Languages of the Caribbean
Country/Territory Population Official language Spoken languages
Anguilla 11,430 English English , Anguillian Creole English , Spanish ( immigrants )
Antigua and Barbuda 66,970 English English , Antiguan Creole English , Spanish ( immigrants )
Aruba 103,400 Dutch , Papiamento Papiamento , Dutch , English , Spanish
Bahamas 303,611 English English , Bahamian Creole , Haitian Creole ( immigrants ) , Spanish ( immigrants ) , Chinese ( immigrants )
Barbados 275,330 English English , Bajan Creole
Bay Islands , Honduras 49,151 Spanish Spanish , English , Creole English , Garifuna
Bermuda 63,503 English English , Bermudian Vernacular English , Portuguese
Bonaire 14,230 Dutch Papiamento , Dutch , English , Spanish
Bocas del Toro Archipelago 13000 Spanish Spanish
British Virgin Islands 20,812 English English , Virgin Islands Creole English , Spanish ( immigrants )
Cayman Islands 40,900 English English , Cayman Creole English , Spanish ( immigrants )
Corn Islands 7,429 Spanish Spanish , English
Cuba 11,217,100 Spanish Spanish
Curaçao 130,000 Dutch , Papiamentu , English Papiamento , Dutch , English , Spanish
Dominica 70,786 English English , Antillean Creole French , French , Haitian Creole ( immigrants )
Federal Dependencies of Venezuela 2,155 Spanish
Dominican Republic 8,581,477 Spanish Spanish , Haitian Creole ( immigrants ) , English ( immigrants )
Grenada 89,227 English English , Grenadian Creole English , Antillean Creole French
Guadeloupe 431,170 French French , Antillean Creole French , Spanish ( immigrants )
Guyana 747,884 English English , Guyanese Creole , Guyanese Hindustani ( Hindi-Urdu ) , Spanish , Portuguese , Chinese , Tamil , and the native languages : Akawaio , Macushi , Waiwai , Arawak , Patamona , Warrau , Carib , Wapishana , and Arekuna
Change and policy -- Demographics
Of the 38 million West Indians ( as of 2001 ) , [ 17 ] about 62% speak Spanish ( a west Caribbean lingua franca ) . About 25% speak French , about 15% speak English , and 5% speak Dutch . Spanish and English are important second languages : 24 million and 9 million speak them as second languages . The following is a list of major Caribbean languages ( by total number of speakers ) [ needs updating ] :
The languages of the Caribbean reflect the region's diverse history and culture. There are six official languages spoken in the Caribbean. The six languages are:
However, there are also a number of creoles and local patois. Dozens of the creole languages of the Caribbean are widely used informally among the general population. There are also a few additional smaller indigenous languages. Many of the indigenous languages have become extinct or are dying out. At odds with the ever-growing desire for a single Caribbean community, the linguistic diversity of a few Caribbean islands has made language policy an issue in the post-colonial era. In recent years, Caribbean islands have become aware of a linguistic inheritance of sorts. However, language policies being developed nowadays are mostly aimed at multilingualism.