More than 300 sign languages are in use worldwide, and more than 80% of the world’s 70 million-plus deaf people live in developing countries, according to the United Nations. National counts are far thinner. Only a handful of countries ask about sign language at all, and the United States is not one of them. Here is what the verified data shows on users, enrollment, and interpreter work.
Sign Language Users by Country and ASL Statistics 2026
How Many Sign Language Users Are There Worldwide?
No organisation counts global sign language users directly. The United Nations, citing the World Federation of the Deaf, reports more than 70 million deaf people worldwide using more than 300 different sign languages.
The World Health Organization measures something different: hearing loss severe enough to need rehabilitation. Its fact sheet, updated 3 March 2026, puts that group at 430 million people, or over 5% of the world’s population, including 34 million children.
WHO projects the figure will pass 700 million by 2050. Nearly 80% of people with disabling hearing loss live in low- and middle-income countries, and over 25% of people older than 60 are affected.
Hearing loss and sign language use are not the same measure. WHO notes that deaf people mostly have profound hearing loss and that some of them use sign language, without publishing a share.
Sign Language Users by Country: What Censuses Actually Count
Five national statistics agencies have published sign language counts from recent censuses. Each asked a different question, so the numbers below are not comparable with one another.
Scotland asked whether a person can use BSL. England and Wales asked for a main language. Canada asked separately about mother tongue and conversational ability, which is why one country appears twice.
| Country or area | Census | What the question measured | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 2022 | Able to use BSL, aged 3 and over | 117,300 |
| Canada | 2021 | Able to conduct a conversation in ASL | 37,620 |
| New Zealand | 2023 | Able to hold an everyday conversation in NZSL | Nearly 25,000 |
| England and Wales | 2021 | BSL as main language, aged 3 and over | 22,000 |
| Australia | 2021 | Auslan used at home | 16,242 |
| Canada | 2021 | ASL reported as mother tongue | 8,415 |
Source: National Records of Scotland, Scotland’s Census 2022; Statistics Canada, 2021 Census; Stats NZ, 2023 Census; Office for National Statistics, Census 2021; Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census.
Canada’s 2021 Census also recorded 1,860 people with Quebec Sign Language as a mother tongue and 6,195 able to hold a conversation in it.
New Zealand’s NZSL total rose by 1,692 people, or 7.4%, between the 2018 and 2023 censuses, per Stats NZ. Australia’s next count was taken on 11 August 2026, with Auslan again prompted in the language question; results have not been released.
British Sign Language in England, Wales and Scotland
BSL was the main language of 22,000 usual residents aged three and over in England and Wales in 2021, or 0.04% of that population. That is up from 15,000, or 0.03%, in 2011.
England accounted for just over 21,000 of the 2021 total and Wales just over 900. Derby recorded the highest local share at 400 people, or 0.2%, which ONS links to the presence of the Royal School for the Deaf.
Scotland’s figure is much larger because the question was different. Its 2022 census asked whether people can use BSL, not fluently or as a main language, and 117,300 said yes. National Records of Scotland notes the question was new in 2022, so there is no comparable earlier figure.
ASL Statistics 2026: How Many People Use ASL in the US?
The US has no census count of ASL users. The most recent national estimate of signing comes from Ross Mitchell and Travas Young, published in the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education in January 2023.
Pooling nine years of National Health Interview Survey data from 2010 to 2018, the study put age-by-sex-adjusted adult sign language use at 2.80%. Use was higher among women than men, and higher among younger adults than older ones.
The measure covers sign language generally, not ASL specifically. Deaf respondents reported a far higher rate of sign language use than any other hearing acuity group.
The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders reports that 15% of American adults, or 37.5 million people aged 18 and over, report some trouble hearing. One in eight people aged 12 or older, 13% or 30 million, has hearing loss in both ears based on standard hearing exams.
ASL Enrollment Statistics in US Colleges
The Modern Language Association has counted ASL course enrollments since 1990, when it recorded 1,602 nationwide. By fall 2021 the figure was 107,899.
