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There are dozens of English speaking countries in the world. That said, not everyone agrees on what qualifies as an English speaking country and what does not. For example, does a country need to make English the official language, or do the majority of people in the country need to speak English? Or both?<\/span><\/p>\n Truthfully, there\u2019s no definitive answer. However, the general consensus is that countries in which English is the native language for the majority of citizens are considered \u201cEnglish speaking countries.\u201d Why is this the case? Because English is spoken all around the world; it is the international language of business. If we were to include all of the countries in which people speak English on our list, we would have to count every country in the world!<\/span><\/p>\n So, without complicating the matter any further, let\u2019s take a look at the ultimate list of English speaking countries!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The answer to this question will depend on who you ask. By the strictest standards, there are just four countries where English is the only official language:<\/span><\/p>\n However, due in large part to the colonization of various countries by the British Empire, the English language spread across the globe starting sometime in the 16th century. Over the following centuries, English spread to Africa, Central and South America, the Middle East, Asia, Polynesia, and beyond. As a result, there are dozens of countries that have designated English as one of their official languages. To be more precise, there are exactly 23 countries where English is the primary language and recognized as one of the official languages of the country:<\/span><\/p>\n Additionally, there are many countries where English is widely spoken and \u2014 in some cases \u2014 an official language of commerce, education, or government \u2014 but still not the primary language of the country. In other words, it is not the main language that the majority of people speak on a daily basis. There are 48 countries that fall within this category:<\/span><\/p>\n Therefore, one can say that there are a total of 75 English speaking countries in the world<\/i><\/b>. While some may argue about the criteria, you could go to any of the countries listed above and speak English with confidence. On the other hand, if you visit a country that is not on this list, you may struggle to find people who speak English.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s also important to remember that every country has its own dialect, accent, and euphemism. In the United States alone, there are dozens of different <\/span>American accents<\/span><\/a> and regional ways of speaking. The same is true of many other countries, especially those that adopted English as a result of colonization. Many countries blend English with other native languages, producing completely unique terms and colloquialisms. For example, people in Singapore \u2014 a small country that is home to many different cultures and languages \u2014 use the word \u201cblur\u201d to refer to someone who is feeling confused or not paying attention. Alternatively, in American English (and most other forms of English), \u201cblur\u201d refers to something that cannot be seen clearly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While the list above may constitute all of the \u201cofficial\u201d English speaking countries, there are still many countries and territories in which English is an important and commonly-spoken language. This is especially true in the European Union (EU), which has 24 official languages, but just three primary or \u201cprocedural\u201d languages: English, French, and German. Of the roughly 450 million people who live in the EU, <\/span>there are approximately 370 million English speakers<\/span><\/a>. This means that if you walk up to a random person in the EU, there\u2019s about an 80% chance that they will speak English!<\/span><\/p>\n So, even though these countries don\u2019t recognize English as an official language \u2014 with the exceptions of Ireland and Malta \u2014 English is still widely-spoken amongst the 27 members of the EU:<\/span><\/p>\n While these countries may not consider English as a primary language, you’ll often see the language taught in schools, used in commerce, and spoken in governmental settings.<\/p>\n Up to this point, we\u2019ve only addressed locales that are officially recognized as \u201ccountries.\u201d However, there are still many territories and administrative regions in which English is common. In fact, there are exactly 27 non-sovereign territories in which English is the primary language, an official language, or both:<\/span><\/p>\nHow many English speaking countries are there?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Countries in which English is not the primary language<\/h3>\n
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English Speaking Countries in Europe<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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English Speaking Territories<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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