Most Spoken Languages In The World 2023 🌍: Top 20! (2023)

Did you know there are more than 7000 languages spoken today? Out of those, we will be talking about the 20 most spoken languages in the world as of January 2023.

Most Spoken Languages In The World 2023 🌍: Top 20! (1)

We got our data from Ethnologue, which according toWikipedia, is “an annual reference publication in print and online that provides statistics and other information on the living languages of the world. It is the world’s most comprehensive catalog of languages. It was first issued in 1951 and is now published by SIL International, an American Christian non-profit organization.”

Let’s start!

Top 20 Most Spoken Languages In The World In 2023

S.NoLanguageTotal Speakers
1
English
1.45 B
2Mandarin
1.12 B
3Hindi 602 M
4Spanish548 M
5French274 M
6Arabic
274 M
7Bengali273 M
8Russian258 M
9Portuguese257 M
10Urdu231 M
11Indonesian199 M
12German135 M
13Japanese125 M
14Nigerian121 M
15Marathi99.1 M
16Telugu95.7 M
17Turkish88.1 M
18Tamil86.4 M
19Yue Chinese85.6 M
20Vietnamese85.3 M

1. English | 1.45 Billion

English is the most spoken language in the world, which is no surprise as it is the official language of many countries. According to recent studies, almost 1.5 billion people speak English.

Since it’s so widely spoken, English has become the most common language for travel, business, and international communication as a whole.

2. Mandarin Chinese | 1.12 Billion

Mandarin Chinese is the second most spoken language in the world, with an estimated 1.1 billion speakers. It is the official language of China, Taiwan, and Singapore, as well as one of four official languages in Malaysia and one of six official languages in Hong Kong.

Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language with four tones, which makes it unique compared to other languages. It also has a rich history and culture, which makes it all the more interesting to learn.

With such a large population base, Mandarin Chinese plays a vital role in international business and politics.

Most Spoken Languages In The World 2023 🌍: Top 20! (2)

3. Hindi | 602 Million

Hindi is the most spoken language in India. Moreover, it’s also the official language of India and Fiji and one of the 22 scheduled languages of India.

According to a recent estimate, more than 600 million people speak Hindi, making it the third most widely spoken language.

Hindi has a rich background that dates back centuries with influences from Sanskrit and other regional languages. It is written using the Devanagari script, and its vocabulary consists of words from Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, English, Portuguese, and other European languages.

4. Spanish | 548 Million

Next, we have Spanish, with almost 550 million speakers. It is the official language of 21 countries and the second language of many others.

Spanish has become vital in international business, diplomacy, and tourism. Moreover, it has even become one of the six official languages of the United Nations.

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Most Spoken Languages In The World 2023 🌍: Top 20! (3)

5. French | 274 Million

French has more than 270 million speakers, making it one of the most spoken languages in Europe. It is an official language in 29 countries and a working language of the United Nations, the European Union, and many other international organizations.

French has a long history as a language of diplomacy, literature, philosophy, and science.

6. Arabic | 274 Million

Arabic has been around for more than 2500 years, so naturally, it has a rich cultural heritage that has made it an important language for many people around the world.

It is also one of the six official languages of the United Nations and used by many scholars throughout history.

Most Spoken Languages In The World 2023 🌍: Top 20! (4)

7. Bengali | 272 Million

Bengali is the official language of Bangladesh and India and is spoken by millions of people in other countries such as Nepal, Pakistan, and parts of Southeast Asia.

It is an Indo-Aryan language that has its roots in Sanskrit and Pali. Bengali has a rich literary tradition spanning centuries, with some famous works including Tagore’s Gitanjali and Rabindranath Tagore’s Chokher Bali.

Most Spoken Languages In The World 2023 🌍: Top 20! (5)

8. Russian | 258 Million

Russian, with 258 million speakers, is the official language of Russia, but it is also popular in other countries such as Belarus, Kazakhastan, and Ukraine.

It is a combination of both Greek and Slavic languages. The Cyrillic alphabet emerged from Russian, which practitioners claim is the easiest to learn.

