Most Popular Languages In the World

By: Shahzad Bashir Posted on Fri, 21-05-2021

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Languages are an important part of our lives. With the help of languages, we can express our feelings and communicate with each other. Every country in the world has its official language in which they run their country's operations. Languages show each country’s identity. In the globalized world, no country can survive individually. They need to make international relations so here languages play an important role. Some languages are popular because they help to communicate on a global level. On the individual level, people seek to learn languages on their preference. Some people learn the language to migrate to another country while others learn the language to seek higher education or to get a good job. In this way, some languages are more popular while others are spoken in their countries only. Let’s have a look at the most popular languages in the world.

List of Most Popular Languages In the World:

  1. English
  2. Chinese Mandarin
  3. Spanish
  4. Japanese
  5. German
  6. Russian
  7. French
  8. Arabic
  9. Hindi
  10. Portuguese
     

English

The English language is native to 375 million people. Out of this number, only 1.5 billion people use it rarely. English is considered the most influential language in the world that also makes it the most popular language. Due to digitalization, many top economies of the world used it as an official language like the USA, Canada, and Great Britain. People use the English language for trading purposes in the financial hubs of the world. Therefore, to enter the diverse global workforce people tend to learn English. According to the renowned linguist, David Crystal, a language becomes a global language because of the power of the people who speak it." The 'power' of English was initially based on political and military factors, most notably the expansion of the British Empire. Later, the role of English as the language of the scientific, industrial, financial, and economic revolutions further increased its influence. The English language is also popular because it is widely taught in Western schools. It is an essential part of the curriculum. Millions of people learn English to get good jobs in top-notch companies of the world. Moreover, with this popular language, you can roam around the world without any communication barrier.

Chinese Mandarin

The Chinese language is the most popular in the world because it is native to 982 million people. Out of this whopping number, 1.1 billion people speak the Chinese Mandarin dialect. Apart from China, people living in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei, Mongolia, and the Philippines also speak Chinese. Therefore, if you want to do business in these countries, you need to learn this popular language. The Chinese language is also popular because China is the most booming economy around the globe. It is estimated that by 2050, China will become a more influential country in the world. China has the biggest population in the world that is spread widely all over. Therefore, people learn this popular language to communicate with different people and connect with them at a deeper level. The popularity of the Chinese language can be well understood by the fact that Mark Zuckerberg speaks it as a second language. He learned the Chinese language and gave a presentation at Tsinghua University in China to convince the Chinese target market. Moreover, many other top CEOs of the world speak Chinese as a second language. Many people in South Asia tend to learn popular Chinese Mandarin so that they can start their business with China.

Spanish

Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world after English and Mandarin Chinese. To your surprise, there are many more people who speak the Spanish language as their first language than those who speak English as a mother tongue. The popularity of the Spanish language can well be understood by the fact that the Spanish language is the official language of 20 countries. Approximately, it is native to 440 million native speakers. Moreover, Spanish is also one of the languages among the UN, S six official languages. Therefore, the popularity of the Spanish language is obvious. People who have learned the Spanish language can be identified in the crowd. The Spanish language is not only spoken in Spain but a large Spanish community called the Hispanic community also resides in the USA.  A few years back Spanish was not so popular language for business and culture but at present, the popularity of the Spanish language has increased because of new opportunities in global business. Globalization has opened the doors of business all over the world and Spanish is one of the popular languages that will assist you to get benefits from these opportunities. The Spanish language is also very popular in primary and secondary schools. Therefore, it is a more popular language than other foreign languages like German and French.

Japanese

Japanese is another language that is included in the list of most popular languages of the world. To prove this notion, you can see many Japanese-language websites. People who live in America learn the Japanese language for their personal and professional growth. It is native to 127 million speakers. Japan is a technologically advanced country. Many top-notch technical companies like Panasonic, Toshiba, Toyota, and Honda are from Japan and millions of people around the world use their products. Moreover, many Japanese companies are exporting their products to the global market. Therefore, to deal with the Japanese technical market and to use technological products, the Japanese language is important. People also tend to learn this language because they want to work in top-technical companies of the world. Thus, the Japanese language makes you more competitive in the job market. The other reason for the Japanese language popularity is its enriched culture and the entire world admires Japan because it is a pioneer in technological developments. The Japanese language is very popular in the entertainment world. People like Japanese animated films like Spirited Away, which won an American Academy Award. Japanese video games are also very popular in the United States so you can imagine the popularity of the Japanese language in youth. 

