List of sign languages by number of native signers
Introduction The following are sign languages reported to be used by at least 10,000 people. Additional languages, such as Chinese Sign Language, are likely to have more signers, but no data is available. Estimates for sign language use are very crude, and definitions of what counts as proficiency are varied. For most sign languages, there are no concrete estimates. For instance, it has been reported there are a million signers in Ethiopia, but there are only a fifth that number of deaf people, less than half of whom are fluent in sign, and in addition it is unknown how many different sign languages they use. Language Family or origin Legal recognition and where spoken natively by significant populationEthnologue estimate Indo-Pakistani Sign Language  Related to Nepalese Sign Language and possibly others in south Asia  No legal recognition. Native to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh  6,300,000 (2019)Chinese Sign Language Independent language family; not related to other sign language families Legally recognized by China4,000,000 (2021) Indonesian Sign Language  Based on French Sign Language family  Native to Indonesia  900,000 (2016) Russian Sign Language  French Sign Language family  Native to Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Bulgaria, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania  715,000 (2014) Brazilian Sign Language  French Sign Language family  Legally recognized by law (10.436) in Brazil, on April 24, 2002  600,000 (2019) Spanish Sign Language  possibly French Sign Language family,according to others Language isolate  Officially recognized by Spanish Government. Native to Spain except Catalonia and Valencia  523,000 (2017) Egyptian Sign Language  Arab sign-language family  Native to Egypt  474,000 (2014) American Sign Language  Old French Sign Language and Martha's Vineyard Sign Language  Native to the United States and Anglophone Canada 459,850 Persian Sign Language  Language isolate  Native to Iran  325,000 (2019) Turkish Sign Language  from Ottoman Sign Language  Native to Turkey  300,000 (2019) Japanese Sign Language  JSL Family  Native to Japan. 126,000 (2019) Mexican Sign Language  French Sign Language family  Native to Urban Mexico. 130,000 (2010 projection) French Sign Language  French Sign Language family. Descended from Old French Sign Language  Native to France. Spoken in Switzerland, Mali, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Togo, Vietnam  100,000 (2019) German Sign Language  German Sign Language family  Native to Germany  80,000 (2014) British Sign Language  BANZSL  Native to United Kingdom. 80,000 (2014) Malaysian Sign Language French: ASL  Native to Malaysia  60,000 (2013) Polish Sign Language  German Sign Language family  Native to Poland. 38,000 to 50,000 (2014) Italian Sign Language  French Sign Language family  Officially Recognized language in Sicily. Native to Italy  40,000 (2014) New Zealand Sign Language  BANZSL  An official language of New Zealand since 2006  23,000 (2018 census) Yugoslav Sign Language  French: Austro-Hungarian  Native to Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia  22,000 (2010-2014) Uruguayan Sign Language French Sign Language family Legally recognized in Uruguay since 2001 under Law 17.378.20,000 (2019) Hong Kong Sign Language  Chinese  Native to Hong Kong  20,000 (2007) Dutch Sign Language  French  Native to Netherlands  15,000 (2019) Auslan  BANZSL  Native to Australia  10,000 (2016 census)
See also * List of sign languages* List of languages by number of native speakers
References