UNESCO Interactive Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

In 1992, the International Congress of Linguists (CIPL) meeting in Canada discussed the topic of endangered languages, as a result of which it formed the Endangered Languages Committee. It held an international meeting also in 1992 in Paris to place the topic before the world and initiate action. The meeting was considered important enough to come under the authority of UNESCO. At the instigation of Stephen Wurm the committee resolved to create a research center, the International Clearing House for Endangered Languages (ICHEL) and to publish the UNESCO Red Book of Endangered Languages based on the data it collected, the title being derived from that of the Red Book of Endangered Species. Shigeru Tsuchida was to start the research center. It began in 1994 at the University of Tokyo with Tasaku Tsunoda as its director. Meanwhile, the initial reports on endangered languages had already been collected and submitted to UNESCO by regional experts in 1993. These have since been turned over to ICHEL, which created a website to enable regular updates to be made available promptly. In February 2009, UNESCO launched an online edition of the Atlas of Endangered Languages which covers the whole world, contains much more information than previous printed editions and offers the possibility to users to provide online feedback, in view of its constant updating. Building on this foundation, in 2019 UNESCO launched a new project, the Online World Atlas of Languages (WAL), which will expand the scope beyond endangered languages to document all languages around the world, including sign languages. As of June 2026, the WAL is a work-in-progress and offline until further notice, while the global data set is completed, updates are carried out to improve the platform and enhance its features. Once completed, the WAL will provide a comprehensive, up-to-date resource for researchers, policymakers, and the general public, reflecting the diversity of the world's linguistic heritage and supporting efforts in language preservation and revitalization.

• Illustration — UNESCO language endangerment classification The UNESCO list developed six categories of endangerment: • Extinct: There are no speakers left. The Atlas presumes extinction if there have been no known speakers since the 1950s. • Critically endangered: The youngest speakers are grandparents and older, and they speak the language partially and infrequently. • Severely endangered: The language is spoken by grandparents and older generations. While the parent generation may understand it, they do not speak it to children or among themselves. • Definitely endangered: Children no longer learn the language as a mother tongue in the home. • Vulnerable: Most children speak the language, but it may be restricted to certain domains (e.g. home). • Safe / Not Endangered: Is spoken by all generations and intergenerational transmission is uninterrupted. These languages are not included in the Atlas as they are not endangered., these categories are being reviewed by UNESCO to ensure they reflect the most up-to-date information on language vitality worldwide. Updates aim to provide an accurate and reliable representation of the current status of languages, supporting efforts in documentation, preservation, and revitalization.