The top 10 spoken languages in London have been named and six are outside Europe. Bengali has been officially named as the second most-spoken language in London, followed by Polish and Turkish – with around 165,0001 London residents speaking one of the three as their first language.

Fewer than one in ten Brits (8%) can speak a second language fluently, which means they may be missing out on friendships, relationships, and partnerships with the many foreign language speakers across the capital — particularly since 311,210 London residents use a foreign language as their primary language at home. 

To celebrate London’s cultural diversity and foster connections among residents, particularly in today’s political climate, the adult learning charity City Lit conducted research to identify the most common foreign languages spoken across the capital's boroughs.

The research revealed the primary languages spoken at home by London residents, aside from English, allowing City Lit to pinpoint the most widely spoken foreign languages in each London borough.

Bengali emerged as the second most spoken language in London, with approximately 71,609 residents using it as their main language. 

Perhaps surprisingly, six of the 10 most spoken languages after English in London originate from outside Europe. These are: Bengali, Gujarati, Panjabi, Urdu, Arabic and Tamil. Meanwhile the four European languages on the list are Polish, Turkish, French and Portuguese.

It ranks as the most common language after English in three boroughs: three percent of Camden residents, seven percent of Newham residents, and 18 percent of Tower Hamlets residents speak Bengali at home.

Polish is the second most common foreign language in London, with seven boroughs reporting it as the next most spoken language after English. 

However, just three percent of Brits are fluent in Polish, which means 97 percent may miss out on connecting with 48,585 London residents who speak it.

In Ealing, 6 percent of residents speak Polish at home, while the figures are 2 percent in Barnet, 1 percent in Bromley, 2 percent in Lewisham, 4 percent in Merton, and 1 percent in Richmond upon Thames.

Turkish ranks third, with four boroughs identifying it as the second most spoken language after English.

Around 45,117 London residents speak Turkish at home, making it an excellent language to learn, especially in Enfield, where 6 percent of residents use it as their main language, as well as in Hackney (5%), Haringey (5%), and Islington (2%).