The MLA counts course enrollments, not individual students. Its fall 2021 census covered 2,455 institutions, 92.2% of eligible colleges and universities. Enrollment says nothing about proficiency, which is measured separately in estimated study hours to fluency.
Total enrollments in languages other than English fell 16.6% between 2016 and 2021, to 1,182,562, the largest drop in the census’s history. ASL was one of only three of the fifteen most commonly taught languages to gain, alongside Biblical Hebrew and Korean. Rankings elsewhere in language study look different, as the global learner counts by language show.
| Language | Fall 2021 enrollments | Change vs fall 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | 584,453 | −18.0% |
| French | 135,088 | −23.1% |
| American Sign Language | 107,899 | +0.8% |
| Japanese | 65,661 | −4.6% |
| German | 53,543 | −33.6% |
| Chinese/Mandarin | 46,492 | −14.3% |
Source: Modern Language Association, Enrollments in Languages Other Than English in United States Institutions of Higher Education, fall 2021.
In 2021, 44 more institutions reported ASL enrollments than in 2016. Data collection for the next MLA census began in fall 2024 and the report has not yet been published, so fall 2021 remains the current release. Course enrollment is only one channel; app-based language study data tracks a separate population entirely.
Sign Language Interpreter Jobs and Pay
The Bureau of Labor Statistics groups sign language interpreters with all other interpreters and translators. The occupation held 75,300 jobs in 2024 and is projected to reach 76,600 by 2034, a 2% increase against 3% for all occupations.
Median annual pay was $59,440 in May 2024, or $28.58 an hour. The lowest 10% earned under $35,630 and the highest 10% more than $99,830.
BLS expects about 6,900 openings a year over the decade, most from workers leaving the occupation rather than new positions. It also states that demand for ASL interpreters specifically is expected to grow because of increasing use of video relay services.
| Largest employers, 2024 | Share of employment |
|---|---|
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 29% |
| Self-employed workers | 27% |
| Educational services; state, local, and private | 17% |
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | 7% |
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | 5% |
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment data for 2024.
Sign Language Recognition by Country
The World Federation of the Deaf reports that 84 countries have granted legal recognition to a national sign language, and that 59% of countries have not yet done so.
The WFD has 138 ordinary members, national deaf-led organisations representing one country each. It was founded in Rome on 23 September 1951, the date the UN adopted as the International Day of Sign Languages in 2017.
The WFD’s Action Plan 2023–2027 sets a stated target of 25% of national populations being able to sign in their national sign language by 2033. Recognition and use are separate things, much as legal status and daily use diverge for languages classified as endangered.
Census measurement is thinnest in the developing countries where most deaf people live. Global user totals therefore stay estimates, while spoken language speaker counts are tracked to the million, as they are for the most widely spoken language on the planet.
FAQs
How many sign languages are there in the world?
More than 300, according to the United Nations, citing the World Federation of the Deaf. They are used by more than 70 million deaf people, over 80% of whom live in developing countries.
How many people use ASL in the United States?
No federal census counts ASL users. The closest national measure, from pooled 2010–2018 National Health Interview Survey data, put adult sign language use at 2.80%, covering signing generally rather than ASL alone.
Is ASL really the third most studied language in US colleges, as Reddit threads claim?
Yes, by course enrollments. The Modern Language Association’s fall 2021 census recorded 107,899 ASL enrollments, behind Spanish at 584,453 and French at 135,088, and ahead of Japanese and German.
Do the “500,000 ASL users” figures posted on Reddit hold up?
No primary dataset supports that number. The only recent national measurement is the 2.80% adult sign language prevalence from 2010–2018 survey data, which does not separate ASL from other signed languages.
How much do sign language interpreters earn?
BLS reports a median annual wage of $59,440 in May 2024 for interpreters and translators as a group. The occupation is projected to grow 2% between 2024 and 2034.
Sources
- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss
- https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/language/bulletins/languageenglandandwales/census2021
- https://www.mla.org/Resources/Guidelines-and-Data/Reports-and-Professional-Guidelines/Enrollments-in-Languages-Other-Than-English-in-United-States-Institutions-of-Higher-Education
- https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/interpreters-and-translators.htm