German

Germany is one of the dominant economies of the world. Therefore, German is its popular language. It is native to 105 million people. Germany is famous for its award-winning scientists. Surely their scientists speak the German language making German a popular language of the world. It holds great importance in the academic community. The top-notch universities of the world are in Germany. People learn this popular language to get admission to top universities of the world. Moreover, the German language is popular as it is ranked as the second most common scientific language in the world. One of the reasons is that the German market is the third-largest book market in the world after English and Chinese. Although the percentage of these books that need translation is low. Therefore, German speakers have an edge over them. Germany has a lucrative economy in the world. It is ranked at fourth number in the list of strong economies in the European Union. New technologies originated from Germany and it is home to many international organizations. Therefore, people learn this popular language to improve their professional relations.

Russian

The Russian language is the 6th influential language of the world. Russia is the largest country in the world. Therefore, the Russian language is spoken by a large number of people. 150 million people speak it as their primary language and 11O million people speak it as a non-native language.  This shows how popular the Russian language is in Euro-Asian countries.  It is also the official language of 38 countries. The Russian language is not spoken in Russia only but the people living in Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan also speak the Russian language. It is estimated that Russian has a large number of internet users that love to shop online. Therefore, the Russian language is very popular in the digital world. Russia holds great importance in global politics and business. It is a country that is bestowed with natural resources. Therefore, many people take advantage of these resources and start their businesses. It is estimated that by 2023, 50% of Europe's natural gas will be controlled by Russia. So, people learn the Russian language because of its popularity in the global business world.

French

Around 61 million people live in France but the French language is spoken globally. To know its popularity, you will be amazed to know that it is the fourth most common mother tongue of European Union citizens. It is estimated that 274 million people around the world speak the French language as their first and second language. 1 out of 5 Europeans speaks French as a second language. The popularity of the French language can also be checked by the fact that French is the only language that is spoken on 5 continents. It is observed that French is not enjoying the same popularity that it used to enjoy in the 17th century but this language is not on the decline. It is projected that in 2050, the number of French speakers will double by 650 million. The popularity of the French language can also be witnessed by the fact that 87 global organizations use French as its administrative and official language. These organizations include European Union, United States, the Red Cross, NATO, FIFA, World Trade Organization, and many more. French is also a global language of international business. The French economy is the sixth-largest economy in the world. So French language is very popular in global trading. 

Arabic

The Arabic language is the fourth most spoken language in the world. Approximately, 315 million people in 58 countries speak the Arabic language. Moreover, it is the official language of the Arabic league that consists of 22 countries. Therefore, the Arabic language is the most popular in the world. Because of its popularity, people from the West learn the Arabic language.  The Arabic language also depicts Muslim civilization. It helped in the spread of Islam. Therefore, the Arabic language is also popular because of religion. Arabic world contains high reserves of oil. Therefore, South-Asian people learn this popular language to get better job opportunities in Arab countries. Learning Arab will give you many benefits. The first advantage of this popular language is that you can easily learn other languages like Urdu, Turkish, Persian, and Farsi. The Arabic language has taken many loanwords from these languages so you can learn other languages easily. Learning Arabic will make you stand in the crowd because in the Western world demand for the Arabic language is high whereas supply is less.

Hindi

Hindi is the fourth most spoken language in the world that makes it one of the most popular languages. Many people consider Hindi to be the national language of India. To your surprise, India doesn't have a national language but English and Hindi are the official languages of India.  However, Hindi is widely spoken in India and surrounding countries. People living in India’s Northern area, Nepal, Trinidad, Fiji, Mauritius, Suriname speak the Hindi language widely. You can also witness the popularity of the Hindi language in the UK and USA. As many people from India migrated there. India is the seventh-largest economy in the world and it is projected that by the end of 2050 it will be in second place. The Hindi language is popular because one of the largest and populous economies speaks this language.

Portuguese

According to the Ethnologue, 236 million people speak the Portuguese language. Out of this number, 222 million people are native speakers. This shows that Portuguese has more native speakers than any other language. Therefore, it is the most popular language in the world. People living in Portugal, Brazil, and the people who live in the Southern hemisphere speak the Portuguese language. Portuguese is a very popular language among tourists because if you want to enjoy the enchanting beauty of Brazil and Portugal, you need to know the Portuguese language to enjoy your trip. Brazil is the eighth largest economy in the world and is still growing. Therefore, Portuguese will help you in building business relationships with the largest economy.

Wrapping Up:

Every language is popular in its region. For some people, a particular language is important, if it helps you in getting higher education. While for others a language is important if it helps to get a job in top companies of the world. In short, the popularity of languages depends upon your preference.