The 25 Most Spoken Languages in the World

Estimated reading time: 14 minutes

Communication is a crucial aspect of human existence. We use it in every small action, forming our life entirely. And the most used form would be to speak, write, read, and listen. This makes languages, without a doubt, an essential component of humanity.

Language is a powerful tool that unites and helps us communicate. They have shaped cultures, societies, and history around the world. It allows us to share our opinions, ideas, and feelings.

The world has seen a plethora of languages that have been spoken throughout the era. Some have survived the cultural revolutions, while others have failed and become extinct. But this is sure that each is distinct, distinguishing and depicting various cultures.

The practicality and geographic location of a language significantly affect a language’s popularity. The 26th edition of Ethnologue of 2023, a vast database covering most of the world’s population, summarizes languages and their global distribution.

Countries generally have official languages, but ethnicity and geography make way for secondary or non-native speakers.

While this is the overall scenario, I am here to give you insight into the 25 most spoken languages in the world. And also why you should learn at least one of them.

Criteria to define the most widely spoken language globally

The criteria for defining the most widely spoken language in the world can vary depending on the source. Also, different measures can specify the most widespread languages globally.

Here are some of the most common ones include:

1. The number of native speakers: This refers to the total number of people who speak as their first language, native or mother tongue.
2. Number of total speakers: This includes both native and non-native speakers of a language. It refers to the percentage of the world’s population that speaks the language.
3. Geographic distribution refers to the number of countries or regions where a language is spoken. Some languages have a wide geographic distribution, while others are spoken in only one or a few countries.
4. Official language status refers to whether a language is accepted as an official language by one or more countries or international organizations.
5. Cultural and economic influence refers to a language’s impact on global culture, media, and commerce.
6. Historical and literary importance refers to a language’s historical, cultural, and literary significance. This includes its contribution to world literature and intellectual heritage.

The above criteria can identify several languages considered the most widely spoken worldwide. Yet, it can vary depending on the analysis’s context and purpose.

Since the total number of speakers (L1 and L2) is the most common. Thus, I’ve compiled the list of the top 25 languages by the number of speakers.

25 most spoken languages worldwide in 2023

According to Ethnologue, there are currently 7,168 known living languages in the world. This includes dialects, prevalent, rarest, and thousands of endangered languages.

While the precise number varies, it is still staggering, of over 7,000 spoken globally. But the good news is that only 23 languages account for over half of the globe’s population!

This article will look at the 25 most spoken languages in the world. I will also discuss their importance, where it is spoken, facts, and details.

1. English (1,456 million speakers)

• First language: 379.6 million
• Total speakers: 1.45+ billion
• Where It’s Spoken: the United States, the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, etc.

This is a no-brainer. English is the most widely spoken and taught language worldwide. It is a global tongue and lingua franca.

English is also a default tongue in tourism and technology and a medium of communication between nations for international and inter-communal contact for business.

It is hard to specify the exact number of English speakers due to variations in proficiency levels and the dynamic nature of language acquisition. Yet, estimates suggest around 1.5 billion English speakers globally, including native and non-native speakers.

Almost one-fourth of humans speak and understand English to varying degrees, of which about 30% are native. This makes it as world’s third most-spoken mother tongue, with about 380 million native speakers.

It is the official language of 54 nations and is predominant in 16 other countries. It is a de jure language in almost two dozen non-sovereign entities. English speakers are assessed to access roughly 50% of all internet content.

It is one of the simplest languages to learn, as it does not use gender-specific terminology or complex verb conjugations. Plus, because of its global presence, you can find vast resources to help you study and enhance your English skills.

2. Mandarin Chinese (110+ million speakers)

• First language: 939 million
• Total speakers: 1.1+ billion
• Where It’s Spoken: China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc.

‘Chinese’ is technically a macro language that spans dozens of various forms and dialects, with a population of slightly under 1.2 billion native speakers. Yet, Mandarin is by far the most spoken Chinese dialect, with 939 million speakers.

It is the official language of the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Singapore and one of the United Nation’s six official languages.

Mandarin is considered difficult by many people. They fear learning it since it has 50,000 distinct characters, although just 3,00 characters are needed to understand standard Mandarin.

Suppose you enjoy tone languages with easy syntax and don’t mind devoting extra time to learning the subtleties behind them. In that case, this is the language for you.

