We all know that English is the most spoken language in the world, but what language is second and third?
What languages are the most commonly spoken around the world? Well, that can be a tricky question.
While we have a pretty good idea of how many people speak the major languages of the world, determining where they’re most spoken can be complicated. Countries often have official languages that are given legal status, but there are also additional designations — including regional languages, minority languages, national languages and widely spoken language — that indicate a language is spoken by a sizable share of a country’s population.
Official language in:
Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Botswana, Brunei, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Dominica, Eswatini, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somaliland, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, UK, United States, Vanuatu, Zambia
Regional language in:
Honduras in the Bay Islands, Micronesia except for Kosrae, Netherlands in Saint Maarten, Saint Eustatius and Saba islands
Widely spoken in:
Cyprus, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Israel, Palestine, Switzerland
The English language dates back to the 5th century AD, when Germanic tribes invaded the isle of Britain. Today, nearly 1.5 billion people speak it, including 480 million native English speakers. That’s 20 percent of the world!
As the world’s most commonly spoken language, English is also considered the official language of international business.
Official language in:
China, Singapore, Taiwan
Widely spoken in:
Malaysia
Of all the 297 living languages spoken in China, Mandarin Chinese is by far the most common, with 1.3 billion speakers. (As a point of comparison, the second-most-prevalent language, Wu — see No. 21 on this list — is spoken by 80 million people.)
There is much debate about Mandarin eventually surpassing English to become the language of international business, but as most people outside of Asia do not have a basic understanding of Mandarin, experts do not predict this will happen.
Official language in:
Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Spain, Uruguay, Venezuela
Minority language in:
Andorra
Regional language in:
Belize
Widely spoken in:
Philippines, United States
The Spanish language extended its reach quickly around the world as conquests were made to discover new lands. Commonly found in South America, Central America and the Caribbean, it is today spoken by millions of people in many different countries.
The majority of Spanish speakers in the world are in Mexico. Across the border in the United States, where English is the official language, 41 million people speak Spanish as their first language. Nearly 12 million Americans are bilingual, as well, and studies predict that the U.S. will topple Mexico as the largest Spanish-speaking county by 2050.
Official language in:
Fiji and India (Hindi); Pakistan (Urdu)
Hindustani refers to both the Hindi and Urdu languages, which are direct descendants of Sanskrit.
Hindi is spoken by so many people in large part because it’s an official language in India, the second-most-populous country on Earth. Urdu, an official language in the neighboring country of Pakistan, is more often spoken in Muslim communities.
5. Arabic — 422 Million Speakers
6. Malay — 281 Million Speakers
7. Russian — 267 Million Speakers
8. Bengali — 261 Million Speakers
9. Portuguese — 229 Million Speakers
10. French — 229 Million Speakers
Source: Far&Wide
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