Due to geographical, historical, and cultural influences, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia are the two most linguistically diverse countries in the world today, according to the World Economic Forum. While Papua New Guinea is currently ranked number one in both nations, the creation of new languages and the extinction of others leads to a constantly changing linguistic landscape.

In both Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, most of the indigenous languages belong to the Papuan or Austronesian language families. The Austronesian language family — which covers over 1,200 languages across Maritime Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, Madagascar, and mainland Southeast Asia — is one of the largest to ever exist. With advanced seafaring skills for their time, Austronesian people migrated east from their original post in Taiwan and now account for an overwhelming linguistic majority in the Southeastern Hemisphere. By comparing the two countries’ linguistic landscapes, we can see how language evolves differently depending on history, contact with other cultures, and migration patterns that stem from the same aboriginal people (Austronesian diaspora).

Papua New Guinea

With a population of only 7.2 million people, Papua New Guinea is made up of an incredible 600 islands in varying sizes that cover a total of 462,840 square kilometers. Despite legally designating English, Tok Pisin, Hiri Motu, and Papua New Guinean Sign Language as official languages, the country communicates through an astounding 850 languages.

As multilingualism runs deep in the culture, the average citizen fluently speaks three languages. However, the decision to carry multilingual skills through generations is not a choice, but a necessity: Local communities often use their own indigenous language for everyday conversations, while English serves as an educational medium, and Tok Pisin is used as a bridge for intergroup communication between islands. This allows the nation to keep its historical linguistic roots all while maintaining its ability to stay connected with the rest of the world.

Indonesia

Indonesia has a unique geographical circumstance that affects its linguistic landscape like no other place on Earth. With a population of over 280 million, the country is made up of the world’s largest archipelago that spans over 17,000 islands — stretching from the Malay Peninsula all the way to Australia. The nation actively communicates in over 700 languages. However, due to volcanic activity, the number of islands regularly changes, gradually changing the linguistic landscape along with it.

Unlike Papua New Guinea, Indonesia has only one official language: Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia). However, multiple regional languages such as Javanese, Sundanese, and Madurese are all spoken in informal settings with equal popularity. It’s important to note that Indonesian was intentionally developed as a unifying language after the country gained independence to ensure that no single ethnic group could linguistically dominate the nation.

So, Who Wins?

While Papua New Guinea is currently in first place, both countries are actively competing for the global title of most spoken languages due to factors such as geographical barriers and a rapid decline of indigenous language speakers. Only time will tell which country is able to successfully preserve its massive linguistic diversity while still finding suitable ways to keep its citizens united with the modern world.