Which language families are represented among the languages spoken in Iran?

The languages spoken in Iran are represented by three primary language families: Indo-European, Turkic (often categorized under the Altaic family), and Afro-Asiatic.12

• Indo-European: This is the largest family in Iran, spoken by approximately three-fourths of the population. It includes the official language, Persian, as well as Kurdish, Luri, and Armenian.2
• Turkic (Altaic): Spoken by roughly one-fourth of the population, this group is represented primarily by Azerbaijani and the Turkmen language.2
• Afro-Asiatic: This family is represented by Semitic languages, most notably Arabic. While Arabic is historically and religiously significant, it is spoken as a native tongue by only a small percentage of the population.2

Additionally, small isolated groups in the southeast of the country speak Dravidian dialects.3