List of Caucasian languages with speaker numbers and geographic locations

The Caucasian languages represent one of the most complex and fascinating linguistic groupings in the world. Spoken in and around the Caucasus region—situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea—these languages are not only diverse in number but also extraordinary in their phonology, morphology, and syntax. Linguists generally divide Caucasian languages into three major families: South Caucasian (Kartvelian), Northwest Caucasian (Abkhazo-Adyghian), and Northeast Caucasian (Nakho-Dagestanian). Together, they are spoken by close to 12 million people, making them a significant yet often overlooked part of the world’s linguistic heritage.

Caucasian languages with speaker numbers and their main geographic locations

Below is the table-format overview of Caucasian languages, showing language family, language name, approximate number of speakers, and main geographic locations.

Caucasian Languages: Speakers and Geographic Distribution

FamilySubfamily / GroupLanguageApprox. SpeakersMain Geographic Locations
South Caucasian (Kartvelian)—Georgian~4,000,000Georgia; minorities in Turkey & Azerbaijan
Mingrelian (Megrel)~500,000Western Georgia (Samegrelo)
Laz (Chan)~250,000Northeastern Turkey (Black Sea coast)
Svan~30,000Northwestern Georgia (Svaneti)
Northwest Caucasian (Abkhazo-Adyghian)—Kabardian (East Circassian)~1,600,000Kabardino-Balkaria & Karachay-Cherkessia (Russia); diaspora in Turkey & Middle East
Adyghe (West Circassian)~600,000Adygea (Russia); diaspora in Turkey, Jordan & Syria
Abkhaz~190,000Abkhazia; communities in Turkey
Abaza~50,000Karachay-Cherkessia (Russia)
Ubykh (extinct)0Formerly NW Caucasus; last speakers in Turkey
Northeast Caucasian (Nakho-Dagestanian)NakhChechen~1,500,000Chechnya; diaspora in Europe & Middle East
Ingush~400,000Ingushetia
Bats (Batsbi)~3,000Northeastern Georgia (Tusheti)
Dagestanian – Avaro-Ando-TsezicAvar~900,000Central & western Dagestan; NW Azerbaijan
Andi~20,000Western Dagestan
Botlikh~6,000Western Dagestan
Godoberi~5,000Western Dagestan
Karata~10,000Western Dagestan
Akhvakh~7,000Dagestan & NW Azerbaijan
Bagvalal~10,000Western Dagestan
Tindi~8,000Western Dagestan
Chamalal~8,000Western Dagestan
Tsez (Dido)~15,000Western Dagestan
Khvarshi~8,000Western Dagestan
Hinukh~1,000Western Dagestan
Beztha~8,000Western Dagestan
Hunzib~1,000Western Dagestan
Dagestanian – Lako-DargwaDargwa~500,000Central Dagestan
Lak~150,000Central Dagestan
Dagestanian – LezgicLezgi~800,000Southern Dagestan; northern Azerbaijan
Tabasaran~120,000Southern Dagestan
Rutul~30,000Southern Dagestan; northern Azerbaijan
Tsakhur~30,000Southern Dagestan; northern Azerbaijan
Aghul~25,000Southern Dagestan
Udi~10,000Northern Azerbaijan; Georgia
Archi~1,000Southern Dagestan
Budukh~1,000Northern Azerbaijan
Khinalugh~2,000Northern Azerbaijan (Khinalug village)
Kryts~5,000Northern Azerbaijan

I. South Caucasian (Kartvelian) Languages

  • Georgian – ~4,000,000
    Location: Georgia (small communities in northeastern Turkey and Azerbaijan)
  • Mingrelian (Megrel) – ~500,000
    Location: Western Georgia (Samegrelo lowlands)
  • Laz (Chan) – ~250,000
    Location: Northeastern Turkey, along the southeastern Black Sea coast
  • Svan – ~30,000
    Location: Northwestern Georgia (Svaneti region in the Caucasus Mountains)

II. Northwest Caucasian (Abkhazo-Adyghian) Languages

  • Kabardian (East Circassian) – ~1,600,000
    Location: Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia (Russia); diaspora in Turkey and the Middle East
  • Adyghe (West Circassian) – ~600,000
    Location: Adygea (Russia); large diaspora in Turkey, Jordan, and Syria
  • Abkhaz – ~190,000
    Location: Abkhazia (south of the Caucasus range), small communities in Turkey
  • Abaza – ~50,000
    Location: Karachay-Cherkessia (Russia)
  • Ubykh – 0 (extinct)
    Former location: Northwestern Caucasus coast; last speakers lived in Turkey

