Slovene (/ˈsloʊviːn/ (listen) or /sloʊˈviːn, slə-/) or Slovenian (/sloʊˈviːniən, slə-/ (listen); slovenski jezik or slovenščina) is a South Slavic language spoken by the Slovenes. It is spoken by about 2.5 million speakers worldwide, the majority of whom live in Slovenia, where it is the only official language. As Slovenia is part of the European Union, Slovene is also one of its 24 official and working languages.