List of countries by English-speaking population
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The following is a list of English-speaking population by country, including information on both native speakers and second-language speakers.
List
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Country | Eligible population | Total English speakers | As first language | As an additional language[1] | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |||
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312,142,415 | 299,270,000 | 95.88 | 244,079,241 | 78.19 | 55,191,937 | 17.68 | Figures are from the 2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau for persons age 5 and older. Total English speakers are those who either spoke English at home (i.e. as first language), or reported speaking another language at home but could speak English "very well" or "well" (i.e. as an additional language).[2][3] |
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1,450,000,000 | 228,539,090 | 15.76 | 259,678 | 0.02 | 228,279,412 | 15.74 | 2024 estimate figures for population and first, second, and third languages. English as a first language is only spoken by 259,678 people, as a second language by 182,717,239 and as a third language by 45,562,173.[4] |
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206,200,000 | 125,039,680 | 60.64 | 20,000,000 | 9.70 | 103,198,040 | 50.05 | English is the most widespread language in the country due to the many different languages spoken, with 60 million speakers.[5] This includes speakers of an English creole, accounting for 51% to 57% of the total population.[5][6] It is estimated 10% of Nigerians speak English as a first language.[7] |
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220,892,331 | 108,044,691 | 48.91 | 8,642 | 0.0035 | 108,036,049 | 48.91 | English is one of the official languages under the constitution and is commonly used in education and administration.[8][9][10] According to statistics from various sources, the English-speaking population ranges from 88.69 million[11] to 108 million,[12][13] accounting for 49% to 58% of the total population.[14][15] |
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64,835,742 | 63,718,834 | 98.28 | 59,323,568 | 91.50 | 4,395,266 | 6.78 | Source: Data from the 2021 census for England and Wales[16], Scotland[17], and Northern Ireland [18]. Additional English speaker figures are for usual residents aged 3 years and over with a main language other than English who can speak English "very well" or "well" (or, in the case of Scotland, those who have reported speaking ability in English). |
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110,000,000 | 70,117,935 | 63.74 | 36,935 | 0.04 | 70,081,000 | 63.71 | Over 60 million people aged 5 years or more can speak English.[19][20][21] "Six out of 10 people aged 5 and over can speak English (63.71%)."[22] |
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82,347,000 | 45,900,000 | 55.73 | 774,000 | 0.94 | 45,100,000 | 54.76 | Native speakers: Mikrozensus 2021, Statistisches Bundesamt.[23][24] Non-native speakers: Eurobarometer report 2012 Does not include foreign military personnel based in Germany. |
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44,270,000 | 19,800,000 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 19,800,000 | 45 | Source: Uganda Bureau of Statistics (2016) |
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67,500,000 | 38,643,750 | 57.25 | 0 | 0 | 38,643,750 | 57.25 | Note: In Paris, 60.28% of the population has "reasonable competency", while 57.25% of the entire country has "reasonable competency".[25] |
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37,138,500 | 30,480,750 | 83.06 | 20,193,335 | 54.37 | 10,287,415 | 28.69 | The 2016 count reported that 23,757,525 people were able to conduct a conversation in English only, while 6,216,065 were able to converse in both English and French. The census also asked for the first language learned at home in childhood and still understood by the individual: 52% or 19,460,850 reported English as their only mother tongue, 165,320 reported both English and French as mother tongues, 533,265 reported English and a non-official language as mother tongues, and 33,900 reported English, French and a non-official language as mother tongues. The data also show that 26,007,500 Canadians report English as their first official language spoken.[26] |
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110,990,000 | 44,373,802 | 39.98 | 5,527,302 | 5 | 38,846,500 | 35 | Source: Euromonitor International Report 2019[27] |
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25,422,788 | 23,161,344 | 91.10 | 18,303,662 | 72.00 | 4,857,672 | 19.10 | Source: 2021 census.[28] The 2021 census data is subject to multiple interpretations. The data noted that 18,303,662 persons out of 23,401,892 total only spoke English, and a further 4,857,672 spoke English either "Very Well" or "Well". A further 872,213 persons were listed as speaking English "Not Well" or "Not At All". However, 1,389,243 persons provided incomplete information; 1,331,417 provided no language or proficiency details and 57,828 gave no information on proficiency. |