9. Portuguese | 257 Million

Portuguese is an official language in nine countries, including Brazil, Portugal, Angola, and Mozambique.

Many languages have influenced the development of Portuguese throughout the years. In fact, it is estimated that around 30% of Portuguese words are derived from Latin or other Romance languages.

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Most Spoken Languages In The World 2023 🌍: Top 20! (6)

10. Urdu | 231 Million

There are 230 million Urdu speakers as of 2022, a language that is mainly derived from Persian and Arabic. It is written in an abjad writing system, meaning it does not use any vowels, giving it a sense of uniqueness.

Urdu poetry and literature have been popular since medieval times and are still appreciated today. It’s also the most commonly spoken language between different cultures in South Asia.

11. Indonesian | 199 Million

Indonesian is part of the Austronesian family of languages and is closely related to other languages such as Malay, Javanese, and Sundanese.

It’s an old language that dates back to the 16th century when it was common in trading ports across Southeast Asia.

Most Spoken Languages In The World 2023 🌍: Top 20! (7)

12. German | 135 Million

Next on the list of most spoken languages in the world is German, which is vastly spoken in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

German has four cases – nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive – which can make it difficult to learn for English speakers. It also has many words from other languages, such as English and French.

13. Japanese | 125 Million

Japanese is one of the most fascinating languages in the world, with its unique writing system and complex grammar. It has a rich history and culture that can be dated back to 3 A.D.

Moreover, there are several dialects of the language spoken throughout Japan. These dialects can vary greatly from region to region and even between family members in the same household!

Most Spoken Languages In The World 2023 🌍: Top 20! (8)

14. Nigerian | 121 Million

Nigerian languages are spoken by almost all of Nigeria’s citizens, and they are divided into three major language families: Afro-Asiatic, Niger-Congo, and Nilo-Saharan.

The official language of Nigeria is English which was inherited from British colonization. However, many Nigerians speak their native languages, such as Yoruba or Igbo.

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15. Marathi | 99.1 Million

Next, we have Marathi, which is one of the oldest languages in the world. It is an Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Marathi has a unique writing system called Modi script, which was developed during the reign of Shivaji Maharaj. The Modi script was used to write administrative documents and other official records during his reign. It is still used today by some traditional communities in Maharashtra to write religious texts and other manuscripts.

Most Spoken Languages In The World 2023 🌍: Top 20! (9)

16. Telugu | 95.7 Million

Telugu is the official language of the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and is also one of the 22 scheduled languages recognized by the Indian government.

17. Turkish | 88.1 Million

Turkish is derived from many languages, such as Arabic, Persian, and French, to name a few. Due to its rich blend of languages, the Turkish grammar system is very complex.

It also has a unique writing system called Ottoman Turkish Script, which was used until 1928, when it was replaced by Latin script.

Most Spoken Languages In The World 2023 🌍: Top 20! (10)

18. Tamil | 86.4 Million

Tamil is one of the oldest living languages in the world, dating back to 500 BC. Not only is it one of the most spoken languages in India, but it is also spoken by other people in Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Mauritius.

19. Yue Chinese | 85.6 Million

Yue Chinese has been around for centuries and has gone through many changes. The language has a unique grammar structure with many words borrowed from other languages, such as Cantonese, Hakka, Min Nan, and English.

It also contains words from other Chinese dialects like Mandarin and Wu, which make it quite versatile.

Most Spoken Languages In The World 2023 🌍: Top 20! (11)

20. Vietnamese | 85.3 Million

Last but not least, we have Vietnamese, the official language of Vietnam, with over 76 million speakers.

Vietnamese is a tonal language which means that words can have different meanings depending on how they are pronounced. Moreover, it also has a very complex writing system with more than 3,000 characters making it one of the most interesting languages to study!

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What Do You Think of the Top 20 Most Spoken Languages In The World?

With so many different languages being spoken, it is important to remember that each language has its unique culture and history. From English to Spanish, Chinese to Hindi, these languages are used by millions of people around the globe.

It is interesting to note that these languages have been around for centuries and continue to be used in everyday life, resulting in them being the most spoken languages in the world.

