View source for Languages of Russia

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Languages of
|country=Russia
|image=Памяти похороненных жителей Выборга.jpg
|caption= Memorial in [[Vyborg]] in [[Finnish language|Finnish]], Russian, Swedish and German.
|official   = [[Russian language|Russian]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.constitution.ru/en/10003000-04.htm|title=The Constitution of the Russian Federation - Chapter 3. The Federal Structure, Article 68|work=constitution.ru|access-date=22 April 2015}}</ref>
|semi-official = [[#Official languages|Thirty-five languages]]
|unofficial =
|regional   = 
|indigenous = 
|minority   = Dozens of languages of the [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]], [[Northeast Caucasian]], [[Northwest Caucasian]], [[Uralic]], [[Turkic languages|Turkic]], [[Mongolic languages|Mongolic]], [[Tungusic languages|Tungusic]] and [[Paleosiberian languages|Paleosiberian]] language families
|immigrant  = <!--Please don't put too many languages here-->
|foreign    = 13–20% have foreign language knowledge<ref name=Levada2008>{{cite web|script-title=ru:Знание иностранных языков в России|trans-title=Knowledge of foreign languages in Russia|language=ru|url=https://levada.ru/2008/09/15/znanie-inostrannyh-yazykov-v-rossii|publisher=[[Levada Center]]|access-date=10 May 2015|date=16 September 2008}}</ref><ref name=Levada2014>{{cite web|script-title=ru:Владение иностранными языками|trans-title=Command of foreign languages|language=ru|url=http://www.levada.ru/28-05-2014/vladenie-inostrannymi-yazykami|publisher=Levada Center|access-date=10 May 2015|date=28 May 2014}}</ref><ref name= Levada2023>{{cite web|script-title=ru: Иностранные яазики: Август 2023 года|trans-title=International languages August 2023|language=ru|publisher=Levada Center|access-date= 13 March 2024|date=14 September 2023|url=https://www.levada.ru/2023/09/14/inostrannye-yazyki-avgust-2023-goda/ }}</ref><br />
#[[English language|English]] (71% out of all foreign language speakers or 15% of the population; 30% to some degree.<ref name="R Beyond">{{cite web |title=Percentage of Russians who speak English doubles to 30% |url=https://www.rbth.com/news/2015/12/03/percentage-of-rusians-who-speak-english-doubles-to-30_547189 |publisher=Russia Beyond |access-date=26 December 2022}}</ref>
#[[German language|German]] (16%)
#[[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]] (9%)
#[[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]], [[French language|French]] & [[Turkish language|Turkish]] (3%)
#Others (20%){{efn|Including 1% [[Russian language|Russian]]}} 
|sign       = [[Russian Sign Language]]
|keyboard   = [[Russian keyboard]]
|keyboard image = [[Image:KB Russian.svg|200px]]
|source     =
}}
{{Culture of Russia}}
Of all the '''languages of Russia''', [[Russian language|Russian]], the most widely spoken language, is the only official language at the national level. There are 25 other [[official languages]], which are used in different regions of Russia. These languages include; Ossetic, Ukrainian, Buryat, Kalmyk, Chechen, Ingush, Abaza, Adyghe, Cherkess, Kabardian, Altai, Bashkir, Chuvash, Crimean Tatar, Karachay-Balkar, Khakas, Nogai, Tatar, Tuvan, Yakut, Erzya, Komi, Hill Mari, Meadow Mari, Moksha, and Udmurt.<ref>{{cite news |title=What Languages Are Spoken in Russia? |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-languages-are-spoken-in-russia.html |work=WorldAtlas |date=1 August 2017}}</ref> There are [[List of languages of Russia|over 100 minority languages]] spoken in Russia today.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/russia-country-profile.html|title=Russia - Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette|publisher=Kwintessential.co.uk|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531133402/http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/russia-country-profile.html|archive-date=31 May 2013}}</ref>

==History==

Russian lost its status in many of the new republics that arose following the 1991 [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]]. In Russia, however, the dominating status of the Russian language continued. Today, 97% of the public school students of Russia receive their education only or mostly in Russian, even though Russia is made up of approximately 80% ethnic Russians.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}

===Russification===
On 19 June 2018, the Russian [[State Duma]] adopted a bill that made education in all languages but Russian optional, overruling previous laws by [[Subdivisions of Russia|ethnic autonomies]].<ref name=FALangLaw>{{cite news|url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/russia-fsu/2018-08-01/putins-plan-russify-caucasus|title=Putin's Plan to Russify the Caucasus|agency=Foreign Affairs|date=1 August 2018}}</ref>{{Dubious source|date=October 2024}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://ria.ru/society/20180619/1523019471.html|title=Gosduma prinyala chtenii zakonoproekt ob izuchen'i rodnyix yez'ikov|agency=RIA Novosti|date=19 June 2018}}</ref>{{Verification failed|date=October 2024}}<ref name=DWLangLaw>{{cite news|url= https://www.dw.com/en/russian-minorities-fear-for-languages-amid-new-restrictions/a-41639610|title=Russian minorities fear for languages amid new restrictions|agency=Deutsche Welle|date=5 December 2017}}</ref>{{Verification failed|date=October 2024}} 

