Most Spoken Languages In The World

                                    

Have you ever wondered about the most spoken languages in the world.

With over 7,000 languages in existence, more than half of the world's population primarily speaks just 23 of them.

Whether it's the melodious tones of Spanish, the intricate beauty of Mandarin, or the rhythmic cadence of English;

Mastering these top languages opens doors to diverse cultures and countless opportunities.

This knowledge is essential for global expansion strategies and personal development.

Multilingualism broadens our horizons and enhances cultural understanding.

 

Top 20 Most Spoken Languages In The World

1. English (1,452 million speakers)

First language: 372.9 million

Total speakers: 1.4+ billion

According to Ethnologue, English is the most-spoken language globally, including native and non-native speakers.

It serves as the universal language in international business, tourism, technology, and more.

A bilingual person who speaks Spanish and English can understand one in three people connected to the Internet and access over 60% of online content.

 

2. Mandarin (1,118 million speakers)

First language speakers: 929 million

Total speakers: 1.1+ billion

 

Mandarin is the second most widely spoken language globally, counting only first-language (native) speakers due to China's significant population.

It's a set of dialects of the Chinese language, with speakers understanding each other.

 

3. Hindi (602+ million speakers)

First language speakers: 343.9 million

Total speakers: 602+ million

Hindi, one of India's 22 official languages, has over 121 languages coexisting within the country.

India's linguistic diversity explains the high rate of non-native speakers using Hindi as a lingua franca.

 

4. Spanish (548+ million speakers)

First language speakers: 474.7 million

Total speakers: 548+ million

There are 21 Spanish-speaking countries worldwide, and the United States ranks as the second-largest Spanish-speaking country.

 

5. French (280 million speakers)

First language speakers: 79.9 million

Total speakers: 274+ million

French spread across the world with the French colonial empire, making it one of the most spoken languages.

It's the language of culture and ranks third in terms of non-native speakers.

 

6. Modern Standard Arabic (274 million speakers)

First language speakers: 0 million

Total speakers: 274 million

It's used in literature and politics but not in everyday life.

 

7. Bengali (272+ million speakers)

First language speakers: 233.7 million

Total speakers: 272.7 million

Bengali is the official language of Bangladesh and spoken in parts of India and Burma.

 

8. Russian (258+ million speakers)

First language speakers: 154 million

Total speakers: 258.2 million

Russian's inclusion is due to Russia's vast territory and its prevalence in 19 countries.

 

9. Portuguese (257+ million speakers)

First language speakers: 232.4 million

Total speakers: 257.7 million

Portuguese colonial expansion during the European colonial period led to its spread across Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia.

 

10. Urdu (231.3 million speakers)

First language speakers: 70.2 million

Total speakers: 231.3 million

 

Urdu is one of Pakistan's official languages and used in some Indian regions.

It's highly intelligible with Hindi, despite differences in script.

 

11. Indonesian (199 million speakers)

First language speakers: 43.6 million

Total speakers: 199.0 million

Bahasa Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia and serves as a second language to facilitate understanding in a multilingual country.

 

12. German (134.6 million speakers)

First language speakers: 75.6 million

Total speakers: 134.6 million

German is primarily spoken in Europe, with a small population. However, it ranks as the fifth most studied language globally.

 

13. Japanese (125.4 million speakers)

First language speakers: 125.3 million

Total speakers: 125.4 million

Japanese is spoken mainly in Japan, with over 99% of the population being native speakers.

 

14. Nigerian Pidgin (120.7 million speakers)

First language speakers: 4.7 million

Total speakers: 120.7 million

Nigerian Pidgin is expected to rise in the rankings due to Nigeria's rapid population growth.

 

15. Marathi (99.1 million speakers)

Marathi boasts a concentration of speakers in Maharashtra, India.

First language speakers: 83.1 million

Total speakers: 99.1 million

As the third most prevalent language in India, Marathi finds its main base in the state of Maharashtra.

It has a history dating back around 1,300 years, making it one of the world's oldest languages.

 

16. Telugu (95.7 million speakers)

First language speakers: 82.7 million

Total speakers: 95.7 million

Telugu, India's fourth most common language, follows closely behind Marathi.

It predominantly flourishes in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Additionally, it serves as the official language in several other states.

Telugu belongs to the ancient Dravidian language family, which spans over 5,000 years.

 

17. Turkish (88.1 million speakers)

First language speakers: 82.2 million

Total speakers: 88.1 million

Turkish, the official language of Turkey, is distinct for having used a modified Arabic alphabet until 1928, when it transitioned to the Roman alphabet

Beyond Turkey, substantial Turkish-speaking communities are found in Cyprus, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, and other European nations.

 

18. Tamil (86.4 million speakers)

First language speakers: 78.4 million

Total speakers: 86.4 million

Tamil, India's fifth most prevalent language, holds a significant presence in the state of Tamil Nadu.

It's also widely spoken by Tamil communities in Sri Lanka and Singapore.

With a history spanning over 5,000 years, Tamil is regarded as the world's oldest living language.

 

19. Yue Chinese (85.6 million speakers)

First language speakers: 85.2 million

Total speakers: 85.6 million

Yue Chinese encompasses a cluster of closely-related dialects.

