The world is home to over 7,000 languages, but many are critically endangered, with speaker numbers so low that they risk extinction within a generation or less. Determining the absolute “least spoken” is challenging due to incomplete documentation, varying definitions of fluency, and the dynamic nature of language use—some may have no fluent speakers left, effectively extinct. Based on recent data from sources like UNESCO, Ethnologue, and linguistic surveys (as of 2025), the languages with the fewest native or fluent speakers are often isolates or indigenous tongues spoken by elders in remote areas. These are typically oral traditions not passed to younger generations.
Below is a list of 10 of the world’s least spoken languages, ranked by approximate number of fluent speakers (focusing on native or highly proficient users). Numbers can fluctuate, and some may already be extinct. I’ve included the primary location and a brief note on each for context.
1. **Njerep** (Cameroon) – 4 speakers. A Bantoid language spoken by the Mambiloid people in the Grassfields region; it’s on the verge of extinction due to assimilation into neighboring languages like Hausa.
2. **Kusunda** (Nepal) – 1 speaker. An isolate language of the Kusunda hunter-gatherer community in western Nepal; the last fluent speaker is an elderly woman, with no intergenerational transmission.
3. **Taushiro (Pinchi)** (Peru) – 1 speaker. An isolate spoken in the Amazonian Loreto region by the Taushiro people; Amadeo García García is the sole remaining fluent speaker, documented in preservation efforts.
4. **Tanema (Tetawo)** (Solomon Islands) – 1 speaker. An Oceanic language on Vanikoro Island; Lainol Nalo is the last fluent speaker, with others using only fragments as a second language.
5. **Kaixana** (Brazil) – 1 speaker. An Arawakan language along the Japurá River; it’s considered nearly extinct, with the last known speaker in his 90s, though some sources debate if any remain.
6. **Lemerig** (Vanuatu) – 2 speakers. An Oceanic language on Vanua Lava Island; spoken by two elderly men, it’s rapidly declining amid the dominance of Bislama.
7. **Kola Sami (Akkala Sami)** (Russia) – 2 speakers. A Uralic language of the Sami people on the Kola Peninsula; suppressed during Soviet times, only elders retain fluency.
8. **Chung (Sa’och)** (Cambodia) – 10 speakers. A Pearic language in a small village near the Thai border; decimated by the Khmer Rouge genocide, with no younger learners.
9. **Ongota (Tetawo)** (Ethiopia) – 1-2 speakers. A Cushitic language along the Weito River; semi-fluent elders speak it sporadically, overshadowed by Tsamai.
10. **Pirahã** (Brazil) – ~10-20 speakers (disputed, some estimates as low as 10). An isolate in the Amazon spoken by the Pirahã tribe; unique for lacking numbers or recursion, but vulnerable to Portuguese influence.
These languages highlight the fragility of linguistic diversity, often tied to small indigenous groups facing globalization, migration, and cultural assimilation. Efforts like digital archiving and community programs (e.g., in Peru and Vanuatu) aim to revive them, but success is limited. For more on preservation or a specific language, let me know!
