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Top 17 Most-Spoken Languages in the World

Top 17 Most-Spoken Languages in the World

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There are 6,909 languages worldwide and 6 percent of them are spoken by 94 percent of the world’s population. Studies show that children who speak multiple languages are more adaptable, and tend to have better reading, writing, analytical and academic skills. What’s more, multilingual kids are better able to pick up another language. If you are considering teaching your child or yourself another language, these are the top 17 most-spoken languages in the world.

Sources: economist.com, multilingualchildren.org, 5minuteenglish.com, vistawide.com, bu.edu, donquijote.org, modlang.fsu.edu, consulfrance-houston.org, wikibooks.org, importanceoflanguages.com, vistawide.com, Wikipedia.org, clas.uiowa.edu

Wikimedia.org
Wikimedia.org

Polish

Polish is the second most spoken Slavic language after Russian. Its relative languages are Czech, Slovak and Sorbian. Roughly 36 million people in Poland speak Polish, but it is also spoken in nearly a dozen other countries including Finland, Canada, Germany and Hungary, with a total of around 42 million speakers around the world.

 

Wikimedia.org
Wikimedia.org

Telugu

Over 75 million people around the world speak Telugu, an Indian language. Native Telugu speakers live in Andhra Pradesh, but it is the second most spoken language in India, after Hindi. The Telugu language can be dated back to somewhere between 400 BC and 100 BC.

 

Wikipedia.org
Wikipedia.org

Turkish

Around 75 million people on the planet speak Turkish as a first language. Turkey has one of the most influential economies in the Middle East, so it is spoken widely throughout the region, but it is also spoken in parts of Central Asia.

 

Wikipedia.org
Wikipedia.org

 

Korean

Around 77.2 million people speak Korean around the world. Over 70 million people speak Korea throughout North and South Korea, but it is also spoken widely in Chinese provinces on the border of North Korea, as well as in Russia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and the U.S.

Wikipedia.org
Wikipedia.org

 

Javanese

Javanese is the second most spoken Austronesian language, after Indonesian. Roughly 75 million people speak Javanese on the island of Java in Indonesia, but it is also spoken in Malaysia, the Netherlands and Singapore, as well as various other island settlements near Java. There are around 90 million native speakers of the language the world over.

 

Wikipedia.org
Wikipedia.org

Chinese, Wu

Wu Chinese is a Chinese dialect spoken by approximately 90 million people, mostly in the regions of Zhejiang, Shanghai, southern Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi and Fujian. There are also sub-varieties of the language spoken throughout China.

 

 

 

Deviantart.com
Deviantart.com

Vietnamese

Roughly 90 million people speak Vietnamese, however it is mostly spoken within Vietnam. As of a 2013 census though, there were 1,548,449 Vietnamese people living in the United States so the language is quickly spreading beyond the borders of Vietnam.

theguardian.com/David Levene
theguardian.com/David Levene

10. German

There are about 90 million native German speakers, which makes it the most-spoken language in Europe. Being that Germany is Europe’s economic powerhouse, knowing German will open up many business and political opportunities.

wikipedia.org
wikipedia.org

9. Japanese

If you want to get into economics, then consider learning Japanese. Despite the country’s relatively small size, it is the Asia’s second-largest economy by nominal GDP. Knowing Japanese will bring many business opportunities, especially in technology fields like optical media and robotics.

wikipedia.org
wikipedia.org

8. Russian

There are about 150 million native Russian speakers out of a total of about 270 million speakers around the globe, which makes Russian the eighth most-prevalent language in the world. Knowing Russian means you will be able to do business with one of the world’s superpowers and major economies. If you want to pursue science or technology, knowing Russian also comes in handy as Russia is strong in these fields.

examiner.com
examiner.com

7. French

French isn’t as popular as it used to be, but it is still a language for which there are many benefits of learning. There are more than 200 million people in the world who speak French and it is an official language of 29 countries including Algiers, Ivory Coast, DRC, and Cameroon. If you are hoping to work in Western Europe, knowing French is a skill that can help you advance your career.

examiner.com/bob ecker
examiner.com/bob ecker

6. Portuguese

Portuguese is an official language of nine countries, and is spoken as the native tongue of about 210 million people. There are 260 million speakers worldwide. This makes Portuguese the sixth most-spoken language in the world. Because Portuguese is widely spoken in places such as Mozambique and Angola, Portuguese speakers will have a competitive edge when looking for jobs in these countries.

bbc.co.uk
bbc.co.uk

5. Arabic

With more than 300-million native Arabic speakers, Arabic is the fifth most-common native language in the world. Most native Arabic speakers are located in the Middle East. If you are able to speak Arabic well, then this could mean many business opportunities with these countries – especially since the Arab world is a rapidly-growing trade market. There is also a high demand for Arabic speakers in journalism, education, business, and translation.

theguardian.com
theguardian.com

4. English

English isn’t the most-spoken language in the world but it’s the preferred language for business and the official language of many international organizations and agencies. It is the language of some of the world’s superpowers including the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. If you can speak English, you will also be able to travel easily around the world since English is the world’s most common second language.

wikipedia.org
wikipedia.org

3. Hindi

Hindi is spoken by nearly 425 million people in the world, and about 800,000 of them live in South Africa. Hindi is also one of the official languages of India, which is predicted to overtake China in population by 2030. Because India’s economy is growing so quickly, knowing Hindi means you have an edge in fields such as commerce, digital media, information sciences, and business.

theguardian.com
theguardian.com

2. Spanish

With 495 million speakers, Spanish is the world’s second most-spoken language. While most Spanish speakers are in Central and South America, it is estimated that Spanish will soon bypass English usage in the U.S. If you plan on doing business with the U.S. or living there, it will be very helpful to know Spanish. Latin America represents a huge market segment with many career opportunities. Because Spanish is a Latin language, knowing it will also help you understand languages such as Italian and Romanian.

theguardian.com/David Levene
theguardian.com/David Levene

1. Mandarin

Mandarin is the official language of China. With a population of more than 1.35 billion, it’s the world’s most populous country. About a fifth of the world speaks Mandarin, so knowing the language means you will be able to communicate with much of the globe – including people in other countries where Mandarin is widely spoken such as Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. China is a huge market, and it is growing rapidly. People who learn to speak Mandarin will find many career opportunities, particularly in trade, politics, economics, and history.