III. Northeast Caucasian (Nakho-Dagestanian) Languages

A. Nakh (North Central Caucasian)

  • Chechen – ~1,500,000
    Location: Chechnya (Russia); diaspora in the Caucasus, Europe, and the Middle East
  • Ingush – ~400,000
    Location: Ingushetia (Russia)
  • Bats (Batsbi) – ~3,000
    Location: One village in northeastern Georgia (Tusheti region)

B. Dagestanian (Northeast Caucasian)

1. Avaro–Ando–Tsezic Group

  • Avar – ~900,000
    Location: Central and western Dagestan (Russia); northwestern Azerbaijan
  • Andi – ~20,000
    Location: Western Dagestan
  • Botlikh – ~6,000
    Location: Western Dagestan
  • Godoberi – ~5,000
    Location: Western Dagestan
  • Karata – ~10,000
    Location: Western Dagestan
  • Akhvakh – ~7,000
    Location: Dagestan and northwestern Azerbaijan
  • Bagvalal – ~10,000
    Location: Western Dagestan
  • Tindi – ~8,000
    Location: Western Dagestan
  • Chamalal – ~8,000
    Location: Western Dagestan
  • Tsez (Dido) – ~15,000
    Location: Western Dagestan
  • Khvarshi – ~8,000
    Location: Western Dagestan
  • Hinukh – ~1,000
    Location: Western Dagestan
  • Beztha – ~8,000
    Location: Western Dagestan
  • Hunzib – ~1,000
    Location: Western Dagestan

2. Lako–Dargwa Group

  • Dargwa – ~500,000
    Location: Central Dagestan
  • Lak – ~150,000
    Location: Central Dagestan

3. Lezgic Group

  • Lezgi – ~800,000
    Location: Southern Dagestan (Russia); northern Azerbaijan
  • Tabasaran – ~120,000
    Location: Southern Dagestan
  • Rutul – ~30,000
    Location: Southern Dagestan; northern Azerbaijan
  • Tsakhur – ~30,000
    Location: Southern Dagestan; northern Azerbaijan
  • Aghul – ~25,000
    Location: Southern Dagestan
  • Udi – ~10,000
    Location: Northern Azerbaijan; small communities in Georgia
  • Archi – ~1,000
    Location: Southern Dagestan
  • Budukh – ~1,000
    Location: Northern Azerbaijan
  • Khinalugh – ~2,000
    Location: Northern Azerbaijan (high-mountain village of Khinalug)
  • Kryts – ~5,000
    Location: Northern Azerbaijan

Overall Total

All Caucasian languages combined: approximately 11.5–12 million speakers, concentrated in the Caucasus region with significant diaspora communities, especially in Turkey, the Middle East, and Europe.

The South Caucasian (Kartvelian) Language Family

The South Caucasian, or Kartvelian, language family consists of four closely related languages spoken by approximately five million people. These languages are Georgian, Svan, Mingrelian (Megrel), and Laz (Chan). Unlike the other Caucasian families, Kartvelian languages are found almost entirely south of the Caucasus mountain range.

Georgian: The Dominant Kartvelian Language

Among all Caucasian languages, Georgian stands out as the most widely spoken and culturally influential. It is the official language of Georgia and is used by the vast majority of the country’s population, with small Georgian-speaking communities in neighboring Turkey and Azerbaijan. Georgian is unique not only because of its number of speakers but also because it possesses an ancient written tradition, dating back more than 1,500 years. This makes it the only Caucasian language with a long-standing literary history.

Svan, Mingrelian, and Laz

The other Kartvelian languages are more regionally confined:

  • Svan is spoken in the mountainous Svaneti region in northern Georgia.
  • Mingrelian is found primarily in western Georgia’s lowland areas.
  • Laz is spoken in northeastern Turkey, along a narrow strip of land bordering the southeastern coast of the Black Sea.

Although these languages are closely related to Georgian, they are not mutually intelligible with it and are often considered endangered due to their limited number of speakers and lack of standardized writing systems.

The Northwest Caucasian (Abkhazo-Adyghian) Language Family

The Northwest Caucasian, or Abkhazo-Adyghian, family includes four living languages spoken by around 2.3 million people, along with one extinct language. These languages are known for their extremely complex consonant systems and minimal vowel inventories.

