2020 Census May be Offered in Arabic for the First Time

As Europe grapples with millions of migrants from all over the Middle East, Central Asia, and North Africa, the United States is facing its own major demographic shift due to immigration from Arabic speaking countries. In fact, the growth of this population accelerating to such an extent, that the next US census will likely be offered in Arabic for the very first time.

According to the Pew Research Center, the US Census Bureau is currently working on the new questionnaire, and they face a number of challenges. Among them, is the fact that Arabic uses a very unique alphabet, is written from right to left, and many names and addresses wouldn’t be easily translated between Arabic and English. The new census may also include a Middle East/North African category when choosing ethnicity.

Pew revealed that Arabic is now the fastest growing language in America, and grew by 29% between 2010 and 2014. By comparison, Spanish only grew by 6% in the same time period. Though much like Spanish-speaking households, more than a third of Arabic speaking households do not have a firm grasp of the English language.

Arabic is now the 7th largest language in America, due to increasing migration from predominately Muslim countries. The Muslim population is expected to double in America between now and the year 2050.