The most prominent of these is Cantonese, predominantly spoken in China's Guangdong province, as well as in Hong Kong and Macau.

Cantonese also enjoys popularity among overseas communities, establishing it as one of the most widely spoken Chinese dialects outside China.

 

20. Vietnamese (85.3 million speakers)

First language speakers: 84.6 million

Total speakers: 85.3 million

Vietnamese, predominantly spoken in Vietnam, features six distinct tones.  

21. Wu Chinese

Total Number of Speakers: 83.4 million Wu Chinese is spoken by 83.4 million people worldwide and is a stable indigenous language of China.22. 


22.Tagalog

Total Number of Speakers: 83.1 million
Tagalog is used by 83.1 million people worldwide and originated in the Philippines within the Austronesian language family.

23. Korean
Total Number of Speakers: 81.7 million
Korean boasts 81.7 million users and is the official national language of South Korea.

24. Iranian Persian
Total Number of Speakers: 78.6 million
Also known as Farsi, Iranian Persian is the official national language of Iran and is spoken by 78.6 million people worldwide.

25. Hausa
Total Number of Speakers: 78.5 million
Hausa is spoken by 78.5 million people worldwide and is the official language in parts of Nigeria where it is spoken.

26. Swahili

Total Number of Speakers: 71.6 million
Swahili is the official language of Tanzania and has 71.6 million users worldwide, belonging to the Niger-Congo language family.

27.Javanese
Total Number of Speakers: 68.3 million
Javanese is spoken by 68.3 million people and is an indigenous language of Indonesia.

28.Italian
Total Number of Speakers: 67.9 million
Italian is spoken by 67.9 million people worldwide and is the official national language of Italy.

29.Western Punjabi
Total Number of Speakers: 66.7 million
Western Punjabi is spoken by 66.7 million people and is an indigenous language of Pakistan and India.

30.Gujarati
Total Number of Speakers: 62.1 million
With 62.1 million users, Gujarati ranks 31st among the 50 most spoken languages globally.

31.Thai
Total Number of Speakers: 62.1 million
Thai is spoken by 60.8 million people globally and is the official national language of Thailand.

32.Kannada
Total Number of Speakers: 58.7 million
Kannada is the official language in parts of India and is spoken by 58.7 million people worldwide. It belongs to the Dravidian language family.

33.Amharic
Total Number of Speakers: 57 million
Amharic is the official national language of Ethiopia and is used by 57 million people across the globe.

34.Bhojpuri
Total Number of Speakers: 52.5 million
Bhojpuri is spoken by 52.5 million individuals worldwide but is mainly used in India and Nepal.

35.Eastern Punjabi
Total Number of Speakers: 52.1 million
Eastern Punjabi is spoken by 52.1 million people in parts of India, primarily.

36.Min Nan Chinese
Total Number of Speakers: 50.5 million
Min Nan Chinese is a Chinese macrolanguage spoken by 50.5 million individuals worldwide.

37.Jinyu Chinese
Total Number of Speakers: 48 million
Jinyu Chinese is an indigenous language spoken by 48 million people in China, primarily.

38.Levantine Arabic
Total Number of Speakers: 47.6 million
Belonging to the Afro-Asiatic language family, Levantine Arabic is used by 47.6 million people worldwide and serves as a means of communication in countries such as Syria, Israel, Palestine, Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan.

39.Yoruba
Total Number of Speakers: 45.9 million
Yoruba is spoken by 45.9 million individuals, primarily in parts of Nigeria.

40.Hakka Chinese
Total Number of Speakers: 44.3 million
Hakka Chinese has 44.3 million speakers across the globe.

41.Burmese
Total Number of Speakers: 43 million
With 43 million speakers worldwide, Burmese is the official national language of Myanmar.

42.Sudanese-spoken Arabic
Total Number of Speakers: 42.4 million
Sudanese Spoken Arabic is used by 42.4 million individuals for communication, primarily in Sudan and South Sudan.

43.Algerian-spoken Arabic
Total Number of Speakers: 41.4 million
Originating in Algeria, Algerian-spoken Arabic is spoken by 41.4 million people worldwide.

44.Polish
Total Number of Speakers: 40.4 million
Polish is spoken by 40.6 million individuals, ranking 45th among the top 50 most spoken languages globally. It is the official national language of Poland.

45.Lingala
Total Number of Speakers: 40.3 million
Lingala, used by 40.3 million people, serves as a significant means of communication in Congo.

46.Odia
Total Number of Speakers: 39.8 million
Odia is spoken by 39.8 million people, primarily in parts of India.

47.Moroccan-spoken Arabic
Total Number of Speakers: 39.2 million
Originating in Morocco and the Western Sahara region, Moroccan-spoken Arabic boasts 39.2 million speakers.

48.Xiang Chinese
Total Number of Speakers: 38.1 million
Xiang Chinese, spoken by 38.1 million individuals, is an indigenous language of China.

49.Malayalam
Total Number of Speakers: 37.4 million
Malayalam is spoken by 37.4 million people and holds official language status in certain regions of India. It is part of the Dravidian language family.

 






 


 

 

 

 

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