7 states with the highest number of Kannada speakers

Published : May 01, 2025, 12:37 PM ISTUpdated : May 01, 2025, 12:40 PM IST

Do you know which states besides Karnataka have the most Kannada speakers?

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Where is Kannada spoken outside Karnataka?

Is Kannada spoken only in Karnataka? Absolutely not. These 6 states neighbouring Karnataka also have a significant number of Kannada speakers. Which are these states? Let’s take a look at how many people speak Kannada in each of them.

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Gujarat

Based on the number of Kannada speakers, Gujarat ranks 7th. A total of 18,033 people speak Kannada in the state.

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Goa

Goa ranks 6th among the states with the highest number of Kannada speakers. Approximately 67,923 people speak Kannada in this small state.

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Kerala

Kerala ranks 5th in terms of Kannada-speaking population. In Kasaragod, which borders Karnataka, the highest number of people speak Kannada. Overall, a total of 86,995 people in Kerala speak the language.

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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh ranks 4th in terms of Kannada-speaking population, with 5,34,144 people speaking the language.

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Maharashtra

Since Maharashtra shares a border with Karnataka, the number of Kannada speakers here is quite high. It ranks as the 3rd largest Kannada-speaking state, with a total of 10,00,463 people speaking the language.

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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu ranks 2nd in the number of Kannada speakers, with approximately 12,86,175 people speaking the language. Many Kannadigas live among the predominantly Tamil-speaking population.

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Karnataka

Karnataka naturally ranks first. Do you know how many people speak Kannada in our state? More than 4 crore people speak Kannada here.

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