When the bill was still being considered, advocates for the minorities warned that the bill could endanger their languages and traditional cultures.<ref name=DWLangLaw/><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-language-bill-ethnic-republics-existential-threat/29306974.html|title=A Common Language: Russia's 'Ethnic' Republics See Language Bill As Existential Threat|last1=Coalson|first1=Robert|last2=Lyubimov|first2=Dmitry|date=2018-06-20|website=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|language=en|access-date=2018-08-09|last3=Alpaut|first3=Ramazan}}</ref> The law came after a lawsuit in the summer of 2017, where a Russian mother claimed that her son had been "materially harmed" by learning the [[Tatar language]], while in a speech [[Vladimir Putin]] argued that it was wrong to force someone to learn a language that is not their own.<ref name=DWLangLaw/> The later "language crackdown" in which autonomous units were forced to stop mandatory hours of native languages was also seen{{By whom|date=October 2024}} as a move by Putin to "build identity in Russian society".<ref name=DWLangLaw/>

Protests and petitions against the bill by either civic society, groups of public intellectuals or regional governments came from [[Tatarstan]] (with attempts for demonstrations suppressed),<ref name=ODLangLaw>{{Cite web|url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/mikail-kaplan/pressure-on-regional-languages-is-sparking-civic-activism-in-the-north-Caucasus|title=How Russian state pressure on regional languages is sparking civic activism in the North Caucasus|last=Kaplan|first=Mikail|date=31 May 2018|website=Open Democracy|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130070708/https://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/mikail-kaplan/pressure-on-regional-languages-is-sparking-civic-activism-in-the-north-Caucasus|archive-date=30 November 2018}}</ref> [[Chuvashia]],<ref name=DWLangLaw/> [[Mari El]],<ref name=DWLangLaw/> [[North Ossetia]],<ref name=ODLangLaw/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://gradus.pro/tamerlan-kambolov-poprosit-putina-zashhitit/|title=Тамерлан Камболов попросит Путина защитить осетинский язык|date=3 August 2018|agency=Gradus}}</ref> [[Kabardino-Balkaria]],<ref name=ODLangLaw/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://zapravakbr.com/index.php/30-uncategorised/1002-2015-05-18-11-13-59tr-28549231|title=Кабардино-Балкария против законопроекта о добровольном обучении родным языкам.|date=23 April 2018}}</ref> the [[Karachays]],<ref name=ODLangLaw/> the [[Kumyk people|Kumyks]],<ref name=ODLangLaw/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.idelreal.org/a/29218807.html|agency=Idel Real|title=Кумыки потребовали снять с повестки дня Госдумы законопроект о добровольном изучении языков |date=10 May 2018}}</ref> the [[Caucasian Avars|Avars]],<ref name=ODLangLaw/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.idelreal.org/a/29227865.html|agency=Idel Real|title=В Хасавюрте прошёл митинг в поддержку преподавания родного языка |date=15 May 2018}}</ref> [[Chechnya]],<ref name=FALangLaw/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/322396|title=Чеченские педагоги назвали факультативное изучение родного языка неприемлемым|date=30 July 2018|agency=Kavkaz Uzel}}</ref> and [[Ingushetia]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.kavkazr.com/a/29284554.html|title=Общественники Ингушетии: законопроект о языках – "циничная дискриминация народов" |date=12 June 2018|agency=Kavkaz Realii}}</ref><ref name=FALangLaw/> Although the "hand-picked" Duma representatives from the Caucasus did not oppose the bill,<ref name=FALangLaw/> it prompted a large outcry in the North Caucasus<ref name=ODLangLaw/> with representatives from the region being accused of cowardice.<ref name=FALangLaw/> The law was also seen as possibly destabilizing, threatening ethnic relations and revitalizing the various North Caucasian nationalist movements.<ref name=FALangLaw/><ref name=DWLangLaw/><ref name=ODLangLaw/> The International Circassian Organization called for the law to be rescinded before it came into effect.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/322653|title=Международная черкесская ассоциация призвала заблокировать закон о родных языках|date=5 July 2018|agency=Kavkaz Uzel}}</ref> Twelve of Russia's ethnic autonomies, including five in the Caucasus called for the legislation to be blocked.<ref name=FALangLaw/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/322440|title=Представители нацреспублик России назвали закон о родных языках антиконституционным|agency=Kavkaz Uzel|date=1 July 2018}}</ref>

On 10 September 2019, [[Udmurtia|Udmurt]] activist [[Albert Razin]] [[self-immolation|self-immolated]] in front of the regional government building in [[Izhevsk]] as it was considering passing the controversial bill to reduce the status of the [[Udmurt language]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/09/10/russian-scholar-dies-from-self-immolation-during-protest-to-save-native-language-a67229|title=Russian Scholar Dies From Self-Immolation While Protesting to Save Native Language|date=2019-09-10|website=The Moscow Times|language=en|access-date=2019-09-11}}</ref> Between 2002 and 2010 the number of Udmurt speakers dwindled from 463,000 to 324,000.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/man-sets-himself--fire-russia--udmurtia-language-protest-against-language-bill/30156654.html|title=Man Dies After Self-Immolation Protest Over Language Policies in Russia's Udmurtia|date=2019-09-10|website=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|language=en|access-date=2019-09-11}}</ref> Other languages in the [[Volga region]] recorded similar declines in the number of speakers; between the 2002 and 2010 censuses the number of [[Mari language|Mari]] speakers declined from 254,000 to 204,000<ref name="auto"/> while [[Chuvash language|Chuvash]] recorded only 1,042,989 speakers in 2010, a 21.6% drop from 2002.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Blinov|first=Alexander|date=10 June 2022|title=Alexander Blinov: "In state structures, the Chuvash language most often performs a symbolic function"|url=https://m.realnoevremya.ru/articles/252904-obzor-koordinatora-chuvashskoy-iniciativnoy-gruppy-haval|access-date=5 July 2022|website=Realnoe Vremya|language=ru}}</ref> This is attributed{{By whom|date=October 2024}} to a gradual phasing out of indigenous language teaching both in the cities and rural areas while regional media and governments shift exclusively to Russian.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