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165,158,616 | 10,784,488 | 6.53 | 709,873 | 0.43 | 10,074,615 | 6.10 | [29] Population data are from 2022 Bangladeshi census, and second language data come from the subsequent survey [30] |
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38,036,118 | 19,000,000 | 50 | 737,276 | 1.94 | 18,000,000 | 48 | Source: AutoLingual (blog)[31]. Number of first language speakers comes from Statistics Poland[32]. However, of the 737,276 people who spoke English "at home", 714,002 also spoke another language "at home", including 707,487 people who also spoke Polish "at home". |
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26,210,872 | 17,610,870 | 67.19 | 0 | 0 | 17,610,870 | 67.19 | Source: 2021 Ghanaian Census[33][34], on population aged 6 or above who were "literate" in English. |
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63,038,247 | 17,121,187 | 27.16 | 0 | 0 | 17,121,187 | 27.16 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. |
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33,365,000 | 17,016,000 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 17,016,000 | 51 | Source: sociological study by KIIS[35] |
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59,619,290 | 8,121,000 | 13.74 | 0 | 0 | 8,121,000 | 13.74 | Source: languageknowledge.eu[36] |
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59,876,448 | 16,722,208 | 27.93 | 5,228,301 | 8.73 | 11,493,907 | 22 | Native speakers from 2022 Census.[37] Non-native speakers: Crystal (2003), p. 109. |
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120,664,000 | 15,686,262 | 12.9 | 0 | 0 | 15,686,262 | 12.9 | Consulta Mitofsky-Tracking Poll Roy Campos: Las Lenguas Extranjeras en México, January 2013;[38] and II Conteo de Población y Vivienda, Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática (INEGI)[39] |
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27,170,000 | 15,580,000 | 62.57 | 380,000 | 1.4 | 15,200,000 | 61.1 | EF English Proficiency Index[40] |
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279,118,866 | 85,968,611 | 30.8 | 837,356 | 0.3 | 85,131,255 | 30.5 | Indonesians learn English as a major foreign language.[41] |
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41,130,000 | 2,467,800 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2,467,800 | 6 | During the two decades since the U.S. military intervened in Afghanistan, English as a foreign language was learned by 6% of Afghans. (see Languages of Afghanistan)[42] |
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16,770,000 | 15,250,000 | 90.90 | 0 | 0 | 15,250,000 | 90.9 | Source: Eurobarometer report 2016 |
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80,200,256 | 12,000,000 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 12,000,000 | 17 | Source: Eurobarometer report 2006 |
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14,439,000 | 11,850,710 | 90 | 505,365 | 5 | 11,530,710 | 79.86 | [43][44][45] |
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31,700,000 | 11,095,000 | 35.00 | 95000 | 0.30 | 11,000,000 | 34.70% | Source: Euromonitor International report (2011) |
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216,000,000 | 12,000,000 | 5 | 292,000 | 0.14 | 10,250,000 | 5 | Source: British council (2012) and EF. Only 5% of Brazilians have a proficient grasp of English as a second or foreign additional language and an additional 6% have a very rudimentary knowledge. |
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47,190,000 | 10,400,000 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 10,400,000 | 22 | Source: Eurobarometer report 2012 |
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1,432,035,200 | 10,000,000 | 0.9 | 0 | 0 | 10,000,000 | <1 | Figures are for English users in mainland China only (i.e. excluding Hong Kong where English is an official language and Macau). The often-cited figure of 300 million is for "learners."[46] |
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10,377,771 | 9,236,000 | 89 | 0 | 0 | 9,236,000 | 89 | Source: Statistics Sweden, 2021 |
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52,533,109 | 41,332,711 | 78.68 | 0 | 0 | 7,900,000 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. | |
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19,740,000 | 7,500,000 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 7,500,000 | 38 | Euromonitor International Report (2009) |
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37,340,000 | 6,883,220 | 18.3 | 0 | 0 | 6,883,220 | 18.3 | [47] |
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10,584,534 | 6,250,000 | 60 | 0 | 0 | 6,250,000 | 60 | Source: Eurobarometer report 2006 The Belgian population is divided in two distinct linguistic regions: The Belgian Dutch-speaking Flanders, and the Belgian French-speaking Wallonia (the region of Brussels also has a majority of native French speakers). Like in the Netherlands, a high percentage of Flemish people speak English fluently, and in Wallonia, a lower percentage of people speak English (as it is the case in France), which brings down the total percentage. |
