How many people speak Albanian?

Albanian has roughly 7.5 million speakers worldwide. It is the official language of Albania and Kosovo, co-official in North Macedonia, and in official use in parts of Montenegro.

Beyond the Balkans, a large diaspora keeps the language alive in Italy, Greece, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. That means wherever you are, there is a good chance of finding Albanian speakers to practise with.

Standard Albanian is the common thread across all of these communities, which is why it is the version worth learning first — it travels everywhere the language is spoken.