In the [[North Caucasus]], the law came after a decade in which educational opportunities in the indigenous languages was reduced by more than 50%, due to budget reductions and federal efforts{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} to decrease the role of languages other than Russian.<ref name=FALangLaw/>{{Dubious source|date=October 2024}}<ref name=ODLangLaw/> During this period, numerous indigenous languages in the North Caucasus showed significant decreases in their numbers of speakers even though the numbers of the corresponding nationalities increased, leading to fears of [[language replacement]].<ref name=ODLangLaw/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kavkazr.com/a/pochemu-karachaevskogo-yazyka-net/28135339.html|title=Живой на бумаге|website=RFE/RL|date=23 November 2016 |accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref> The numbers of Ossetian, Kumyk and Avar speakers dropped by 43,000, 63,000 and 80,000 respectively.<ref name=ODLangLaw/> As of 2018, it has been reported that the North Caucasus is nearly devoid of schools that teach in mainly their native languages, with the exception of one school in North Ossetia, and a few in rural regions of Dagestan; this is true even in largely monoethnic Chechnya and Ingushetia.<ref name=ODLangLaw/> Chechen and Ingush are still used as languages of everyday communication to a greater degree than their North Caucasian neighbours, but sociolinguistics argue that the current situation will lead to their degradation relative to Russian as well.<ref name=ODLangLaw/>

In 2020, a [[2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia|set of amendments]] to the [[Constitution of Russia|Russian constitution]] was approved by the [[State Duma]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/fc707884-5fcc-11ea-b0ab-339c2307bcd4|title=Kremlin denies Russia constitution rewrite is Putin power grab|last1=Seddon|first1=Max|last2=Foy|first2=Henry|date=10 March 2020|website=Financial Times|access-date=2020-03-11}}</ref> and later the [[Federation Council (Russia)|Federation Council]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/03/11/russian-lawmakers-adopt-putins-sweeping-constitutional-amendments-a69584|title=Russian Lawmakers Adopt Putin's Sweeping Constitutional Amendments|date=2020-03-11|website=The Moscow Times|language=en|access-date=2020-03-11}}</ref> One of the amendments is to enshrine Russian as the “language of the state-forming nationality” and the Russian people as the ethnic group that created the nation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thehill.com/policy/international/russia/485745-putin-proposes-constitutional-ban-gay-marriage-in-russia|title=Putin proposes gay marriage constitutional ban in Russia|last=Budryk|first=Zack|date=2020-03-03|website=The Hill|language=en|access-date=2020-03-11}}</ref> The amendment has been met with criticism from Russia's minorities<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/346920/|title=Amendment to state-forming people faces criticism in the North Caucasus|last=Jalilov|first=Rustam|date=11 March 2020|website=Caucasian Knot|language=ru|access-date=11 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.idelreal.org/a/30479590.html|title="We are again foreigners, but now officially." Amendment to the constituent people|last=Alpout|first=Ramadan|date=10 March 2020|newspaper=Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty|language=ru|access-date=11 March 2020}}</ref> who argue that it goes against the principle that Russia is a multinational state and will only marginalize them further.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://realnoevremya.com/articles/4294-who-to-benefit-from-russian-article-in-the-constitution|title=Who to benefit from 'Russian article' in the Constitution?|last=Rakhmatullin|first=Timur|date=5 March 2020|website=Realnoe Vremya|language=en|access-date=11 March 2020}}</ref>

