List of Wikipedias
Wikipedia is a free multilingual open-source wiki-based online encyclopedia edited and maintained by a community of volunteer editors. The concept was started on 15 January 2001 by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. Wikipedia is available in many languages, each with its own edition, collectively known as the "Wikipedias." Each language edition is independently managed by its community of users, known as Wikipedians.
Notable Language Editions
English Wikipedia
The English Wikipedia is the primary and largest edition, with over 7 million articles as of 2025. It accounts for roughly 10.8% of the total articles across all Wikipedias. It has been influential in defining the standards and practices for other language editions.
Swedish and Dutch Wikipedias
The Swedish and Dutch Wikipedias stand out due to their large volumes of articles. Their growth is partly attributed to automated article-creating bots like Lsjbot, which significantly increased their article count.
Chinese Wikipedia
The Chinese Wikipedia is another major language version, serving a vast population of Chinese speakers worldwide. It has faced unique challenges due to censorship from the Chinese government.
Indonesian Wikipedia
The Indonesian Wikipedia, known as Wikipedia bahasa Indonesia, represents the Indonesian language. It ranks 25th in terms of size among the different Wikipedias.
Norwegian Wikipedia
The Norwegian Wikipedia is split into two versions: one for Bokmål, and the other for Nynorsk. This division reflects the duality of written Norwegian.
Language Diversity and Growth
Wikipedia's multilingual nature allows it to reach a global audience, breaking language and cultural barriers. The growth of each language edition is influenced by the size of the language-speaking population, the active community of editors, and technological aids like bots. As of now, Wikipedia is available in over 300 languages.
Management and Community
The Wikimedia Foundation, a charitable organization headquartered in California, hosts Wikipedia alongside other projects. Each language Wikipedia maintains its policies and systems, while the Foundation provides the necessary infrastructure and support. The Wikipedia community is central to its operation, contributing to content creation, moderation, and the overall growth of the encyclopedias.