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7,303,000 | 6,205,000 | 84.97 | 100,000 | 1.37 | 6,105,000 | 83.6 | Source: Ethnologue (2005)[48] English is widely spoken, both by the Jewish majority and by minority ethnic groups.[49][50] |
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8,415,000 | 6,150,000 | 73 | 0 | 0 | 6,150,000 | 73 | [51][52] |
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19,043,767 | 5,900,000 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 5,900,000 | 31 | Source: Eurobarometer report 2012 |
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9,603,634 | 2,428,295 | 25.29 | 0 | 0 | 2,428,295 | 25.29 | 2022 Census[53] |
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10,787,690 | 5,500,000 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 5,500,000 | 51 | Source: Eurobarometer report 2012 |
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10,562,214 | 5,350,000 | 50.65 | 16,481 | 0.016 | 5,350,000 | 50 | Source:[54][55] |
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135,125,671 | 5,066,515 | 3.75 | 0 | 0 | 5,066,515 | 3.75 | Russian population Census, 2021[56], total count excluded 12,056,452 people who did not specify a language. |
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5,866,000 | 4,900,000 | 83.53 | 500,000 | 8.52 | 4,400,000 | 75 | Crystal (2003), p. 109. This includes speakers of an English creole. |
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5,543,000 | 4,770,000 | 86 | 0 | 0 | 4,770,000 | 86 | Source: Eurobarometer report 2012 |
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8,482,268 | 3,279,538 | 37.96 | 492,343 | 5.80 | 2,787,195 | 32.86 | Figure for speakers of English as "main language", according to Federal Statistical Office 2020.[57] Source for number of total English speakers is an FSO survey in 2019 on "the main languages in regular use", which reported that 48.8% of permanent residents aged 15 or above (7,187,688 as of 2020) regularly used English[58]; as a result, total speakers and non-native speakers are likely to be undercounts due to the exclusion of children below the age of 15. |
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5,136,700 | 4,500,000 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 4,500,000 | 90 | [59] |
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6,331,000 | 4,459,191 | 70.4 | 0 | 0 | 4,459,191 | 70.4 | Source: 2011 Census Note: This statistic is people who are literate in Standard English, not including Tok Pisin. |
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5,084,879 | 4,958,527 | 97.52 | 4,333,372 | 85.22 | 625,155 | 12.29 | Source: Central Statistics Office 2022 Census[60][61]
Figures for native speakers are people whose spoke English or Irish at home (which likely included the approximately 70,000 people who spoke Irish daily outside education system), and additional speakers are people who spoke other languages and declared that they spoke English "very well" or "well. |
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4,889,202 | 4,750,056 | 97.15 | 3,692,670 | 75.53 | 1,057,386 | 21.62 | There were 4,993,923 responses to 2023 Census: Language spoken. 4,750,056 gave English as a response . Another 104,721 reported no language (e.g. too young). Hence it is most meaningful to express the English-speaking per cent without including the figures for these 104,721. This gives 97.2% English-speaking (3,673,679 divided by 3,755,565), 2.8% non-English-speaking. Figures for native speakers are those who declared English to be the only language they spoke, so they are very likely to be undercounts. [62] |
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23,042,300 | 4,147,614 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 4,147,614 | 18 | The main languages are French and Malagasy. [63] |
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35,341,131 | 7,660,000 | 21.7 | 240,000 | 0.7 | 7,420,000 | 21.0 | Source: 2022 Population and Housing Census[64] on literacy rate amongst people aged 15 or above. Figure for native speakers referred to those who were "literate in English only" while number for non-native speakers referred to those who were literate in "both Kiswahili and English". |
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21,803,000 | 3,994,174 | 18.32 | 10,000 | 0.05 | 3,994,174 | 18.32 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109; Department of Census and Statistics, 2012. 23.8% of the population aged over 10 could speak English.[65] |
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3,596,284 | 2,668,719 | 74.21 | 1,735,242 | 48.25 | 933,477 | 25.96 | Figures indicate Singaporean residents (citizen and permanent resident population); data for population who spoke English as an additional language came from summing number of people whose second most spoken language at home was English.
