Editing Uzbek language (section)

== Number of speakers ==
Uzbek, being the most widely spoken indigenous language in [[Central Asia]], is as well spoken by smaller ethnic groups in Uzbekistan and in neighbouring countries.

The language is spoken by other ethnic groups outside Uzbekistan. The popularity of [[Mass media in Uzbekistan|Uzbek media]], including [[Uzbekfilm]] and RizanovaUz, has spread among the [[Post-Soviet countries|post-Soviet states]], particularly in [[Central Asia]] in recent years. Since Uzbek is the dominant language in the [[Osh Region|Osh Region of Kyrgyzstan]]{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}} (and mothertongue of the city [[Osh]]), like the rest of Eastern, Southern and South-Eastern Kyrgyzstan ([[Jalal-Abad Region]]), the ethnic [[Kyrgyz people|Kyrgyzes]] are, too, exposed to Uzbek, and some speak it fluently. This is a common situation in the rest of Central Asian republics, including: the [[Turkistan Region|Turkistan region of Kazakhstan]], northern [[Daşoguz Region|Daşoguz Welaýat of Turkmenistan]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-languages-are-spoken-in-turkmenistan.html | title=What Languages Are Spoken in Turkmenistan? | date=12 June 2019 }}</ref> [[Sughd|Sughd region]] and other regions of [[Languages of Tajikistan|Tajikistan]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-languages-are-spoken-in-tajikistan.html | title=What Languages Are Spoken in Tajikistan? | date=August 2017 }}</ref> This puts the number of L2 speakers of Uzbek at a varying 1–5 million speakers.

The Uzbek language has a special status in countries that are common destination for [[immigration]] for Uzbekistani citizens. Other than [[Uzbekistan]] and other [[Central Asian Republics]], the ethnic [[Uzbeks]] most commonly choose the [[Russian Federation]]<ref name="themoscowtimes.com">{{cite web | url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/03/17/central-asians-in-russia-pressured-to-join-moscows-fight-in-ukraine-a76957 | title=Central Asians in Russia Pressured to Join Moscow's Fight in Ukraine | date=17 March 2022 }}</ref> in search of work. Most of them however, are seasonal workers, whose numbers vary greatly among residency within the Russian Federation. According to Russian government statistics, 4.5 million workers from Uzbekistan, 2.4 million from [[Tajikistan]], and 920,000 from [[Kyrgyzstan]] were working in [[Russia]] in 2021, with around 5 million being ethnic Uzbeks.<ref name="themoscowtimes.com"/>

Estimates of the number of native speakers of Uzbek vary widely, from 35 up to 40 million. ''[[Ethnologue]]'' estimates put the number of native speakers at 33 million across all the recognized dialects. The Swedish national encyclopedia, {{Lang|sv|[[Nationalencyklopedin]]}}, estimates the number of native speakers to be 38 million,<ref name="Nationalencyklopedin">"Världens 100 största språk 2007" ("The World's 100 Largest Languages in 2007"), [[Nationalencyklopedin]]</ref>
and the ''[[CIA World Factbook]]'' estimates 30 million. Other sources estimate the number of speakers of Uzbek to be 34 million in Uzbekistan,<ref>{{cite web|title=Uzbekistan|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/uzbekistan/|work=CIA|access-date=7 December 2012}}</ref> 4.5 million in Afghanistan,<ref>{{cite web|title=Languages of Afghanistan|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=AF|work=Ethnologue|access-date=7 December 2012}}</ref> 1,630,000 in Pakistan,<ref name="Uzbek, Southern"/> 1,500,000 in Tajikistan,<ref>{{cite web|title=Languages of Tajikistan|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=TJ |work=Ethnologue|access-date=7 December 2012}}</ref> about 1 million in Kyrgyzstan,<ref>{{cite web|title=Ethnic Makeup of the Population|url=http://www.stat.kg/stat.files/din.files/census/5010003.pdf|work=National Statistics Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic|access-date=7 December 2012|language=ru|archive-date=13 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113151445/http://www.stat.kg/stat.files/din.files/census/5010003.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> 600,000 in Kazakhstan,<ref>{{cite web|title=National Census 2009|url=http://www.stat.kz/p_perepis/Documents/%D0%9F%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%8C%20%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81.pdf|work=Statistics Agency of Kazakhstan|access-date=7 December 2010|language=ru|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20191219215005/http://www.stat.kz/p_perepis/Documents/%D0%9F%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%8C%20%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81.pdf|archive-date=19 December 2019}}</ref> 600,000 in Turkmenistan,<ref>{{cite web|title=Languages of Turkmenistan|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=TM|work=Ethnologue|access-date=7 December 2012}}</ref> and 300,000 in Russia.<ref>{{cite web|title=National Census 2010|url=http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/population/demo/per-itog/tab6.xls|work=Federal State Statistics Service|access-date=7 December 2012|language=ru|archive-date=6 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006173252/http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/population/demo/per-itog/tab6.xls|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Uzbek language is taught in more than fifty higher education institutions around the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=uz |first=Kun |title=Number of Uzbek language speakers exceeds 60 million people worldwide |url=https://kun.uz/en/news/2022/10/18/number-speakers-in-uzbek-language-exceeds-60-million-people-worldwide |access-date=27 October 2023 |website=Kun.uz |language=en}}</ref>