==Official languages==
Although [[Russian language|Russian]] is the only federally [[official language]] of [[Russia]], there are several other officially recognized languages within Russia's various constituencies – article 68 of the [[Constitution of Russia]] only allows the various [[republics of Russia]] to establish official languages other than Russian. This is a list of the languages that are recognized as official in constitutions of the republics of Russia, as well as the number of native speakers according mostly to the 2010 Census or more recent ones:<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |title=2010 All-Russian Population Census |url=http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/perepis2010/croc/Documents/Vol4/pub-04-05.pdf |journal=Federal State Statistics Service |pages=142–143}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Language!!Language family!!Federal subject(s)
!data-sort-type=number |Speakers in Russia<ref name=":0" />!!Source
|-
|[[Abaza language|Abaza]] || [[Northwest Caucasian languages|Northwest Caucasian]] || {{flag|Karachay-Cherkessia}}
|37,831 (2010 Census-2014)<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Red Book of the Peoples of the Russian Empire |url=https://www.eki.ee/books/redbook/abazians.shtml |access-date=2022-03-28 |website=www.eki.ee}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-11-19 |title=Abaza |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/19/language/abq/ |access-date=2022-03-28 |website=Ethnologue |language=en}}</ref>||<ref name=KarCherk>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_karach/chapter/10ed0f917186039eb157d3ba4f962ee5/|title=Конституция Карачаево-Черкесской Республики от 5 марта 1996 г. / Глава 1. Основы конституционного строя (ст.ст. 1-13)|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Adyghe language|Adyghe]] || Northwest Caucasian || {{flag|Adygea}} 
|128,000 (2015)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Adyghe |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/ady |access-date=2022-03-28 |website=Ethnologue |language=en}}</ref>|| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_adig/chapter/53f89421bbdaf741eb2d1ecc4ddb4c33/|title=Конституция Республики Адыгея (принята на XIV сессии Законодательного Собрания (Хасэ) - Парламента Республики Адыгея 10 марта 1995 года) / Глава 1. Права и свободы человека и гражданина (ст.ст. 18 - 46)|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Avar language|Avar]] || [[Northeast Caucasian languages|Northeast Caucasian]] || {{flag|Dagestan}} 
|800,000 (2010 Census)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-11-19 |title=Avar |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ava/ |access-date=2022-03-28 |website=Ethnologue |language=en}}</ref>|| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_dagest/|title=Конституция Республики Дагестан (принята Конституционным Собранием 10 июля 2003 г.)|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Altai language|Altai]] || [[Turkic languages|Turkic]] || {{flag|Altai Republic}} 
|55,720 (2010 Census)|| <ref name=Altai>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_altai/chapter/53f89421bbdaf741eb2d1ecc4ddb4c33/|title=Конституция Республики Алтай (Основной Закон) (принята 7 июня 1997 г.) / Глава I. Общие положения (ст.ст. 22-26)|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref><ref name=LawAltai>{{cite web|url=http://zakon.scli.ru/ru/legal_texts/legislation_RF/printable.php?do4=document&id4=d2599158-01ed-47a8-8227-3057d6dbed48|script-title=ru:Закон Республики Алтай - Глава I. Общие положения - Статья 4. Правовое положение языков|trans-title=Law of the Republic of Altai - Chapter I. General provisions - Article 4. Legal status of languages|language=ru|publisher=Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925163436/http://zakon.scli.ru/ru/legal_texts/legislation_RF/printable.php?do4=document&id4=d2599158-01ed-47a8-8227-3057d6dbed48|archive-date=25 September 2015}}</ref>
|-
|[[Bashkir language|Bashkir]] || Turkic || {{flag|Bashkortostan}} 
|1,152,404 (2010 Census)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-11-19 |title=Bashkir |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/bak/ |access-date=2022-03-28 |website=Ethnologue |language=en}}</ref>|| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_bashkor/chapter/f533d167513979e2d229fe32a1897b73/|title=Конституция Республики Башкортостан от 24 декабря 1993 г. N ВС-22/15 / Глава 1. Основы конституционного строя Республики Башкортостан (ст.ст. 1-16)|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref> see also [[Law on the language of the people of the Republic of Bashkortostan|regional law]]
|-
|[[Buryat language|Buryat]] || [[Mongolic languages|Mongolic]] || {{flag|Buryatia}} 
|265,000 (2010 Census)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-11-19 |title=Buryat |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/19/language/bua/ |access-date=2022-03-28 |website=Ethnologue |language=en}}</ref>|| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_buryat/chapter/3e22e51c74db8e0b182fad67b502e640/|title=Конституция Республики Бурятия (принята Верховным Советом Республики Бурятия 22 февраля 1994 г.) / Глава 3. Государственно-правовой статус Республики Бурятия (ст.ст. 60-68)|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref> 
|-
|[[Chechen language|Chechen]] || Northeast Caucasian || {{flag|Chechnya}}<br>{{Flag|Dagestan}} 
|1,354,705 (2010 Census)|| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_chech/chapter/baf8d0298b9a3923e3794eecbe3d1996/|title=Конституция Чеченской Республики (принята 23 марта 2003 г.) / Глава 1. Основы конституционного строя (ст.ст. 1 - 13)|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Chuvash language|Chuvash]] || Turkic || {{flag|Chuvashia}} 
|1,042,989 (2010 Census)|| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_chuvash/chapter/53f89421bbdaf741eb2d1ecc4ddb4c33/|title=Конституция Чувашской Республики (принята Государственным Советом Чувашской Республики 30 ноября 2000 г.) / Глава 1. Основы конституционного строя Чувашской Республики (ст.ст. 1 - 13)|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Crimean Tatar language|Crimean Tatar]] || Turkic || {{flag|Republic of Crimea}}{{efn|name=crimea|group=subject-list|[[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|Annexed by Russia in 2014]]; recognized as a part of [[Ukraine]] by most of the UN Member States.}}
|308,000 (2010 Census)
228,000 (2019){{efn|name=crimea|group=subject-list|[[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|Annexed by Russia in 2014]]; recognized as a part of [[Ukraine]] by most of the UN Member States.}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tyers |first1=Francis M. |last2=Washington |first2=Jonathan N. |last3=Kavitskaya |first3=Darya |last4=Gökırmak |first4=Memduh |date=2019 |title=A Biscriptual Morphological Transducer for Crimean Tatar |journal=Proceedings of the Workshop on Computational Methods for Endangered Languages |doi=10.33011/computel.v1i.423|s2cid=201624024 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
| <ref name=Crimea>{{cite web | url=http://www.rg.ru/printable/2014/05/06/krim-konstituciya-reg-dok.html | title=Constitution of the Republic of Crimea | publisher=State Council, Republic of Crimea | work=Article 10 | date=11 April 2014 | access-date=14 October 2014 | language=ru}}</ref>
|-
|[[Erzya language|Erzya]] || [[Uralic languages|Uralic]] || {{flag|Mordovia}} 
|36,726 (2010 Census)|| <ref name=Mordovia>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_mordov/chapter/1cafb24d049dcd1e7707a22d98e9858f/|title=Конституция Республики Мордовия (принята 21 сентября 1995 г.) / Глава 1. Основы конституционного строя Республики Мордовия (п.п. 1 - 13)|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Ingush language|Ingush]] || Northeast Caucasian || {{flag|Ingushetia}} 
|305,868 (2010 Census)|| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_ingush/|title=Конституция Республики Ингушетия (принята 27 февраля 1994 г.)|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Kabardian language|Kabardian]] || Northwest Caucasian || {{flag|Kabardino-Balkaria}}<br />{{Flag|Karachay-Cherkessia}}
|590,000 (2010 Census)
| <ref name=KarCherk /><ref name=KabBalk>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_kabardin/chapter/3e22e51c74db8e0b182fad67b502e640/|title=Конституция Кабардино-Балкарской Республики от 1 сентября 1997 г. N 28-РЗ (принята Парламентом Кабардино-Балкарской Республики 1 сентября 1997 г.) (в редакции, принятой Конституционным Собранием 12 июля 2006 г., республиканских законов от 28 июля 2001 г. / Глава III Государственное устройство (ст.ст. 67-77)|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Kalmyk language|Kalmyk]] || Mongolic || {{flag|Kalmykia}} 
|80,546 (2010 Census)|| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_kalmik/|title=Степное Уложение (Конституция) Республики Калмыкия от 5 апреля 1994 г.|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Karachay-Balkar]] || Turkic || {{flag|Kabardino-Balkaria}}<br />{{flag|Karachay-Cherkessia}} 
|305,364 (2010 Census)|| <ref name=KarCherk /><ref name=KabBalk />
|-
|[[Karelian language|Karelian]]
|Uralic
|{{flag|Karelia}}
|around 14,000 (2020–2021 census)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Росстат — Всероссийская перепись населения 2020 |url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/vpn_popul |url-status=dead |access-date=2023-01-03 |website=rosstat.gov.ru |archive-date=24 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200124160257/http://rosstat.gov.ru/vpn_popul }}</ref>
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Karelian, Vepps, and Finnish languages have got the state support in the Republic of Karelia |url=http://gov.karelia.ru/News/2004/03/0318_08_e.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911225427/http://gov.karelia.ru/News/2004/03/0318_08_e.html |archive-date=11 September 2018}}</ref>
|-
|[[Khakas language|Khakas]] || Turkic || {{flag|Khakassia}} 
|43,000 (2010 Census)||<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_hakas/chapter/daf75cc17d0d1b8b796480bc59f740b8/|title=Конституция Республики Хакасия (принята на XVII сессии Верховного Совета Республики Хакасия (первого созыва) 25 мая 1995 года) / Глава III. Статус и административно-территориальное устройство Республики Хакасия (ст.ст. 58 - 71)|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref> 
|-
|[[Komi-Zyrian language|Komi-Zyrian]] || Uralic || {{flag|Komi Republic}} 
|160,000 (2010 Census)|| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_komi/chapter/3e22e51c74db8e0b182fad67b502e640/|title=Конституция Республики Коми от 17 февраля 1994 г. / Глава III. Государственный статус Республики Коми и административно-территориальное устройство (ст.ст. 61 - 70)|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Hill Mari language|Hill Mari]], [[Meadow Mari language|Meadow Mari]] || Uralic || {{flag|Mari El}} 
|470,000 (2012)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-11-19 |title=Mari |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/mhr/ |access-date=2022-03-28 |website=Ethnologue |language=en}}</ref>|| <ref name=Mari-El>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_mariy/chapter/1cafb24d049dcd1e7707a22d98e9858f/|title=Конституция Республики Марий Эл (принята Конституционным Собранием Республики Марий Эл 24 июня 1995 г.) / Глава I. Основы конституционного строя (ст.ст. 1 - 16)|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Moksha language|Moksha]] || Uralic || {{flag|Mordovia}} 
|130,000 (2010 Census)|| <ref name=Mordovia />
|-
|[[Nogai language|Nogai]] || Turkic ||{{flag|Karachay-Cherkessia}}<br>{{Flag|Dagestan}}
|87,119 (2010 Census)||<ref name=KarCherk />
|-
|[[Ossetian language|Ossetian]]||[[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] ([[Iranian languages|Iranian]]) ||{{flag|North Ossetia–Alania}} 
|451,431 (2010 Census)|| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_osetiya/chapter/53f89421bbdaf741eb2d1ecc4ddb4c33/|title=Конституция Республики Северная Осетия-Алания (принята Верховным Советом Республики Северная Осетия 12 ноября 1994 г.) / Глава 1. Основы конституционного строя (ст.ст. 1-17)|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Tatar language|Tatar]] || Turkic || {{flag|Tatarstan}} 
|4,280,718 (2010 Census)|| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_tatar/chapter/6286affd2f6b921f25baa7f8f76825af/|title=Конституция Республики Татарстан от 6 ноября 1992 г. / Глава 1. Государственный Совет Республики Татарстан (ст.ст. 67 - 88)|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Tuvan language|Tuvan]] || Turkic || {{flag|Tuva}} 
|280,000 (2010)|| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_tiva/chapter/f7ee959fd36b5699076b35abf4f52c5c/|title=Конституция Республики Тыва (принята Референдумом Республики Тыва 6 мая 2001 г.) / Глава I. Основы конституционного строя (ст.ст.1-17)|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Udmurt language|Udmurt]] || Uralic || {{flag|Udmurtia}} 
|324,338 (2010 Census)|| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_udmurt/chapter/889e0dae931675d48d9f64b3ec2afc12/|title=Конституция Удмуртской Республики от 7 декабря 1994 г. / Глава 1. Основы Конституционного строя (ст.ст. 1 - 15)|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref>
|-
|[[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]] || Indo-European ([[Slavic languages|Slavic]]) ||{{flag|Republic of Crimea}}{{efn|name=crimea|group=subject-list|[[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|Annexed by Russia in 2014]]; recognized as a part of [[Ukraine]] by most of the UN Member States.}}
|1,129,838 (2010 Census)|| <ref name=Crimea />
|-
|[[Yakut language|Yakut]] || Turkic || {{flag|Sakha}} 
|450,140 (2010 Census)|| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_saha/chapter/daf75cc17d0d1b8b796480bc59f740b8/|title=Конституция (Основной Закон) Республики Саха (Якутия) / Глава 3. Национально-государственный статус, административно-территориальное устройство (ст. 36 - 53)|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref>
|}
{{notelist|group=subject-list}}