Source: Census 2020 "Language Spoken at Home Among Residents Aged 5 Years and Over" |
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5,563,970 | 3,900,000 | 70 | 29,448 | 0.53 | 3,870,000 | 70 | Source: (for native speakers) Statistics Finland[66]; (for total speakers) Eurobarometer report 2022 |
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15,766,292 | 3,500,000 | 22.2 | 0 | 0 | 3,500,000 | 22.2 | Source: quote of a Ministry of Education spokesman[67] |
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7,179,127 | 4,217,535 | 58.75 | 330,782 | 4.61 | 3,886,753 | 54.14 | According to 2021 population census, Hong Kong has approximately 4.2 million speakers, of whom 330,782 regard English as their "usual" language.[68][69] |
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3,750,000 | 3,100,000 | 82.67 | 600,000 | 16 | 2,500,000 | 66.67 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. This includes speakers of an English creole. |
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6,598,000 | 2,969,370 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 2,969,370 | 45 | Source: Euromonitor International report (2011) |
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10,623,000 | 2,900,000 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 2,900,000 | 27 | Source: Eurobarometer report 2012 |
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42,192,500 | 2,752,681 | 6.52 | 0 | 0 | 2,752,681 | 6.52 | Source:.[70] Percentage of people who state they have a high level of English. Another 19.49% and 16.23% of people said they had an intermediate and low level, respectively, of English. |
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2,714,000 | 2,650,000 | 97.64 | 45,900 | 1.69 | 2,604,100 | 95.95 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. This includes speakers of an English creole. |
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3,781,833 | 1,500,000 | 41 | 2,863 | 0.076 | 1,500,000 | 41 | Source: 2021 Croatian census; Eurobarometer report 2024[71][72] |
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35,954,000 | 2,516,780 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2,516,780 | 7 | Source: Euromonitor International report (2011) |
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53,900,000 | 2,400,000 | 4.45 | 0 | 0 | 2,400,000 | 4.45 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. |
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24,800,000 | 2,232,000 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2,232,000 | 9 | Source: Euromonitor International report 2011 |
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47,661,368 | 2,012,950 | 4.22 | 75,600 | 0.16 | 1,937,350 | 4.06 | Total was estimated by multiplying projected population for 2014 (DANE) by percentage of Colombian population who speak English, 4.09%,[73] then 63,600 was added to that figure which is the total of American and British residents. Figures for native speakers are as follows: 60,000 U.S. citizens who reside in Colombia. 12,000 are Colombian Raizal from San Andrés and Isla de Providencia where they speak San Andrés–Providencia Creole.[74] 3,600 British expatriates.[75] |
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3,159,608 | 1,247,939 | 39.5 | 159,024 | 5.03 | 1,088,915 | 34.46 | Source: 2022 American Community Survey [76]
Figures for non-native speakers were those who spoke another language and spoke English "very well" and "well". |
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11,922,000 | 1,910,000 | 16.02 | 110,000 | 0.92 | 1,800,000 | 15.1 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. |
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7,640,238 | 1,900,000 | 25 | 2,605 | 0.03 | 1,902,605 | 25 | Source: Eurobarometer report 2012 and 2011 Census[77] |
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12,156,705 | 1,874,583 | 15.42 | 602 | 0 | 1,873,981 | 15.42 | Number of those who understand spoken English, from these 1.9 million: 311,435 (2.6%/16.6%) can only read, 931,444 (7.7%/49.6%) can read and write in English. The number of native speakers is the sum of Americans and Englishmen "by nationality". (Census 2009) |
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4,265,600 | 1,706,000 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 1,706,000 | 40 | Source: Euromonitor International report (2011) |
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16,634,603 | 1,585,027 | 9.53 | 0 | 0 | 1,585,027 | 9.53 | Source: 2012 Census.[78] |
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10,137,400 | 1,520,610 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 1,520,610 | 15 | Source: Euromonitor International report 2009 |
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5,449,270 | 1,400,000 | 26 | 4,365 | 0.08 | 1,400,000 | 26 | Source: (For native speakers) 2021 census [79](total count includes 312,364 people whose first language was unknown, which is excluded when calculating the percentage), Eurobarometer report 2012 |
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2,050,000 | 1,210,000 | 59 | 0 | 0 | 1,210,000 | 59 | Source: Eurobarometer report 2012 |
