Communication is the basic building block of human interaction, and language serves as the primary tool for this purpose. Without language, none of what we have today would be possible. There are more than 700 languages in the world, so it is difficult to determine the languages that are spoken the most. However, Statista’s Research Department conducted an extensive study to determine the most widely spoken languages in the world. Their research takes into account factors such as native speakers, second language speakers and overall language proficiency.
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Top 10 Spoken Languages in 2023
These are the 10 most spoken languages in the world:
1. English – 1.42 billion
2. Mandarin Chinese – 1.38 billion
3. Hindi – 662 million
4. Spanish – 559 million
5. French – 309 million
6. Arabic (standard) – 274 million
7. Bengali – 272 million
8. Portuguese – 263 million
9. Russian – 245 million
10. Urdu – 231 million
What is the most spoken language in the world in 2023?
With more than a billion speakers, English is the most widely spoken language in the world in 2023.
The most spoken languages in the world in 2023
1. English
With more than 1.5 billion speakers, English is the most widely spoken language in the world. In fact, it is the official language of 67 countries and 27 non-sovereign entities.
For most English speakers, English is not their first language, but they speak it as a second language.
2. Mandarin Chinese
Population is a major factor in this ranking. China is the second most populous country in the world, and Mandarin has been its official language since the 1930s, making it the second most populous language in the world. Although there are other widespread dialects such as Cantonese and Huanan, more than 70% of the Chinese population speak Mandarin
3. Hindi
As mentioned above, population is a big driving factor behind the ranking of these languages. The majority of the population in the world’s most populous country speaks Hindi. India is the only country on this list with 22 officially recognized languages. Although there is no national language in India, there are two official languages - Hindi and English.
4. Spanish
Over 500 million people worldwide speak Spanish. It is the official language of 20 countries and one dependent territory. It is the national language of Spain.
5. French
With around 309 speakers, French is the 5th most spoken language in the world. It is recognized as an official language in 29 countries. There are other countries where French is spoken unofficially.
6. Arabic (standard)
Although Arabic is the official language of 26 nations, many countries and regions have their own dialect. Standard Arabic is the accent most commonly spoken among Arabs.
7. Bengali
Bengali is one of the officially recognized and widely spoken languages in India. It is also the national language of Bangladesh. With more than 272 million speakers, it is the seventh most widely spoken language in the world.
8. Portuguese
Portuguese has more than 263 million speakers in the world. It is the official language of nine countries, and is also spoken in many other regions.
9. Russian
With over 245 million speakers worldwide, Russian is mainly spoken in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as it is the national language of the above countries.
10. Urdu
Urdu ranks 10th in the list of most spoken languages in the world. It is the official state language of Pakistan and is also used in India. About 231 million people in the world speak Urdu.
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Source: vcmp.edu.vn