What are the most spoken languages in the world in 2024?

What are the most spoken languages in the world in 2024?

How many languages do you think are spoken in the world? How many languages can you learn? 1,000? 3,000? 5,371? You are not far from it.

According to the Ethnologue catalog , dating from 2009, there are more than 6,900 different languages across the world. This means I can order a meal in approximately 0.0006% of all languages in the world.

Of these nearly 7,000 languages, only 230 are spoken in Europe, while more than 2,000 are spoken in Asia. In Papua New Guinea, a small Oceanian country of around 3.9 million people, there are more than a staggering 830 different languages.

The most widely spoken language in the world in terms of number of native speakers is Mandarin, also known as Standard Chinese. It is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Taiwan, as well as one of the official languages of Singapore. Around a billion people speak Mandarin as their first language.

When it comes to the total number of speakers, including native speakers and non-native speakers, English is often considered the most widely spoken language in the world. It is the official language of many countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and many other countries around the world. Additionally, English is widely used as a second or foreign language in many countries for business, education, international communication and other fields, contributing to its status as a global language.

Here is a list of the most widely spoken languages in the world, taking into account the total number of speakers (native and non-native):

1. English : With approximately 1.5 billion speakers, English is widely used as an international language in business, diplomacy, science, technology and tourism. It is also the official language of many countries and the native language of more than 360 million people. Although it only ranks third, English remains the most important language in the world and the largest number of people speak it as a second, third or fourth language. English speakers therefore have a definite advantage.

2. Mandarin (Standard Chinese): With approximately 1.1 billion native speakers and many non-native speakers, Mandarin is the official language of China and Taiwan. It is also widely spoken in Singapore and other Chinese communities around the world.

3. Hindi : With approximately 600 million speakers, primarily in India, Hindi is the official language of India and is widely used in media, education, and government administration.

4. Spanish : With approximately 460 million native speakers and a large number of non-native speakers, Spanish is the official language of 20 countries, primarily in Latin America and Spain. It is also an important language in the United States. The silver medal goes to Spanish, the language spoken in the largest number of countries in the world. Spanish is recognized as the official language of 30 countries, including Spain and almost all states in South America. A Latin language, Spanish is quite close to Italian, which makes it more accessible to the Italian population. ¡Olé!

5. Arabic : With approximately 310 million native speakers and a large number of non-native speakers, Arabic is the official language of many countries in the Middle East and North Africa. It is also an important language in the Islamic world. Within the Arabic language, there are many different dialects that are often not mutually intelligible. Arabic cannot therefore be considered as a single language. However, the Arabic-speaking world represents the fourth most spoken language in the world. Literary Arabic is the sacred language of Islam and during prayers, the Koran is recited exclusively in Arabic.

6. Bengali : With around 260 million speakers, mainly in Bangladesh and India, Bengali is one of the most widely spoken languages in South Asia.

7. Portuguese : With around 250 million speakers, mainly in Brazil and Portugal, Portuguese is also spoken in other Portuguese-speaking countries such as Mozambique, Angola and Cape Verde.

8. Russian : With approximately 255 million speakers, primarily in Russia, Russian is the most widely spoken language in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

9. French : With approximately 220 million speakers, French is spoken in many countries around the world, including France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, French-speaking Africa and the Caribbean.

10. Urdu : With approximately 210 million speakers, primarily in Pakistan and India, Urdu is a widely used Indo-Iranian language in the region.

It should be noted that this list may vary depending on the criteria used to determine the total number of speakers, including native and non-native speakers, as well as dialects and regional variations of each language.