The Constitution of [[Dagestan]] defines "Russian and the languages of the peoples of Dagestan" as the state languages,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_dagest/chapter/89300effb84a59912210b23abe10a68f/|title=Конституция Республики Дагестан (принята Конституционным Собранием 10 июля 2003 г.) / Глава 1. Основы конституционного строя (ст.ст. 1 - 17)|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref> though no comprehensive list of the languages was given.{{cn|date=October 2015}}{{dubious|date=October 2015}} 14 of these languages (including Russian) are literary written languages; therefore they are commonly considered to be the official languages of [[Dagestan]]. These are, besides [[Russian language|Russian]], the following: [[Aghul language|Aghul]], [[Avar language|Avar]], [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]], [[Chechen language|Chechen]], [[Dargwa language|Dargwa]], [[Kumyk language|Kumyk]], [[Lak language|Lak]], [[Lezgian language|Lezgian]], [[Nogai language|Nogai]], [[Rutul language|Rutul]], [[Tabasaran language|Tabasaran]], [[Tat language (Caucasus)|Tat]] and [[Tsakhur language|Tsakhur]]. All of these, except [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Chechen language|Chechen]] and [[Nogai language|Nogai]], are official only in Dagestan and in no other Russian republic.
In the project of the "Law on the languages of the Republic of Dagestan" 32 languages are listed; however, this law project never came to life.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rg.ru/printable/2014/02/03/reg-skfo/yaziki-anons.html|title=В Дагестане сделают государственными 32 языка|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref> 

