World Languages

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 I used to have these tables years ago, in my old homepage, as information for people interested in the world of languages. Here they are again.

The most spoken languages in the world

Place

Speakers  mother- tongue
(millions)*

Official language populations
(millions)*
1. Chinese (1,000) English (1,400)
2. English (350) Chinese (1.000)
3. Spanish (250) Hindi (700)
4. Hindi (200) Spanish (280)
5. Arabic (150) Russian (270)
6. Bengali (150) French (220)
7. Russian (150) Arabic (170)
8. Portuguese (135) Portuguese (160)
9. Japanese (120) Malay(160)
10. German (100) Bengali (150)
11. French (70) Japanese (120)
12. Panjabi (70) German (100)

*From Crystal, David; The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language, CUP Cambridge, 1990

 

List of countries with English as mother- tongue:
1. Antigua 13. Jamaica
2. Barbuda 14. Canada
3. Australia 15. Montserrat
4. Bahamas 16. New Zealand
5. Barbados 17. St Christopher and Nevis
6. Belize 18. St Vincent and the Grenadines
7. Bermuda 19. South Africa
8. Dominica 20. Simbabwe
9.Grreat Britain 21. Trinidad and Tobago
10.Grenada 22. U.S.A.
11.Guyana 23. British Colonies
12. Irland  

 

List of countries with English as official language:
1. Botswana 11. Mauritius 21. South Africa
2. Borne 12. Nigeria 22. Surinam
3. Gambia 13. Pakistan 23. Swasiland
4. Ghana 14. Philippines 24. Tansania
5. India 15. Puerto Rico 25. Uganda
6. Kenia 16. Saint Vincent  
7. Lesotho 17. Sambia  
8. Liberia 18. Seychelles  
9. Malawi 19. Sierra Leone  
10. Malta 20. Tamil  

 

List of countries with Spanish as mother-tongue:
1.Argentinia 12. Honduras
2. Equatorial Guinea 13. Mexico
3. Bolivia 14. Nicaragua
4. Chile 15. Panama
5. Columbia 16. Paraguay
6. Costa Rica 17. Peru
7. Cuba 18. Puerto Rico
8. Dominican Republic 19. Spain
9. Ecuador 20. Uruguay
10. El Salvador 21. Venezuela
11. Guatemala