Besides Bengali, the list of foreign languages also includes Punjabi, Gujarati, and Tamil.
Foreign Language Spoken in London: According to a survey conducted by adult education and charity City Lit, the South Asian language Bengali ranks first on the list of the top 10 most spoken foreign languages in London. Bengali is officially designated as the second most spoken foreign language in London after English, followed by Polish and Turkish. Approximately 165,311 Londoners speak one of these three languages as their first language. Besides Bengali, the list of foreign languages also includes Punjabi, Gujarati, and Tamil.
Dominance of the Bengali Language in Three Cities
About 71,609 Londoners speak Bengali as their primary language. It is the most common primary language spoken in three different boroughs, second only to English. In Camden, 3 percent of residents report Bengali as their main home language. Similarly, 7 percent of people in Newham and 18 percent of residents in Tower Hamlets also list Bengali as their primary language at home.
Polish Language in London
Polish is the second most common foreign language spoken by Londoners. It ranks as the second most spoken main language in seven boroughs, after English. Only 3 percent of Britons can speak Polish. Around 6 percent of people in Ealing speak Polish at home, compared to 2 percent in Barnet, 1 percent in Bromley, 2 percent in Lewisham, 4 percent in Merton, and 1 percent in Richmond upon Thames.
Four European Languages Also Included in the List
Notably, while six non-European languages—Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu, Arabic, and Tamil—are included in the top 10 list, four European languages—Polish, Turkish, French, and Portuguese—also make the list.
Number of Top 10 Foreign Language Speakers
Bengali: 71,609
Polish: 48,585
Turkish: 45,117
Gujarati: 43,868
Punjabi: 22,108
Urdu: 18,127
French: 13,013
Arabic: 11,971
Tamil: 10,513
Portuguese: 9,897
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