[[Republic of Karelia|Karelia]] is the only [[republics of Russia|republic of Russia]] with Russian as the only official language.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_karel/chapter/3d3a9e2eb4f30c73ea6671464e2a54b5/|title=Конституция Республики Карелия / Глава 1. Основные положения (ст.ст. 1 - 15)|website=constitution.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref> However, there exists the special law about state support and protection of the [[Karelian language|Karelian]], [[Vepsian language|Vepsian ]] and [[Finnish language|Finnish]] languages in the republic, see next section.<ref>[http://www.karelia-zs.ru/zakonodatelstvo_rk/prav_akty/759-zrk/ Закон Республики Карелия «О государственной поддержке карельского, вепсского и финского языков в Республике Карелия»]</ref>

==Other recognized languages==

The [[Government of the Republic of Bashkortostan]] adopted the Law on the Languages of Nations, which is one of the regional laws aimed at protecting and preserving minority languages.<ref>[http://rus-gos.spbu.ru/public/files/bills/%D0%91%D0%B0%D1%88%D0%BA%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BD_zakon_539160077ac91.pdf Law of the Republic of Bashkortostan "On the languages of the peoples of the Republic of Bashkortostan» № 216-W on February 15, 1999] (as amended up until 2010)<!-- http://xn--80aabfed6bj3anj.xn--p1ai/dokumenty/zakon-respubliki-bashkortostan-o-yazykah-narodov-respubliki-bashkortostan/ -->) and [https://rg.ru/2014/04/01/bashkiriya-zakon75-reg-dok.html amendments of 2014]{{in lang|ru}}  </ref><ref>Gabdrafikov I. [http://old.iea.ras.ru/topic/law/publ/gabdr1999-2.htm The law "On the Languages of the peoples of the Republic of Bashkortostan" is adopted] // Бюллетень Сети этнологического мониторинга и раннего предупреждения конфликтов, No. 23, 1999</ref><ref>[http://www.bashinform.ru/news/180274-desyat-let-nazad-prinyat-zakon-quot-o-yazykakh-narodov-respubliki-bashkortostan-quot/ Десять лет назад принят Закон "О языках народов Республики Башкортостан"] [[:ru:Башинформ]] 2009{{in lang|ru}}</ref> The main provisions of the law include General Provisions, Language names of geographic regions. objects and inscriptions, road and other signs, liability for violations of Bashkortostan in the languages of Bashkortostan. In the Republic of Bashkortostan, equality of languages is recognized. Equality of languages is a combination of the rights of peoples and people to preserve and fully develop their native language, freedom of choice and use of the language of communication. The writing of names of geographical objects and the inscription, road and other signs along with the state language of the Republic of Bashkortostan can be done in the languages of Bashkortostan in the territories where they are concentrated. Similar laws were adopted in [[Mari El]], [[Tatarstan]], [[Udmurtia]], [[Khakassia]] and the [[Chukotka Autonomous Okrug]].

