How Many Sign Languages Are There

Learn about the diversity and distribution of sign languages around the world, with regional and alphabetical groupings. Find out how many sign languages are in Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania and elsewhere. Current estimates generally agree that there are over 300 distinct sign languages in use globally.

Some are more widely used than others. For instance, American Sign Language (ASL) is used by 500,000 people in the US alone. While you may be familiar with American Sign Language, British Sign Language, or other sign languages used in your country, did you know that there are more than 300 sign languages used worldwide today?

Learn about the diversity, history and influence of sign languages around the world. Find out how many sign languages are spoken in America, which ones are the most common and how they differ from each other. There are over 300 sign languages worldwide, each with unique grammar and culture.

Learn why no universal sign language exists. Learn about sign language, a visual language expressed through physical movements, not spoken words. Find out how many different sign languages are used around the world and how they evolved over time.

There are over 300 documented sign languages used around the world. Each one developed independently within Deaf communities and is shaped by local culture, geography, and history. Sign languages are not universal, and most are entirely separate from spoken language structures in the same region.

While spoken languages are counted in the billions, a vibrant global tapestry of over 300 distinct sign languages connects millions, from the estimated 466 million deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals worldwide to the diverse communities using American Sign Language, Indian Sign Language, and Brazilian Sign Language. According to the WFD infographic (2026), the following 82 countries out of 195 have recognized their national signed languages: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, New ... As languages of the eye rather than the ear, sign languages form a unique class of the worlds languages.

Linguists have agreed that there are more than 149 identified so far, but research to identify the worlds sign languages is far from finished.