Frequently Asked Questions

⭐ Which is the most spoken language in the world?

English is the most spoken language in the world with 1.45 billion speakers.

⭐ Which is the most spoken language in India?

Hindi is the most spoken language in India with over 600 million speakers worldwide. Hindi is also the third most spoken language in the world.

⭐ What are the most spoken languages in Africa?

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Swahili is the most commonly spoken language in Africa with 71.4 million speakers. Other popular languages in Africa include Arabic, French, Hausa, Yoruba, Oromo to name a few.

FAQs

What are the top 5 languages in the world 2023? ›

Read on to learn more about the best languages to learn in 2023!
  1. Chinese. Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world—spoken in some form by 1.2 billion people—so it only makes sense to include it on this list. ...
  2. Spanish. ...
  3. Korean. ...
  4. French. ...
  5. German. ...
  6. 6. Japanese. ...
  7. Italian. ...
  8. Portuguese.
Nov 23, 2022

How many languages are there in the world in 2023? ›

In today's article, we look at the most widely spoken languages around the globe. According to various analyses, there are more than 7,000 languages spoken around the world. But only two of them exceed one billion: English and Mandarin Chinese.

What language will we speak in 2050? ›

Mandarin. Mandarin is likely to be the most spoken language in 2050 because of its vast number of speakers. The economic influence of China will also prove vital for the continued use and spread of Chinese languages around the world.

What is the top 30 most spoken language in the world? ›

Top 30 languages of the world
Languageapproximate # of speakers
1.Mandarin ChineseNATIVE: 873 million 2nd: 178 million TOTAL: 1.051 billion
2.HindiNATIVE: 370 million 2nd:120 million TOTAL: 490 million
3.SpanishNATIVE: 350 million 2nd: 70 million TOTAL: 420 million
4.EnglishNATIVE: 340 million TOTAL: 510 million
6 more rows

What are the 50 most spoken languages? ›

Need a translator? Contact us
  • English – 1,268M.
  • Mandarin Chinese- 1,120M.
  • Hindi – 637.3M.
  • Spanish – 537.9M.
  • French – 276.6M.
  • Standard Arabic – 274M.
  • Bengali – 265.2M.
  • Russian – 258M.

Who can speak 200 languages? ›

The record, though, probably belongs to Sir John Bowring, Governor of Hong Kong from 1854 to 1859, who was said to know 200 languages, and capable of speaking 100.

What is the top 10 most spoken language in the world 2023? ›

Currently, these are the 10 most spoken languages in the world in 2023, sorted by number of mother language speakers: Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, English, Hindi, Bengali, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Yue chinese, Vietnamese.

Which language is best in 2025? ›

Top Programming Languages of the Future
  • Java.
  • C#
  • C++
  • Kotlin.
  • JavaScript.
  • TypeScript.
  • Scala.
  • Swift.
Oct 31, 2022

What language did Jesus speak? ›

Most religious scholars and historians agree with Pope Francis that the historical Jesus principally spoke a Galilean dialect of Aramaic. Through trade, invasions and conquest, the Aramaic language had spread far afield by the 7th century B.C., and would become the lingua franca in much of the Middle East.

What is the #1 language in the world? ›

1. English (1,452 million speakers) According to Ethnologue, English is the most-spoken language in the world including native and non-native speakers. Like Latin or Greek at the time, English has become the world's common language.

Which language will talk in America? ›

English is by far the most prominent spoken language in the U.S., with over 239 million English-speaking people across the country. In fact, English is commonly mistaken as the official language of the United States, which doesn't actually have an official language on record.

Will the world ever have 1 language? ›

It's unlikely that we'll see a world that speaks one language any time soon. Protecting each individual countries' cultures is a huge barrier, but an important one to ensure our world is as beautifully diverse as it's always been.

Will English stay the world language? ›

English is likely to remain one of the world's most important languages for the foreseeable future, but its future is more problematic — and complex — than most people appreciate,” said language researcher David Graddol.

Are many languages dying? ›

There are 7,000 documented languages currently spoken across the world, but half of them could be endangered, according to a new study. It is predicted that 1,500 known languages may no longer be spoken by the end of this century.

