Where is English spoken

In Which Countries Is English Spoken?

Upon reading the title, a reader might say, "What's there to think about? England and the USA." Another might add, "And Canada and Australia too." But did you know that there are over 40 countries in the world where English is spoken?

On our planet, there are 330-360 million people for whom English is the native language. Of course, the leaders are six countries where the overwhelming majority of the population speaks it as their first language:

• USA – at least 231 million,
• United Kingdom – 60 million,
• Canada – 20 million,
• Australia – 17 million,
• Ireland – 4.8 million,
• New Zealand – 4.8 million.

When people talk about the "English-speaking world," these 6 countries are primarily meant.

You may be surprised, but English is also an official language in nearly 40 other countries, although it is not the most widely spoken in all of them. Besides the USA, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand, English is an official language in: Botswana, Cameroon, Micronesia, Fiji, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Malta, the Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Samoa, the Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, the Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Sudan, South Africa, South Sudan, Eswatini, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Impressive, isn't it? In practice, this means that when traveling to these countries, you are more likely to find English-speaking services in cafes, bus stations, and other places.

Some places are not associated with English at all, but in fact, the local population speaks it: the province of San Andrés and Providencia in Colombia, as well as the Mosquito Coast in Nicaragua. All of this is a result of British colonization.

And even though Spanish and Chinese are the native languages for more people, English is rightly considered the #1 language in the world. According to various estimates, between 470 million and 1 billion people consider English their second language. Add to this the native speakers, and we get the most widespread language on the planet, spoken by every 5th person.

English is the official language of many international organizations, from the United Nations to the International Olympic Committee. Even on the International Space Station, it is one of the two official languages alongside Russian. About 25% of the books published annually and 30% of the content on the Internet are in English, although this percentage is gradually decreasing due to the increasing penetration and development of the Internet.

Average English Vocabulary by Country

According to a recent study, 38% of Europeans say they speak English, excluding English-speaking European countries. In the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark, these figures exceed 80%, meaning 4 out of 5 people.

But that's just statistics. From travel experience, we know that when you ask a question to a Turk in Istanbul, enter a cafe in Berlin, or check in for a flight at Helsinki Airport, you expect to receive an answer in English. The endless examples prove the value of knowing English: with it, you won't get lost in any country in the world.