The federal law "On the languages of the peoples of the Russian Federation"<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://base.garant.ru/10148970/|title=Закон РФ от 25.10.1991 N 1807-I "О языках народов Российской Федерации" (с изменениями и дополнениями) &#124; ГАРАНТ|website=base.garant.ru|accessdate=16 March 2023}}</ref> allows the federal subjects to establish additionally official languages in the areas where minority groups live. The following 15 languages benefit from various degrees of recognition in various regions under this law:
* [[Buryat language|Buryat]] in the [[Agin-Buryat Okrug]]
* [[Chukchi language|Chukchi]] in [[Sakha Republic|Sakha]]
* [[Dolgan language|Dolgan]] in [[Sakha Republic|Sakha]]
* [[Even language|Even]] in [[Sakha Republic|Sakha]]
* [[Evenki language|Evenki]] in [[Sakha Republic|Sakha]]
* [[Finnish language|Finnish]] in [[Republic of Karelia|Karelia]]
* [[Karelian language|Karelian]] in [[Republic of Karelia|Karelia]]
* [[Kazakh language|Kazakh]] in [[Altai Republic|Altai]]
* [[Khanty language|Khanty]] in the [[Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug]] and the [[Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug]]
* [[Komi-Permyak language|Komi-Permyak]] in the [[Komi-Permyak Okrug]]
* [[Mansi language|Mansi]] in the [[Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug]]
* [[Nenets language|Nenets]] in the [[Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug]], the [[Nenets Autonomous Okrug]] and the [[Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug]]
* [[Selkup language|Selkup]] in the [[Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug]]
* [[Veps language|Veps]] in [[Republic of Karelia|Karelia]]
* The [[Yukaghir languages]] in [[Sakha Republic|Sakha]]

==Migrant languages==
As a result of mass migration to Russia from the former USSR republics (especially from the Caucasus and Central Asia) many non-indigenous languages are spoken by [[migrant workers in Russia|migrant worker]]s. For example, in 2014 2.4 million Uzbek citizens and 1.2 million Tajik citizens entered Russia.<ref>{{cite web|format=XLS|url=http://www.russiatourism.ru/data/File/Statistika/2015/%D0%92%D1%8A%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%B4%20%D0%B2%20%D0%A0%D0%A4%20%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BF%2050%202014.xls|script-title=ru:Страны, лидирующие по количеству прибытий на территорию Российской Федерации - Топ 50 по въезду в РФ за 2014 год (всего)|trans-title=Countries leading by the number of arrivals to the territory of the Russian Federation - Top 50 by entry into the RF for 2014 (total)|language=ru|publisher=RussiaTourism.ru|access-date=11 May 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325030028/http://www.russiatourism.ru/data/File/Statistika/2015/%D0%92%D1%8A%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%B4%20%D0%B2%20%D0%A0%D0%A4%20%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BF%2050%202014.xls|archive-date=25 March 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> 

For comparison, Russian citizens with ethnicities matching these of home countries of migrant workers of are much lower (from [[2010 Russian Census]], in thousands):

{|
|-
|[[Armenian language|Armenian]]||830
|-
|[[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]]||515
|-
|[[Kazakh language|Kazakh]]||472
|-
|[[Uzbek language|Uzbek]]||245
|-
|[[Kyrgyz language|Kyrgyz]]||247
|-
|[[Tajik language|Tajik]]||177
|-
|[[Georgian language|Georgian]]||102
|-
|[[Romanian language|Romanian]]||90
|}

==Endangered languages in Russia==
There are many [[endangered language]]s in Russia. Some are considered to be near extinction and put on the [[list of endangered languages in Russia]], and some may have gone extinct since data was last reported. On the other hand, some languages may survive even with few speakers.

Some languages have doubtful data, like [[Serbian language|Serbian]] whose information in the [[Ethnologue]] is based on the 1959 census.

===Languages near extinction===
{{section update|date=September 2020}}
Most numbers are according to [[Michael E. Krauss|Michael Krauss]], 1995. Given the time that has passed, languages with extremely few speakers  might be extinct today. Since 1994, [[Kerek language|Kerek]], [[Aleut language|Aleut]] (in Russia), [[Medny Aleut language|Medny Aleut]], [[Akkala Sami]], [[Oroch language|Oroch]] and [[Yugh language|Yugh]] have become extinct. 

* [[Enets language|Enets]] (70)
* [[Ingrian language|Ingrian]] (100)
* [[Negidal language|Negidal]]
* [[Orok language|Orok]] (30–82)
* [[Ter Sami|Sami, Ter]] (2)
* [[Tofalar language|Tofalar]] (25–30)
* [[Udege language|Udege]] (100)
* [[Votic language|Votic]] (8, 60-non native)
* [[Ket language|Ket]] (20 speakers) (2019)
* [[Northern Yukaghir language|Yukaghir, Northern]] (30–150)
* [[Southern Yukaghir language|Yukaghir, Southern]] (10–50)
* [[Yupik languages|Yupik]] (550-900)

== Foreign languages ==
[[File:Plurlingva afiŝo "Bonvolu fermi la pordon".jpg|thumb|Sign at [[TyumenNIIgiprogas]] headquarters reflecting the international nature of the oil industry: it is in Russian, [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]], English, German, [[Polish language|Polish]], French, [[Hebrew]], [[Georgian language|Georgian]], Chinese and [[Tatar language|Tatar]].]] 
According to the various studies made in 2005-2008 by [[Levada Center]]<ref name=Levada2008 /> 15% of Russians know a foreign language. From those who claim knowledge of at least one language:
{| class="wikitable"
|+"Can speak freely":
|-
| English || 80%
|-
| German || 16%
|-
| French || 4%
|-
| Turkish || 2%
|-
| Others || 9%
|-
|colspan=2|''From 1775 respondents aged 15-29, November 2006'' 
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+"Know enough to read newspapers":
|-
| English || 44%
|-
| German || 15%
|-
| Ukrainian, Belarusian and other Slavic languages || 19%
|-
| Other European languages || 10%
|-
| All others || 29%
|-
|colspan=2|''From 2100 respondents of every age, January 2005''
|}

Knowledge of at least one foreign language is common among younger and middle-aged people. Among those aged 18–24, 38% can read and "translate with a dictionary", 11% can freely read and speak. Among those aged 25–39, these numbers are 26% and 4% respectively.