3. Hindi (609+ million speakers)

• First language: 344 million
• Total speakers: 609 million
• Where It’s Spoken: India, Nepal, Mauritius, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Indian diasporas, etc.

To the foreign mind, Hindi may conjure images of exotic cuisine, lively places, an exciting movie industry, vibrant culture, and ancient tradition. Still, for many, it is a home call.

Because Hindi is an official language in India, the world’s most populated country, it is spoken by a large population. India does not have a national language since the nation is a multi-linguistic zone.

India and Nepal account for most of the world’s 344 million native Hindi speakers. An additional 265 million people in India speak Hindi as a second language. 

Ethnologue data doesn’t cover L3 or L4 (speakers of Hindi as 3rd or 4th language). India is home to the most number of multilinguists in the world. So counting the total Hindi speakers with varying abilities would be close to 1 billion.

Like Chinese, Hindi has many local dialects. But if one knows standard Hindi, one can understand and speak with nearly all variants of Hindi speakers, which is two-thirds of the population of India.

4. Spanish (559+ million speakers)

• First language: 485 million
• Total speakers: 74 million
• Where It’s Spoken: Spain, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, the USA, etc.

As of 2023, about 559 million people speak Spanish worldwide. Of these, 485 million are natives of Hispanic nations. This makes it the second most spoken mother tongue after Mandarin Chinese. The remaining 74 million people speak Spanish as a second or a foreign language.

Mexico is home to most Spanish speakers, followed by Colombia, Spain, and Argentina. Almost 41 million people in the US use Spanish as their first language, though it has no official language.

Many think Spanish takes more work because of the lengthy grammar, complex conjugations, and gender. But it is phonetic and shares many similarities with Romance languages and even Germanic, like English.

If you want to study a language that is as easy to speak as it is to read but yet enjoy a decent grammatical challenge. Then, this is the language to choose.

Spanish is a beautiful and versatile language, and it is spoken by people all over the world. Many resources and online Spanish language classes are available for learners to help them get started.

5. French (309 million speakers)

• First language: 80 million
• Total speakers: 309 million
• Where It’s Spoken: France, Canada, Congo, Belgium, Luxembourg, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, etc.

French is one of the widespread languages of Europe, and it is spoken widely in North America, French Polynesia, and Africa. In fact, it is the official language of 29 nations and is spoken as a native language in all five continents.

French is also the official administrative language of various international organizations, such as Francophonie, WTO, UN, UNESCO, FIFA, OSCE, EU, NATO, and OIC, to name a few.

France is also a key tourist destination and a noteworthy country in global affairs. The cultural diversity and rich history it offers when exploring the language are excellent reasons to jump at this opportunity.

French is a valuable language to learn, considering dozens of Francophone countries. It can open up many doors for you personally and professionally. So why not start learning today?

Check our practical online French classes designed for DELF, DALF, TCF, and TEF Canada courses.

6. Standard Arabic (274 million speakers)

• First language: 274 million
• Where It’s Spoken: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, Jordan, Libya, etc.

There are about 320 million people who speak Arabic worldwide. Of these, 274 million are native speakers, while 46 million speak Arabic as a second, third, or foreign language.

Egypt, Algeria, Sudan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, Morocco are some nations with the largest populations of Arabic speakers. It is also widely spoken in many other countries, such as Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Yemen, Oman, and the UAE.

Arabic is extensively spoken in the Middle East and the neighboring Asian and African nations. It started as a language for nomadic tribes, and today, it is the 6th most spoken language worldwide.

It is a United Nations official language and the most common or primary language used by Muslims, mainly in the middle east and Africa region.

Arabic can be helpful to avail employment opportunities in Arab nations. It is, even otherwise, a language thought to be extraordinarily poetic and aesthetic. That should motivate you to pick it up.

7. Bengali or Bangla (272 million speakers)

• First language: 233 million
• Total speakers: 300+ million
• Where It’s Spoken: India (West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, etc.) and Bangladesh.

Nearly 233 million people speak Bengali as their first language. Plus, another 40 million people use it as a second language. It is also the official language of Bangladesh.

