Record #00462Human Society archive
Ethnologue 2024 data compiled by Our World in Data lists 840 living languages in Papua New Guinea, the highest number of any country; Indonesia follows with 710.
Current Record
840languages
Current record value
Papua New Guinea's exceptional linguistic diversity is associated with rugged terrain, isolated communities and the long development of distinct language groups.
The count represents languages still spoken as a first language, not the number of official state languages. Classifications and survey coverage can change over time.
The record conclusion has sufficient verification support.
Basis: comparison of consistent primary data
OWID directly reports 840 living languages in Papua New Guinea from SIL Ethnologue 2024, the highest count, versus 710 in Indonesia. The 2024 dataset year is a reference period rather than a claimed first-achievement date.
Current Entry identifies the current entry in this archive; it does not establish that the record is still held today.
The record value on this page is organized from the public sources above. Measurement methods may differ; JiLuDB follows the unified method described for each entry.
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