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How many countries have English as their primary language?

Author

Matthew Martinez

Updated on February 18, 2026

How many countries have English as their primary language?

As of 2019, there were 55 sovereign states and 27 non-sovereign entities where English was an official language. Many country subdivisions have declared English an official language at the local or regional level. The majority of states where English is an official language are former territories of the British Empire.

Furthermore, which countries have English as their primary language?

English is also the primary natively spoken language in the countries and territories of the Republic of Ireland, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, The Bahamas, Belize, Grenada, Barbados, the United States Virgin Islands, the Channel Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Bermuda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,

Similarly, how many countries in the world speak English as a second language? List

CountryEligible populationAs an additional language
%
United States296,603,00316.5
India1,028,737,43612.6
Nigeria201,292,00056.72

Similarly, it is asked, how many countries speak English as a first language?

In 2015, out of the total 195 countries in the world, 67 nations have English as the primary language of 'official status'. Plus there are also 27 countries where English is spoken as a secondary 'official' language. Look at this cool map of people who can have a conversation in English around the European Union

In which country English is spoken most?

  • #1 United States of America. The United States of America is the world's largest English-speaking country.
  • #2 India. India is next on the list, with 125 million English speakers.
  • #3 Pakistan. Surprised?
  • #4 Philippines.
  • #5 Nigeria.
  • #6 United Kingdom.
  • (Bonus) Countries with the Highest English Proficiency.
  • #1 Netherlands.

Which language is mostly spoken in the world?

Mandarin

What country speaks English?

English is also the primary natively spoken language in the countries and territories of the Republic of Ireland, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, The Bahamas, Belize, Grenada, Barbados, the United States Virgin Islands, the Channel Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Bermuda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,

Which countries mother tongue is English?

English is the native mother-tongue of only Britain, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and a handful of Caribbean countries.

The UK government classifies the following overseas countries as majority native English speaking:

  • Antigua and Barbuda.
  • Australia.
  • The Bahamas.
  • Barbados.
  • Belize.
  • Canada*
  • Dominica.
  • Grenada.

Why is English spoken everywhere?

English was spread as an international language predominantly because of the extent of colonisation and rule by the British Empire, which is now defunct, and its use in the modern era as a lingua franca in business, science, technology and aviation, has gained momentum since the US became a major world power.

What the poorest country in the world?

With that said, let's have a look at the poorest countries in the world according to the FocusEconomics Consensus Forecast for 2019 nominal GDP per capita.
  1. Democratic Republic of Congo. 2017 GDP per Capita: USD 439.
  2. Mozambique. 2017 GDP per Capita: USD 429.
  3. Uganda.
  4. Tajikistan.
  5. Yemen.
  6. Haiti.
  7. Ethiopia.
  8. Tanzania.

What is the most visited country in the world?

Spain, the United States, and China also topped the list of the world's most visited countries.
  1. France - 89 million visitors.
  2. Spain - 83 million visitors.
  3. United States - 80 million visitors.
  4. China - 63 million visitors.
  5. Italy - 62 million visitors.
  6. Turkey - 46 million visitors.
  7. Mexico - 41 million visitors.

What is the official language of the USA?

Although English is the most commonly spoken language, there is actually no official language in the United States at the federal level. The US is one of the linguistically diverse countries in the world. Historically, approximately 500 languages have been spoken in the country with English as the widely used language.

What will be the most spoken language in 2020?

Mandarin Chinese
With 1.2 billion speakers presently and the number fast-growing, Mandarin Chinese is expected to hold the top position as the most spoken language in 2020.

What is the oldest language on earth?

Tamil

Which country does not speak English?

The Methodology. To narrow down this list, we first looked at the 13 countries where fewer than 10 percent of the population speaks English, according to The Telegraph. These include China, The Gambia, Malawi, Colombia, Swaziland, Brazil, Russia, Argentina, Algeria, Uganda, Yemen, Chile and Tanzania.

Is English spoken in Austria?

Do they speak English? The national language in Austria is German. So you should have no trouble at all getting by using English, particularly in hotels, stores, restaurants and other places in Vienna used to dealing with foreign tourists.

Who created English?

Old English developed from a set of North Sea Germanic dialects originally spoken along the coasts of Frisia, Lower Saxony, Jutland, and Southern Sweden by Germanic tribes known as the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. From the 5th century CE, the Anglo-Saxons settled Britain as the Roman economy and administration collapsed.

Is India a English speaking country?

India now claims to be the world's second-largest English-speaking country. The most reliable estimate is around 10% of its population or 125 million people, second only to the US and expected to quadruple in the next decade.

What is the most common second language?

English

What was the first country to speak English?

England

What are the top 5 languages in the world?

The top 12 most spoken languages in the world
  • English (1,132 million speakers)
  • Mandarin Chinese (1,117 million speakers)
  • Hindi (615 million speakers)
  • Spanish (534 million speakers)
  • Arabic (274 million speakers)
  • Bangla/Bengali (265 million speakers)
  • Russian (258 million speakers)
  • Portuguese (234 million speakers)

Which African country speaks the best English?

Uganda

Which English is used in India?

People who come to the USA from India rarely have difficulty in communicating with Americans, because most speak fluent English or have received their education in English. However, Indians speak British English, and there are many differences between British English and American English.

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