The Language Count of the World

Did you know that there are approximately 7,139 living languages in the world today, as per Ethnologue, a comprehensive database of world languages? And remarkably, more than half of those languages have less than 10,000 speakers, qualifying them as 'endangered'.

When you think about this disparity, it is easy to see how vulnerable a large portion of the world's linguistic heritage is.

Papua New Guinea, a nation with a population smaller than Costa Rica, holds the title for the most linguistically diverse country, housing over 840 languages! On the other extreme, the Korean peninsula stands out as the most linguistically homogeneous region in the world.

A fascinating aspect of civilization, language diversity highlights the rich cultural mosaic of our planet.

So next time you pick up a language book or open a language learning app, remember you're dipping into a reservoir of thousands!.