Knowledge of a foreign language varies among social groups. It is most appreciable (15-18%) in big cities with 100,000 or more inhabitants, while in Moscow it rises up to 35%. People with higher education and high economic and social status are more likely to know a foreign language.

The new study by Levada-Center in April 2014<ref name=Levada2014 /> reveals such numbers:
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Can speak freely at least one language:
|-
| English || 11%
|-
| German || 2%
|-
| Spanish || 2%
|-
| Ukrainian || 1%
|-
| French || <1%
|-
| Chinese || <1%
|-
| Others || 2%
|-
! Can speak a foreign language but with difficulty !! 13%
|-
! Do not speak a foreign Language at all !! 70%
|-
|colspan=2|''From 1602 respondents from 16 and older, April 2014''
|}

The age and social profiling are the same: knowledge of a foreign language is predominant among the young or middle-aged population, those with a high level of education and high social status, and those who live in big cities.

In 2015, a survey taken in all federal subjects of Russia showed that 70% of Russians could not speak a foreign language. Almost 30% could speak English, 6% could speak German, 1% could speak French, 1% could speak Spanish, 1% could speak Arabic and 0.5% could speak another language.<ref name="auto1">[https://www.rbth.com/news/2015/12/03/percentage-of-rusians-who-speak-english-doubles-to-30_547189 Percentage of Russian who speak English double to 30]</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
! Language
! % of speakers in Russia (2003)
! % of speakers in Russia (2015)
! Change (%)
|-
| English
| 16
| 30
| {{increase}}14
|-
| German
| 7
| 6
| {{decrease}}1
|-
| French
| 1
| 1
| {{steady}}
|}

=== English ===
<ref name="auto1"/>
{| class="wikitable"
! Knowledge
! Percentage
|-
| Can speak English to a degree
| 30%
|-
| Can read and translate using a dictionary
| 20%
|-
| Can understand colloquial language
| 7%
|-
| Can speak very fluently
| 3%
|}

=== History ===
In the 18th and 19th centuries, French was a common language among upper class Russians. The impetus came from [[Peter the Great]]'s orientation of Russia towards Europe and accelerated after the [[French Revolution]]. After the Russians fought France in the [[Napoleonic Wars]], Russia became less inclined towards French.<ref>{{cite news |author=Yegorov, Oleg |date=2017-05-25 |title=Why was French spoken in Russia? |url=https://www.rbth.com/politics_and_society/2017/05/25/why-was-french-spoken-in-russia_770185 |newspaper=[[Russia Beyond the Headlines]]}}</ref>

== Languages of education ==
Every year the Russian Ministry of Education and Science publishes statistics on the languages used in schools. In 2014/2015 the absolute majority<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://xn--80abucjiibhv9a.xn--p1ai/%D0%BC%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE/%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0/%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%84%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F-2014/%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%89%D0%B5%D0%B5-%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5-2014 |title=Статистическая информация 2014. Общее образование |access-date=23 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809113511/https://xn--80abucjiibhv9a.xn--p1ai/%D0%BC%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE/%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0/%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%84%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D1%8F-2014/%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%89%D0%B5%D0%B5-%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5-2014 |archive-date=9 August 2018 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> (13.1 million or 96%) of 13.7 million Russian students used Russian as a medium of education. Around 1.6 million or 12% students studied their (non-Russian) native language as a subject. The most studied languages are Tatar, Chechen and Chuvash with 347,000, 253,000 and 107,000 students respectively.

The most studied foreign languages in 2013/2014 were as follows: 
{| class="wikitable"
!Language
!Students (in thousands)
|-
|English||11,194.2
|-
|German||1,070.5
|-
|French||297.8
|-
|Spanish||20.1
|-
|Chinese||14.9
|-
|Arabic||3.4
|-
|Italian||2.9
|-
|Others||21.7
|}

==See also==
*[[Demography of Russia]]
*[[List of languages of Russia]]
*[[Languages of the Caucasus]]
*[[Russian Academy of Sciences]], the [[list of language regulators|language regulator]] in Russia

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* Offord, Derek, Lara Ryazanova-Clarke, Vladislav Rjéoutski, and Gesine Argent. ''French and Russian in Imperial Russia: Language Use among the Russian Elite''. [[Edinburgh University Press]], 2015. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctt16r0h5g Available at] [[JSTOR]].

==External links==
{{commons category|Languages of Russia}}
*[http://www.ethnologue.com/country/RU/languages Languages of European Russia] ([[Ethnologue]])
*[http://www.ethnologue.com/country/RU/languages Languages of Asian Russia] ([[Ethnologue]])
*[http://www.peoples.org.ru/eng_index.html Minority languages of Russia on the Net] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090420130207/http://www.peoples.org.ru/eng_index.html |date=20 April 2009 }} project, which aims at presenting the languages of Russia to the Web and at facilitating their usage on the Web (most information is in Russian; it provides scientific references on each individual language as well as links to online language descriptions, educational and scientific institutions related to the language, resources on computer-processing of the language and some sites written in this language)
*[http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus_lan_97_uezd_eng.php Population by mother tongue and districts in 50 Governorates of the European Russia in 1897]
*"[http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/research/french-in-russia/ The History of the French Language in Russia]." [[University of Bristol]]

{{Russia topics}}
{{Languages of Russia}}
{{Languages of Europe}}
{{Asia in topic|Languages of}}

[[Category:Languages of Russia| ]]
[[Category:Language policy in Russia]]