Languages and Geographic Distribution

The major languages in this family are:

  • Abkhaz, spoken south of the Caucasus range in Abkhazia
  • Abaza, spoken in Karachay-Cherkessia
  • Adyghe, spoken in Adygea
  • Kabardian, spoken in Kabardino-Balkaria

All except Abkhaz are spoken primarily north of the Caucasus mountains.

The Extinct Ubykh Language

A notable member of this family is Ubykh, which became extinct in the late 20th century with the death of its last speaker. Ubykh is famous among linguists for having one of the largest consonant inventories ever recorded, with around 80 consonants and only a handful of vowels.

The Northeast Caucasian (Nakho-Dagestanian) Language Family

The Northeast Caucasian, also known as Nakho-Dagestanian, family is the largest and most internally diverse of the Caucasian language families. It is divided into two main subfamilies: Nakh and Dagestanian.

The Nakh Subfamily

The Nakh languages include Chechen, Ingush, and Bats, spoken by about 1.8 million people:

  • Chechen is predominant in Chechnya
  • Ingush is spoken mainly in Ingushetia
  • Bats is confined to a single village in northeastern Georgia

Chechen and Ingush are closely related and share many grammatical features, while Bats is much smaller and highly endangered.

The Dagestanian Subfamily

The Dagestanian languages are spoken mainly in Dagestan and neighboring parts of Azerbaijan. They are further divided into three major groups:

  1. Avaro-Ando-Tsezic
    Spoken in central and western Dagestan and northwestern Azerbaijan, this group includes Avar, the dominant language, along with many smaller languages such as Andi, Tsez (Dido), Hunzib, and Beztha. Most of these have fewer than 50,000 speakers each.
  2. Lako-Dargwa
    This group includes Lak and Dargwa, spoken by nearly 700,000 people in central Dagestan.
  3. Lezgic
    The Lezgic group is spoken by around one million people, mainly in southern Dagestan and northern Azerbaijan. Lezgi is the most widely spoken, followed by languages such as Tabasaran, Rutul, Tsakhur, and Aghul. Smaller languages like Udi, Archi, and Khinalugh have fewer than 10,000 speakers each.

Speakers and Language Status

Altogether, Caucasian languages are spoken by nearly 12 million people. However, many of these languages—especially smaller ones—are unwritten and endangered. Urbanization, migration, and the dominance of national languages such as Russian and Georgian have placed increasing pressure on minority languages.

Among all Caucasian languages, Georgian holds a unique position due to its official status, standardized writing system, and extensive literary tradition.

Main Linguistic Features of Caucasian Languages

Phonology

One of the most striking features of Caucasian languages is their rich consonant systems. Across all three families, stops and affricates typically show a three-way contrast:

  • voiced
  • voiceless aspirated
  • voiceless glottalized (ejective)

In general, languages with very large consonant inventories tend to have small vowel systems, and vice versa.

  • Abkhazo-Adyghian languages have extremely few vowels—often just a and schwa—but massive consonant inventories. Abkhaz and Adyghe have around 70 consonants, while Ubykh had about 80.
  • Nakho-Dagestanian languages display more complex vowel systems, including long, nasalized, pharyngealized, and labialized vowels, alongside substantial consonant inventories.
  • Kartvelian languages have a simpler five-vowel system (a, e, i, o, u). Svan is an exception, with additional front vowels and vowel length contrasts.

Morphology

The three families differ greatly in grammatical structure:

  • Abkhazo-Adyghian languages have minimal or nonexistent case systems but extremely complex, polysynthetic verbs.
  • Nakho-Dagestanian languages show the opposite pattern, with elaborate case systems and multiple grammatical genders, paired with relatively simple verbs.
  • Kartvelian languages occupy a middle ground, with moderate case systems and richly inflected verbs that mark person, number, tense, aspect, mood, and voice.

Syntax

Despite their differences, Caucasian languages share several syntactic traits:

  • Subject–Object–Verb (SOV) word order
  • Ergative constructions
  • The use of postpositions instead of prepositions

In Kartvelian and Nakh-Dagestanian languages, adjectives and genitives typically precede the noun, while in Abkhazo-Adyghian languages, adjectives usually follow the noun.

List of Caucasian languages with speaker numbers and geographic locations

Lexicon and External Influences

Although much of the original vocabulary has been preserved, Caucasian languages have absorbed numerous loanwords over the centuries. Arabic, Persian, and Turkic languages have had significant influence, while Russian has contributed many technical and administrative terms in the north. In the south, Greek has played a similar role.

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