How many languages in 100 years? ›

Today, the voices of more than 7,000 languages resound across our planet every moment, but about 2,900 or 41% are endangered. At current rates, about 90% of all languages will become extinct in the next 100 years.

What are the top 100 most spoken language? ›

Top 100 Languages by Population
RankLanguage NamePopulation
1CHINESE, MANDARIN [CHN]885,000,000
2SPANISH [SPN]332,000,000
3ENGLISH [ENG]322,000,000
4BENGALI [BNG]189,000,000
103 more rows

Who can speak 10 languages in the world? ›

Kató Lomb (interpreter for 9 to 10 languages and translator for 16) Kató Lomb was from Hungary. She was credited for being one of the world's first simultaneous interpreters. Ms.

Is it rare to speak 5 languages? ›

A person who can speak four or more languages is multilingual. Only three percent of people around the world can speak over four languages. Less than one percent of people worldwide are proficient in many languages. If someone is fluent in more than five languages, the person is called a polyglot.

Who can speak 70 languages? ›

The 10th-century Muslim polymath Al-Farabi was reputed to know 70 languages.

How rare is it to speak 5 languages? ›

Multilingual is fluent in more than four languages, and they are only 3% of the entire population. Some people can speak more than five languages, and they are known as polyglots. They are less than one percent of the population. Hyperpolyglots are fluent in more than 12 languages, and they are sporadic to find.

What languages are rare to speak? ›

We're going to look at some of the rarest languages that are still spoken from around the world.
  • Sarsi. Sarsi (also known as Sarcee), is a Native American language related to Navajo. ...
  • Dumi. Even rarer than Sarsi is Dumi, with only eight known speakers in the world. ...
  • Pawnee. ...
  • Chamicuro. ...
  • Kawishana. ...
  • Contact Akorbi Today.
Apr 9, 2018

Is 50 languages good? ›

50 Languages gives away an enormous bank of high-quality language content for free. The app itself is low tech, however, and would be greatly improved with a few changes to the design, such as adding descriptions and titles to otherwise numbered lessons, and updates to the user interface.

What language is hardest to learn? ›

Across multiple sources, Mandarin Chinese is the number one language listed as the most challenging to learn. The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center puts Mandarin in Category IV, which is the list of the most difficult languages to learn for English speakers.

What is the 21 most spoken language in the world? ›

What Are The Most Spoken Languages in the World?
LanguageTotal Number of Speakers
English1,452,000,000
Mandarin Chinese1,118,000,000
Hindi602,200,000
Spanish548,300,000
29 more rows

What is the 12th most spoken language in the world? ›

German (132 million speakers)

How many people speak Spanish 2023? ›

We estimate that there are approximately 488 million native Spanish speakers (i.e. people who speak Spanish as their first language, or L1) worldwide in 2023.

What language will replace English? ›

Some may protest that it is not English but Mandarin Chinese that will eventually become the world's language, because of the size of the Chinese population and the increasing economic might of their nation.

Which language has a future? ›

JavaScript. JavaScript is considered to be an ideal programming language if the objective is to create dynamic web elements such as animated graphics, interactive maps, etc. As this language is extensively used in web development, building web servers, game development, etc., you know how much of scope it beholds.

Which is the fastest growing language in US in last 10 years? ›

As per a report quoted by Venture Capitalist Aviral Bhatnagar, Telugu is the fastest-growing language in the United States in the last 10 years, with a growth rate of a whopping 150%. The second-fastest one is Arabic (62%).