After Hindi, it is India’s second most widely spoken language, expressed in significant states such as West Bengal, Assam, and Tripura. It is also commonly spoken in Pakistan, Nepal, and the United Kingdom.

Bengali is the sixth most-spoken native and seventh most-spoken language in terms of the total number of speakers worldwide.

It is like Hindi, with every consonant having a vowel sound built-in, which is a fascinating point for Westerners. If you already speak Hindi, Bangla should be relatively easy to learn.

8. Portuguese (263 million speakers)

• First language: 236 million
• Total speakers: 263 million
• Where It’s Spoken: Brazil, Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, East Timor, etc.

Although Portugal is a small nation, its language has a global impact because Portuguese colonists, traders, and missionaries introduced it to other parts of the globe.

Portuguese is spoken by over 263 million people, of which 230 million are natives and 30 million are second-language speakers. Brazil has the most Portuguese speakers, with over 200 million people. 

It is the official language of Portugal, Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, East Timor, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Equatorial Guinea. A small minority also speaks it in Macau (China) and Goa, India.

Portuguese is important for diplomacy and economic growth; it is the working and official language of many of the world’s most prominent organizations.

Portuguese is a Romance language, meaning it is descended from Latin. It is closely related to Spanish, Galician, and Catalan.

It is commonly spoken in business and commerce. It is one of the three official languages of the Mercosur, a South American trade bloc.

9. Russian (255 million speakers)

• First language: 147 million
• Total speakers: 255 million
• Where It’s Spoken: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, the Caucasus, Central Asia, etc.

Russia is a spread-out nation; previously, the Soviet Union comprised many countries. With 258 million speakers, of which 154 million are natives, Russian is the most spoken Slavic and native language in Europe.

Russian is the official language of Russia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, and Kazakhstan, and it is widespread in various parts of Europe. It is also one of the six UN official languages and one of two official languages aboard the International Space Station.

It is widely spoken in several other countries formerly part of the Soviet Union or had historical ties to Russia. Thus, it is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia.

It is the world’s eighth-most-spoken language by the number of native speakers and the world’s ninth-most-spoken language by the total number of speakers.

Because of Russia’s space technology and extensive literary collection, Russian is a must-learn for prospective astronauts and literature fans.

10. Urdu (231+ million speakers)

• First language: 70 million
• Total speakers: 231 million
• Where It’s Spoken: India, Pakistan, UAE, etc.

Urdu is Pakistan’s official language and is extensively spoken in India. It has risen to the top of the most spoken languages list in the recent year or two.

It has 230 million speakers, including 70 million native speakers. It is also spoken in Bangladesh and South Asian communities in the Middle East, the UK, the USA, Canada, Germany, Norway, etc.

Urdu is like Hindi and has been dubbed “the language of love.” This is because of its intriguing-sounding and lovely vocabulary.

Urdu speakers will have little trouble understanding Hindi, and vice versa. This makes Urdu the most straightforward language to learn on this list for most of us.

11. Indonesian (200 million speakers)

• First language: 42 million
• Total speakers: 200 million
• Where It’s Spoken: Indonesia.

Indonesian, i.e., Bahasa Indonesia, is Indonesia’s official and national language. It is a standardized version of Malay, an Austronesian family language used de facto in the multilingual Indonesian archipelago for centuries.

A standard form of Riau Malay used in the Riau-Lingga Sultanate in the 19th and early 20th centuries is Standard Indonesian, a form of Classical Malay.

Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world, with nearly 270 million inhabitants, of which the majority speak Bahasa. It is also spoken in neighboring countries.

Indonesian is one of the most polite languages in the world. It encloses many distinct dialects across Indonesia and is one language of Austronesian origin in this list.

Various languages have influenced Indonesian vocabulary, including Javanese, Sanskrit, Minangkabau, Buginese, Dutch, Banjarese, Arabic, English, etc.

Despite popular belief, Bahasa Indonesia is beneficial and surprisingly simple and clear to learn because of its basic structure and easy pronunciation.

12. Standard German (133+ million speakers)

• First language: 76 million
• Total speakers: 133 million
• Where It’s Spoken: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, etc.

With over 133 million speakers and 76 million natives, German is the only national official language in Germany, Austria, and Liechtenstein. It is one of the official tongues of Luxembourg, Belgium, and Switzerland. It is also spoken in many other countries around the world.