10+ Most Spoken Languages in the World (Updated 2024)

by William Christie · February 26, 2024

Every country in this world has its own official language. Some may have a high number of languages others may have only a single language used in the country. Of course, it makes one curious about what are the languages that are popular across the globe. If you are also interested in knowing about them then here I will help you in identifying the most spoken languages in the world along with their native users.

Quick Takeaways

The following are the most spoken languages in the world-

1. English
2. Hindi
3. Spanish
4. French
5. Mandarin Chinese
6. Portuguese
7. Arabic
8. Malay
9. German
10. Japanese
11. Urdu
12. Turkish
13. Bengali

However, you must read till the end so that you get a better understanding of the most spoken languages in the world.

Table of Contents

What are the most spoken languages in the world?

The following are the most spoken languages in the world-

1. English

English is currently the most spoken language in the world due to its wide use throughout the world and even in Europe. It is also the most common language because of its position in some of the most powerful economies in the world. It is one of the official languages of the UN and the most widely used language online. It’s fascinating to note that English is the most taught and spoken foreign language in the world. There are over twice as many non-native speakers as native speakers. While the number of non-native speakers has continued to rise sharply, the number of native speakers has only slightly grown in the past few years.

Native speakers: 379 million
Non-native speakers: 753.3 million

2. Hindi

Hindi is one of the popular languages spoken in India and is one of the 22 official languages of the country. India has incredible linguistic diversity which has around 121 languages. This diversity shows the high rate of non-native speakers and is spoken by more than a quarter of the population in Nepal. An interesting fact about this language is that it is not only the official language of India but many other countries like Fiji. It has a lot of vocabulary and syntax which makes it one of the most interesting and beautiful languages in both writing and speaking.

Native speakers: 341.2 million
Non-native speakers: 274.2 million

3. Spanish

Spanish is one of the most requested languages to learn by people around the world. It is a Romance language that originated in the country of Spain and is known for the melody’s sounds. It is the official language of 21 countries including Uruguay, Colombia, Mexico, etc. An interesting part of this language is that there are different types of this language which are based on the area where you are living. Suppose you are living in parts of Mexico then you will be speaking the Mexican Spanish language.

Native speakers: 460.1 million
Non-native speakers: 74.2 million

4. French

French has been the most taken second language to learn. At present, there are 29 French-speaking countries and has large number of non native speakers. It is the official language of France and the rich history of France has helped in spreading the language in the world. Just like English, there are more native French speakers than native speakers. This language has captured the interest of a lot of people across the globe. If you are learning the French language then you may get a lot of benefits like improving cognitive functions which will help in getting more opportunities in traveling or in business.

Native speakers: 77.2 million
Non-native speakers: 202.6 million

5. Mandarin Chinese

Throughout the world, people speak Mandarin Chinese, which has a rich history and is extremely fascinating. With more than a billion speakers globally, Mandarin Chinese is one of the most commonly spoken languages in the world. Despite its widespread use, Mandarin Chinese is difficult for many people to learn because it has four basic tones, each with a distinct meaning.

But learning this language can open up a lot of doors, particularly for economic and cultural contacts with countries like Singapore, Taiwan, and China. Surprisingly, Mandarin Chinese is also one of the six official languages of the UN, which depicts its significance on the international scene.

Native speakers: 917.8 million
Non-Native speakers: 198.7 million

6. Portuguese

Portuguese is one of the languages that has expanded in the world during the European colonial period. At present it is the official language of 9 countries including South America and Asia. This language originated in Brazil and thus Brazil has most speakers of this language. Its rich culture makes set different from other languages. It has its own colonial past and was started in the 15th century. Bossa Nova, Angola, etc. if you also want to learn this language you can always use Duolingo for it.

Native speakers: 220.7 million
Non-native speakers: 13.4 million

7. Arabic

Arabic is a language like Chinese which has a lot of dialects in it. There are a lot of spoken forms of this language like Oman and Morocco. The modern standard of ABC language is written in a form that is closely related to the classical Arabic of the Quran. Also, many other languages like Turkish and Urdu have instances of this language. The language is widely spoken in Algeria, Israel, Syria, Yemen, etc. It is also spoken in the parts of the United Nations where there is a high population of Muslims.

Native speakers: 273.9 million
Non-native speakers: 132 million

Related: Books to Learn The Arabic

8. Malay

Malay is the language which is spoken in the Austronesian family. This language is spoken all over the Malaysian Peninsula and the surrounding area. It is the national language of Malaysia and is also spoken in Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia. Again it is one such language that has more non native speakers than native speakers.

Native speakers: 77 million
Non-native speakers: 200-250 million

9. German

German is not only the official language of Germany but also of countries like Australia, Belgium, Switzerland, etc. If you want to get more opportunities in the world of the business. The biggest car manufacturers are from Germany and thus if you are thinking of getting into such a business then German is for you. Germany is the biggest contributor in international research and development efforts and thus it is widely spoken in scientific research. There are many scientists from abroad who take fellowships throughout Germany country.

Native speakers: 75.6 million
Non-native speakers: 59 million

10. Japanese

Japanese is the official language of Japan and also is very reputable for having the most interesting writing style all over the world. It includes three different unique scripts which are known as hiragana, kanji, and katakana. The Kanji uses Chinese characters whereas hiragana and Katakana are phonetic scripts. When you learn this language you will not only be allowed to communicate with native speakers but you will also be getting a lot of knowledge about Japanese culture.

You can use Duolingo to learn this language. An interesting part of this language is that it is widely spoken in only one country which is Japan. However, it is not the official language of Japan as the country does not have any official language yet.

Native speakers: 125.4 million
Non-native speakers: 24.6 million

11. Urdu

Urdu is one of the widely spoken languages and the speakers of this language can easily communicate with the speakers of Hindi language. This language is the lingua Franca of Pakistan but is linguistically close to India’s popular language Hindi. Of course, it means that this language is also spoken in parts of India but to a lesser extent. Just like Hindi Urdu has also adopted a lot of words from the English language including airport, file, science, bus, etc. Not only this but English has also derived words from the Urdu language.

Native speakers: 70 million
Non-native speakers: 100 million

12. Turkish

Turkish is believed to be the culture that has been shaped during past centuries. It means that it is more than just a spoken language for the people. Some of the unique characteristics of this language like vowel harmony and agglutinative grammar have an important role in making it one of the fascinating languages. Turkish is not only the language of Turkey but also is spoken in parts of Northern Cyprus. The rich linguistic features of this language and its rich culture will help you in your journey.

Native speakers: 74.44 million
Non-native speakers: 7.16 million

13. Bengali

Bengali is one of the official languages of Bangladesh along with the title of most commonly used language in Asia. This language has a lot of historical significance in the South Asian languages. It is not only part of Bangladesh but is also commonly used in the Pakistan region. This is the language in which the national anthem of India (presently known as Bharat) was written. Further, it is one such language that has a softer ambiance with simple punctuation.

Native speakers: 210 million
Non-native speakers: 40 million

Conclusion

There are a lot of countries around the globe which further have a lot of languages at present. The most commonly used language all over the world is English. It is in fact the most learned language by people around the world. Along with that Mandarin Chinese and Hindi are the other two most used languages in the world. Further, the two most common languages that are learned by the people are Spanish and French language. There are many other popular languages like Urdu and Turkish.

FAQs

What are the top 5 spoken languages?

Following are the top 5 spoken languages-
English
Mandarin Chinese
Hindi
Spanish
Standard Arabic