What is the 5 hardest language? ›

5 of the most hardest languages to learn in the world
  • Mandarin.
  • Japanese.
  • Arabic.
  • Xhosa.
  • Russian.
Apr 13, 2022

What is the 4 hardest language to learn? ›

The Hardest Languages To Learn For English Speakers
  1. Mandarin Chinese. Interestingly, the hardest language to learn is also the most widely spoken native language in the world. ...
  2. Arabic. ...
  3. Polish. ...
  4. Russian. ...
  5. Turkish. ...
  6. Danish.
Feb 25, 2021

What is the 7 hardest language to learn? ›

Which is the most difficult language for English Speakers?
  • 1 – Chinese (Mandarin)
  • 2 – Arabic.
  • 3 – Japanese.
  • 4 – Korean.
  • 5 – Hungarian.
  • 6 – Finnish.
  • 7 – Xhosa.
Feb 7, 2020

Which language is growing fast? ›

Urdu has experienced significant growth in the previous half-century, increasing by 95% over that time period. Since the last decade, its users have grown by 35%. The number of native Urdu speakers today is 230 million, as well as more than 50 million second-language speakers worldwide.

Which languages will dominate the future? ›

Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, and Indonesian will dominate much of the business world by 2050, followed by Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, and Russian. If you want to get more out of your language course, study one of our language programs, probably a safe bet for your future.

Which language is fast growing in America? ›

As surprising as it may sound, Telugu has topped the list of languages that has an increasing number of those speaking the language in America. In fact, Miss US Nina Davuluri and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also speak the language.

What language did Adam and Eve speak? ›

Traditional Jewish exegesis such as Midrash says that Adam spoke the Hebrew language because the names he gives Eve – Isha and Chava – only make sense in Hebrew.

How tall was Jesus? ›

He may have stood about 5-ft.-5-in. (166 cm) tall, the average man's height at the time.

What religion was Jesus? ›

Of course, Jesus was a Jew. He was born of a Jewish mother, in Galilee, a Jewish part of the world. All of his friends, associates, colleagues, disciples, all of them were Jews. He regularly worshipped in Jewish communal worship, what we call synagogues.

What are the 7 000 languages? ›

7000 Languages is a non-profit that creates free language-learning software in partnership with Indigenous communities around the world. Research has shown that kids who learn their heritage language have higher self-esteem, do better in school, and are more likely to graduate.

What is the easiest language to learn? ›

And The Easiest Language To Learn Is…
  1. Norwegian. This may come as a surprise, but we have ranked Norwegian as the easiest language to learn for English speakers. ...
  2. Swedish. ...
  3. Spanish. ...
  4. Dutch. ...
  5. Portuguese. ...
  6. Indonesian. ...
  7. Italian. ...
  8. French.
Nov 9, 2021

Is it OK to learn 2 languages at once? ›

Answer: Thankfully, your brain can definitely handle learning two (or more!) languages at once! (Two down, 6,998 to go.) But there are also some ways you can make this linguistic task easier on yourself.

What is the second most spoken language in the world 2023? ›

2. Mandarin (1,118 million speakers) Looking at total speakers, Mandarin is the second most widely spoken language in the world. However, it's the most spoken language in the world if you count only first-language (native) speakers due to China's significant population.

What is the hardest language to learn 2023? ›

Mandarin:

Mandarin, a language spoken in the northern and southwestern regions of China, is counted as the most difficult language in the world to learn.

What is the 3rd oldest language still spoken? ›

3. Tamil. Tamil is one of the classical languages surviving till date. Tamil-Brahmin inscriptions from 300 BCE have been found, and the language is believed to be more than 2000 years old!

What is the number 3 most spoken language in the world? ›

3. Hindi (615 million speakers) Hindi is, along with English, one of the 22 official languages of India, the second-most-populous country in the world.

Which language will rule the future? ›

Some of them are Python, Java, HTML, C++, and Ruby.

What is the 5 hardest language to learn? ›

5 of the most hardest languages to learn in the world
  • Mandarin.
  • Japanese.
  • Arabic.
  • Xhosa.
  • Russian.
Apr 13, 2022

How many languages will we lose? ›

Around 1,500 known languages may no longer be spoken by the end of this century. Current levels of language loss could triple in the next 40 years. Greater education and mobility marginalize some minor languages. One language per month could disappear, without intervention.

How many languages are we losing a year? ›

Right now, 9 languages a year, or one every 40 days, cease to be spoken. By 2080, the rate will rise to 16 languages per year. By the middle of the next century, we will be losing our linguistic heritage at the rate of 26 languages each year—one every two weeks.

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