveys.