Today, more than 40 million people speak Pashto, and that number is rising. As a result, Pashto is one of Southeast and Central Asia's most commonly spoken languages.
Pashto became the national language of Afghanistan in 1936
…and 25 million people speak Pashto in Pakistan. In addition to this, there are smaller speech communities in Iran, Tajikistan, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
It has 2-3 different dialects that vary according to the region. It also has a tradition of oral literature that includes long-form poetry and stories.