When it comes to determining the most spoken languages in the world, it should be easy, right? Wrong! Different people have different views, different sources cite different statistics.
It is an absolute nightmare!
With that being said, whether you are a businessman, politician, language lover or someone just curious about languages, these are the most spoken languages you could start learning!
How do we Define “Most Spoken”?
The term “most spoken” is very vague. Almost too vague.
Usually, there are two trains of thought when it comes to determining the most spoken languages- native speakers or the total number of speakers.
For the first, they focus on how many people speak the language as their native language. For the second, they focus on how many people speak the language as either a native or second language.
For the sake of this article, we will focus on how many people speak the language in total. That means, that just because a language has a lot of speakers, it my not appear here.
17. Telugu (75 Million)
Telugu is known for being not only one of the most spoken languages, but also one of the oldest languages. Partly thanks to its age, Telugu is spoken by 75 million people.
Telugu is mostly spoken in India, being the official language of the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Yanam. However, it is also spoken as a minority language in the surrounding states.
As with most other languages, Telugu has benefited from immigration. Many Telugu speakers left India to found their own Telugu communities in Saudi Arabia, Russia, Poland, Sweden and Australia.
Thanks to how widespread Telugu is, there are many famous Telugu speakers. These include: Satya Nadella (CEO of Microsoft), Jaya Prada and G. K. Reddy to name but a few.
16. Marathi (83 Million)
Marathi is probably one of the more obscure languages, however, that has not prevented it from being one of the most spoken languages on the planet! To date, it is estimated that 83 million people speak Marathi!
Officially, Marathi is one of India’s many official languages, mostly spoken in the states of Maharashtra, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu. However, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal have Marathi communities too.
Many Marathi speakers have emigrated from India to countries several thousands of miles from it, forming their own communities. The largest of these communities are in the UK, US, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand.
Marathi has its own version of Hollywood, creatively called “Marathi Hollywood” although it is small. Many Marathi actors can be found in Hollywood and Bollywood films, speaking Marathi or English.
15. Swahili (98 Million)
The only solely African language on this list, Swahili is one of the most spoken languages in the world, with 98 million people speaking it, mostly as a first language.
In Central Africa, Swahili is the most present language, often being used as a local Lingua Franca between many African countries. This has been the reason that most people who have learned Swahili gave, for learning the language.
Swahili is the official language of Uganda and Kenya. However, is a diplomatic language for countries like CAR, Chad, the Congos, Cameroon and South Sudan.
In recent years, Swahili has become very present in films and TV shows, often used by native Swahili speaking actors. The most famous of these are: Nana Kagga, Patrick Ssenjovu and Arnold Oceng.
14. German (100 Million)
German is perhaps one of the most difficult languages here. However, that does not mean that German is spoken any less. In fact, it is one of the most spoken languages on the planet!
Over 100 million speak German, mostly as a native language. However, German is also spoken by around 10 million second language speakers. One of the biggest reasons why German is widely spoken is because of the HRE and German Empires.
Countries such as Germany, Austria and Switzerland speak German thanks to the Holy Roman Empire. Countries such as Namibia, parts of South Africa and even a town in China speak German thanks to the German Empire!
Thanks to being so widely spoken, German is one of the official languages of IOC, UPU, EU, EASA and ESA. Several celebrities also speak German, from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Michael Fassbender to Christoph Waltz.
13. Japanese (130 Million)
Japanese is similarly one of the hardest languages, just like German. Despite this, 130 million people speak Japanese, mostly as a second language, with many famous polyglots insisting you should learn the language!
The main reason Japanese is so famous is mostly down to the former Japanese Empire, who many still remember living under- where Japanese was the official language.
Because of this, many countries have Japanese as an official or semi-official minority language. These include: Japan and Palau as official languages, and the Philippines and Taiwan as semi-official.
Many Japanese people have similarly moved abroad, creating Japanese-speaking communities all over the globe. The largest communities are in the UK, US, France, Germany and Brazil.