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2,810,761 | 873,941 | 31.09 | 873,941 | 31.09 | Source:2021 census[80][81]. Number of native speakers was not explicitly stated but included in "other". | ||
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1,305,000 | 1,145,000 | 87.74 | 0 | 0 | 1,145,000 | 87.74 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. This includes speakers of an English creole. |
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2,070,371 | 950,000 | 46 | 950,000 | 46 | Source: Eurobarometer report 2012 | ||
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29,164,578 | 103,884 | 0.35 | 1,323 | 0.0005 | 102,561 | 0.35 | Source: Census 2021 [82] Figures only include those who declared English as their first/second language and does not reflect overall English ability. |
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3,500,000 | 840,000 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 840,000 | 24.0 | Source: 2019 National Statistics Institute poll.[83] |
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751,000 | 680,000 | 90.55 | 0 | 0 | 680,000 | 90.55 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. This includes speakers of an English creole. |
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1,331,824 | 626,439 | 47.03 | 3,879 | 0.29 | 622,560 | 46.74 | Source: 2021 Census[84]. |
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1,639,833 | 630,000 | 38.42 | 0 | 0 | 630,000 | 38.42 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. |
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10,913,164 | 10,258,374 | 94 | 818,487 | 7.5 | 9,439,887 | 86.5 | Source: Countries That Speak English[85] and the World Bank[86] |
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923,381 | 670,000 | 73 | 44,482 | 4.82 | 630,000 | 68 | Source: (Native speakers) [87], (Total speakers) Eurobarometer report 2024[72] |
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4,176,869 | 584,762 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 584,762 | 14 | |
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1,141,000 | 550,000 | 48.2 | 0 | 0 | 550,000 | 48.2 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. Official language, business conducted in English; primary school language. |
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13,931,831 | 540,209 | 3.88 | 209 | <0.1 | 540,000 | 3.87 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109 and Kayambizinthu.[88] |
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1,795,000 | 500,000 | 27.86 | 0 | 0 | 500,000 | 27.86 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. |
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470,784 | 410,000 | 87.09 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. This includes speakers of an English creole. | ||||
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497,265 | 440,000 | 89 | 50,242 | 10.10 | 390,000 | 79 | Source: (For native speakers) Census of Population and Housing 2021[89], Eurobarometer report 2012 |
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376,248 | 368,723 | 98 | Source:[90] | ||||
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1,820,916 | 314,000 | 17.24 | 14,000 | 0.77 | 300,000 | 16.48 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. |
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477,061 | 122,467 | 25.67 | 20,316 | 3.61 | 100,000 | 21 | Source: RP2021[91]. Figures for total speakers were those who spoke English at home / school / work, so it excludes the people who knew English but didn't actively use it. Percentage of native speakers was calculated from a denominator of total valid responses on that question (563,092). Number of non-native speakers, therefore, cannot be precisely calculated. |
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330,549 | 288,000 | 87.13 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. This includes speakers of an English creole. | ||||
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296,000 | 296,000 | 100 | 10,000 | 3.38 | 286,000 | 96.62 | This includes speakers of an English creole. |
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368,924 | 278,390 | 75.46 | 278,390 | 75.46 | Source: 2022 Census[92] Included population aged 4 or above who spoke English, no distinctions between first and second languages were made. | ||
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4,910,526 | 400,415 | 8.2 | 0 | 0 | 400,415 | 8.2 | Source: Encuesta Nacional de Hogares 2017[93] |
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1,233,097 | 202,000 | 15.97 | 15,759 | 0.16 | 200,000 | 15.81 | Source: 2022 HPC[94] |
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18,213,749 | 225,000 | 1.2 | There are 225,000 English speakers in Ecuador. The great majority resides in Quito.[citation needed] | ||||
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7,057,841 | 204,189 | 2.89 | 204,189 | 2.89 | Source: 2022 Population and Housing Census[95] | ||
