{"id":4481,"date":"2021-04-09T16:47:59","date_gmt":"2021-04-09T23:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/english-speaking\/?p=4481"},"modified":"2021-04-11T13:47:46","modified_gmt":"2021-04-11T20:47:46","slug":"most-spoken-languages-in-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/english-speaking\/most-spoken-languages-in-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are the Most Spoken Languages in the World?"},"content":{"rendered":"

While English is the international language of business, there are thousands of other languages spoken around the world every single day. If you want to be bilingual, trilingual, or even quadrilingual, you\u2019ll want to know some of the most spoken languages in the world. This way, you can learn languages that will allow you to speak with literally billions of people!<\/span><\/p>\n

However, this begs a few important questions. For example, how many languages are there? Of those languages, what are the most spoken languages in the world? Finally, what are the 10 most common languages and \u2014 by extension \u2014 the 10 most useful languages to learn? In today\u2019s guide, we will answer all of these questions and more. So, let\u2019s get started!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Top 10 Most Spoken Languages in the World<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are more than 7,100 distinct languages in the world. However, many of these are \u201cdying languages.\u201d In other words, only a small number of people speak these languages and they are likely to become extinct in the future. In some cases, these languages may only be spoken by a few people!<\/span><\/p>\n

As a result, roughly half of the world\u2019s population speaks one of just 10 languages. It\u2019s important to note that this refers to native speakers of languages. More than a billion people speak English as a second language, but there are far fewer native speakers. In any case, let\u2019s take a look at the 10 most common languages on Earth!<\/span><\/p>\n

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1. Chinese \u2014 1.35 Billion<\/span><\/h3>\n

Chinese is the most spoken language in the world, with roughly 1.35 native Chinese speakers. Of this population, over 1 billion people speak Mandarin as their first language. The second most common form of Chinese is Wu, with roughly 81 million native speakers. Then comes Yue (62 million speakers), which is also known as Cantonese. After that, there are still millions of native speakers of Xiang, Min, Gan, and Hakka \u2014 all different forms of Chinese. This doesn\u2019t even cover the hundreds of <\/span>regional dialects<\/span><\/a> throughout Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Tibet, and Singapore!<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. Spanish \u2014 543 Million<\/span><\/h3>\n

The second most spoken language in the world is Spanish, with roughly 543 million native speakers. The majority of native Spanish speakers reside in Central and South America, though there are millions of native speakers throughout North America, Europe, and even Asia. Here is a full list of countries in which Spanish is the official or primary language:<\/span><\/p>\n