12. Punjabi (130 Million)
Punjabi is most famous for being the language of the Sikh religion. Due to this religious connection, most Sikhs speak Punjabi, making is spoken by 130 million people.
Officially, Punjabi is the sole language spoken in the Punjab region of India. However, Punjabi is also spoken in the Pakistani-owned region of Punjab (ethnically, linguistically and socially the same as the Indian region of the same name).
Similarly to Marathi and so many other languages, Punjabi has benefited from immigration. There are currently Punjabi-speaking communities in the UK, US and Canada.
Punjabi has inspired its own version Hollywood, known as Dhallywood which rivals Bollywood. Many Punjabi actors can be found in Hollywood, Dhallywood and Bollywood films.
11. Urdu (170 Million)
Urdu is perhaps the most famous language in the Hindustani language “family” (made up predominantly by Urdu and Hindi). Thanks to this, Urdu is spoken by an impressive 170 million people.
Officially, Urdu is the language of Pakistan, alongside English. However, many border towns in India can understand Urdu, if not being 100% fluent in it from their knowledge of Hindi.
Despite this, there are many Urdu-speaking communities outside of the Urdu homeland. Urdu-speaking communities can be found in France, UK, US, Canada, Germany, Australia and Italy among others.
Urdu, alongside Hindi make up Bollywood- the Indian sub-continent’s equivalent to Hollywood. Many movies made in Bollywood are in the Urdu language, as well as in Hindi.
10. Indonesian (200 Million)
Indonesian is known for being one of the most spoken languages on the planet. Indonesian might not be the most spoken language, but it is spoken by 200 million people which is enough to get it on this list!
The reason that Indonesian is so widely spoken is down to the centuries gone Srivijaya Empire that ruled most of south-east Asia, implementing Indonesian as the common language there.
As the name would suggest, Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia, as well as East Timor and Taiwan. However, Indonesian is also a force in the Asian business world- if you don’t speak Mandarin, you speak Indonesian!
The result has been that Indonesian is spoken in Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines as a minority language, used by businessmen and workers alike!
9. Portuguese (220 Million)
Portuguese is one of the most spoken languages in the world, being spoken by an impressive 220 million people. The main reason Portuguese is so widespread is thanks to the now-defunct Portuguese Empire.
Thanks to this, Portuguese is spoken on five continents in 10 different countries. These countries include: Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique among others.
With that being said, there are also Portuguese-speaking (lusophonic) communities in France, UK, US, Germany, Canada, Japan and Australia among others.
Because Portuguese is one of the most spoken languages in the world, Portuguese is the official language of the EU, Mercosur and ECOWAS. Celebrities such as Beatriz Batarda and Louis Ferreira speak Portuguese.
8. Bengali (250 Million)
Bengali is sometimes referred to as Bangla or in rare cases Bangladeshi. With the different names aside, Bengali is widely spoken, being spoken by 250 million people.
Most of these speakers are actually native speakers as well! The main reason for Bengali being so widespread is because of the population boom that began in the 1970’s, after Britain granted Bangladesh its independence.
As such, Bengali is the official of East Pakistan, which was eventually granted its own independence to become Bangladesh. Some surrounding border towns also understand and use Bengali too.
Bengali has also benefited from immigration too. Many Bengalis have moved abroad to found their own little communities. The largest of these communities are in the UK, US, Malaysia, Kuwait and Qatar.
7. Russian (265 Million)
Russian is one of the most spoken languages on the planet, being spoken by 265 million people. This equates to roughly one in 33 people globally being able to speak Russian.
Russian is spoken mostly in the former Russian Empire and USSR. However, thanks to immigration, Russian is also spoken in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and the US!
Countries using Russian as their first language, include: Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan officially. However, countries like: Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania and Uzbekistan use it too!
Plus, organizations like the ICC, IMF, International Olympic Committee, UN and World Bank speak Russian. Not to mention many celebrities speak Russian such as Mila Kunis and Robert Downey Jr.