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2,921,062 | 143,939 | 4.93 | 143,939 | 4.93 | Source: 2022 census [96], total count excludes 11,669 people who didn't answer question about language proficiency. All speakers were explicitly listed as second language speakers. | ||
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239,839 | 137,827 | 76.87 | 4,955 | 2.07 | 130,000 | 73 | Source:2020 Vanuatu Census[97]. Data for total speakers were people aged 15+ who were literate in English, so the corresponding percentage was calculated through dividing the number by population aged 15+ (179,302). On the other hand, number of native speakers included anyone aged 3+, so the corresponding percentage is calculated by dividing it by total population aged 3 or above (239,839). It is impossible to precisely calculate number of non-native speakers as a result. Figures exclude Bislama. |
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9,594,300 | 123,664 | 1.29 | 123,664 | 1.29 | Source: 2019 Census [98], excluded territories controlled by Republic of Artsakh at that time. Figures included only "the fluent speakers". They were all explicitly listed as second language speakers. | ||
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853,445 | 176,000 | 20.62 | 6,000 | 0.7 | 170,000 | 19.92 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. |
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631,061 | 459,906 | 72.88 | 631,061 | 72.88 | Source: 2019 Census[99]. Labelled "English Ability", defined as people who can write a simple sentence in English. | ||
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135,770 | 109,218 | 80.44 | 57,906 | 42.65 | 51,312 | 37.79 | Source:2020 U.S. Census[100]Figures for non-native speakers only included those who spoke another language and spoke English "very well". |
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381,371 | 144,000 | 39.07 | 10,000 | 2.62 | 134,000 | 35.14 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. |
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120,000 | 114,000 | 95 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. This includes speakers of an English creole. | ||||
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80,430 | 73,219 | 91.03 | 56,173 | 69.84 | 17,046 | 21.19 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. This includes speakers of an English creole. |
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110,000 | 100,000 | 90.91 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. This includes speakers of an English creole. | ||||
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188,540 | 94,000 | 49.86 | 1,000 | 0.53 | 93,000 | 49.33 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. |
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84,069 | 80,781 | 96.09 | 80,781 | 96.09 | Source:2021 Census [101] Figure for total English Speakers was likely to be an undercount due to the number of second language speakers not being available. | ||
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165,000 | 71,000 | 43.03 | 31,000 | 18.79 | 40,000 | 24.24 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. This includes speakers of an English creole. |
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44,111 | 28,599 | 64.83 | 11,466 | 25.99 | 17,133 | 38.84 | Source: 2020 U.S. Census [102] Figures for non-native speakers only included those who spoke another language and spoke English "very well". |
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85,000 | 68,000 | 80 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. This includes speakers of an English creole. | ||||
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111,000 | 64,000 | 57.66 | 4,000 | 3.6 | 60,000 | 54.05 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. |
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65,000 | 63,000 | 96.92 | 63,000 | 96.92 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. | ||
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67,000 | 63,000 | 94.03 | 3,000 | 4.48 | 60,000 | 89.55 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. This includes speakers of an English creole. |
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59,000 | 58,000 | 98.31 | 57500 | 97.46 | 500 | 0.85 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. |
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44,174 | 20,855 | 47.21 | 1,444 | 3.27 | 19,411 | 43.94 | Source: 2020 U.S. Census[103]Figures for non-native speakers only included those who spoke another language and spoke English "very well". |
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104,000 | 44,000 | 42.31 | 9,000 | 8.65 | 35,000 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. | |
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1,709,000 | 40,000 | 2.34 | 0 | 0 | 40,000 | 2.34 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. This includes speakers of an English creole. |
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50,000 | 39,000 | 78 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. This includes speakers of an English creole. | ||||
