List of countries and territories where English is an official language

As of 2024[update], there are 57 sovereign states and 28 non-sovereign entities where English is an official language.

Many administrative divisions have declared English an official language at the local or regional level.

Most states where English is an official language are former territories of the British Empire.

Exceptions include Rwanda and Burundi[also should be on map], which were formerly German and then Belgian colonies; Cameroon, where only part of the country was under the British mandate; and Liberia, the Philippines, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau, which were American territories.

[citation needed] In these countries, English is conventionally spoken by both the government and main population, despite it having no de jure official status at national level.