6. French (280 Million)
French is one of the most sophisticated languages on the planet. This is mostly down to the French Empire, which at one point had holdings on four continents, in 29 modern-day countries.
Although the French Empire is now gone, many of its former colonies still speak French as a first language, with almost all of them having it as an official or secondary language.
Countries that speak French, from the former French Empire include: Louisiana (USA), Quebec (Canada), Vanuatu, Belgium, Haiti, Monaco, Luxembourg, Côte d’Ivoire and the two Congos as well as several others!
French is also used by the UN, NATO, WTO, The Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Olympic Committee. French was ranked by Bloomberg as one of the most useful languages for business!
5. Arabic (420 Million)
Arabic is generally seen as one of the most spoken languages in the world, being spoken by 420 million people, mostly as a second language.
The main reason that Arabic is so widely spoken is down to its relationship with Islam- the world’s second largest religion. If a Muslim wants to read the Quran “properly” they must read it in Arabic, therefore needing to learn it.
Thanks to this, Arabic is the official language in many Muslim-majority countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain, among many other countries in the world.
Over the decades, many Muslims have left their home countries in search for a better life, establishing Arabic-speaking communities there. The largest communities are in the UK, US, Canada, France and Germany.
4. Hindi (530 Million)
The other half of the Hindistani language “family” is similarly well spoken. However, Hindi is more spoken than Urdu is, with 530 million people speaking Hindi, mostly as a native language.
Hindi is one of the official languages in India. With that being said, Hindi is also spoken in many parts Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan, where there is a significant Hindu-Indian minority.
Just as with Urdu, many Hindi speakers have emigrated abroad. This has led to several Hindi speaking communities abroad, with the largest being in the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Similarly to Urdu again, Hindi is part of Bollywood. Almost all films that are found in India, in Hindi are made in Bollywood (although you can still find Hollywood-produced films the same way you can find Bollywood films).
3. Spanish (570 Million)
Spanish is usually thought of as one of the most spoken languages on the planet, often trading places with Arabic, Hindi and Bengali for third place- usually differing on how you’re counting it.
Through this, Spanish is spoken by 570 million as both a first and second language. The reason for Spanish having so many speakers is down to the now-defunct Spanish Empire.
Today, Spanish is the official language of Spain, Mexico, Chile, Cuba and Andorra. Spanish is also spoken in most other countries too, being spoken in the UK, US, France Italy and Japan as a minority language!
As a result of how widespread Spanish is, there are literally thousands of famous people who speak Spanish. These people range from actors, to businessmen, to athletes, to singers, to TV personalities!
2. Mandarin (1.117 Billion)
When it comes to the world’s most spoken languages, Mandarin is usually considered the most spoken, or the second most spoken language on the planet- it mostly comes down to how you count it.
When you combine all of Mandarin’s speakers- whether first or second language speakers, the total is roughly 1.117 billion, making Mandarin the second most spoken language on the planet!
Mandarin is mostly spoken in China, however, there are minorities in surrounding countries too. Mandarin speakers have also emigrated over the years settling in “China Towns”, where Mandarin is spoken.
These “China Towns” can be found in almost every country on the planet. The largest of these can be found in the UK, France, US, Canada and Australia, with “China Towns” being on every inhabited continent!
1. English (1.132 Billion)
English is the most spoken language in the world, with 1.132 billion people speaking it worldwide. English is spoken on all six inhabited continents, with roughly one in seven people globally being able to speak it.
The reason so many people speak English is mostly down to the British and American Empires. The British conquered 25% of the world, and the Americans sold them everything after independence.
You can find people who speak English anywhere, thanks to it being the world’s Lingua Franca. English is the primary language of 67 countries, with 27 having it as a recognized language.
English is also the official language, used by the World Bank, NATO, UN, EU and United Africa to name a few organizations. Plus, English is spoken by thousands of celebrities, billionaires and TV personalities!
Which is truly the most spoken language in the world- English or Mandarin? Tell me in the comments!