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68,811 | 61,070 | 88.75 | 61,070 | 88.75 | Source: 2021 Census[104] | ||
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87,000 | 33,000 | 37.93 | 3,000 | 3.45 | 30,000 | 34.48 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. |
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100,000 | 30,000 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 | 30 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. |
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26,786 | 24,965 | 93.2 | 20,689 | 77.2 | 4,276 | 16.0 | 2012 Census [105], native speakers correspond to those who speak English "very well" and non-native speakers correspond to those who speak English "well". |
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94,312 | 68,765 | 72.91 | 0 | 0 | 68,765 | 72.91 | Source: 2010 Census [106] |
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663,782 | 150,359 | 22.65 | 23,635 | 3.56 | 126,724 | 19.09 | Source: 2021 Census [107] |
![]() |
23,000 | 20,000 | 86.96 | 20,000 | 86.96 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. This includes speakers of an English creole. | ||
![]() |
20,000 | 18,500 | 92.5 | 500 | 2.5 | 18,000 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. | |
![]() |
86,610 | 17,869 | 22 | 2,600 | 3.0 | 15,000 | 19 | Source Census: (Total speakers)Linguistic knowledge 2004, (Native speakers) Linguistic knowledge 2022 [108][109] |
![]() |
39,055 | 5,900 | 15 | 199 | 0.51 | Source:[110] | ||
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13,000 | 12,000 | 92.31 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. | ||||
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12,000 | 11,600 | 96.67 | 900 | 7.5 | 10,700 | 89.17 | English is spoken as the language of government and commerce. |
![]() |
20,200 | 4,000 | 19.8 | 1,000 | 4.95 | 3,000 | 14.85 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. |
![]() |
5,900 | 4,000 | 67.8 | 4,000 | 67.8 | Source: Crystal (2003), p. 109. This includes speakers of an English creole. | ||
Sum of listed nations | 6,404,503,557 | 1,639,938,876 | 25.61% | 391,286,346 | 6.11% | 1,210,415,000 | 18.90% | Not all countries are listed here. This is merely a summation of all listed countries and the respective percentages. |
The European Union is a supranational union composed of 27 member states. The total English-speaking population of the European Union and the United Kingdom combined (2012) is 256,876,220[111] (out of a total population of 500,000,000,[112] i.e. 51%) including 65,478,252 native speakers and 191,397,968 non-native speakers, and would be ranked 2nd if it were included. English native speakers amount to 13% of the whole population of the EU and the UK, while the percentage of people that speak English "well enough in order to be able to have a conversation", either as first (32%), second (11%) or third (3%) foreign language, was 38%.
- When taken from this list and added together, the total number of English speakers in the world adds up to around 1,430,000,000. Likewise, the total number of native English speakers adds up to around 410,000,000. This implies that there are approximately 1,020,000,000 people who speak English as an additional language.
See also
[edit]- EF English Proficiency Index
- English medium education
- English-speaking world
- List of countries and territories where English is an official language
- World Englishes
- English-based creole languages
Non-English speaking populations by language:
- Arabophone
- Bengali language
- Francophone
- Geographical distribution of Dutch speakers
- Geographical distribution of German speakers
- Hispanophone
- List of countries and territories where Hindustani is an official language
- List of countries and territories where Persian is an official language
- List of countries where Tamil is an official language
- Lusophone
- Malay language
- Persophone
- Russophone
- Sinophone
- Swahili language
- List of link languages
Non-English speaking populations by language, historical:
Non-English speaking populations by country:
Linguistic topics:
Notes
[edit]- ^ Statistics on second language speakers are inevitably not precise; partly because there is no widely agreed definition of second language speakers – there is no differentiation between countries where English is the lingua franca and those where it is not.
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References
[edit]- WizMantra Online
- Teachingenglish.org.uk
- Raymond G. Gordon, Jr., ed. (2005). "English". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (Fifteenth ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. ISBN 1-55671-159-X. Retrieved 17 March 2006.
- Eurobarometer report – Europeans and their languages, February 2006 (pdf). Only includes EU citizens aged 15 and above.
- Eurobarometer report – Europeans and their languages, June 2012 (pdf). Only includes EU citizens aged 15 and above.
- Crystal, David (2003). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language (Second ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 109. ISBN 0-521-53033-4.