List of countries by English-speaking population

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Percentage of the population with a knowledge of English (Red = 100%, Blue = 0%) Grey: Unknown
Percentage of the population with a knowledge of English (Red = 100%, Blue = 0%) Grey: Unknown

This is a list of countries of the world sorted by the total English-speaking population in that country. This includes both native speakers and second language speakers of English. Statistics on second language speakers are usually imprecise, in part because there is no widely agreed definition of second language speakers, so these figures should be treated with caution.

Contents

[edit] List in order of total speakers

Rank Country Total First language As an additional language Comment
1 United States 262,375,152 215,423,557 35,964,744 Source: US Census 2006: Language Use and English-Speaking Ability: 2006, Table 1. Figure for second language speakers are respondents who reported they do not speak English at home but know it "very well" or "well". Note: figures are for population age 5 and older
2 India 90,000,000 178,598 65,000,000 second language speakers.
25,000,000 third language speakers		 Figures include both those who speak English as a second language and those who speak it as a third language. 1991 figures.[1][2] The figures include English speakers, but not English users.[3]
3 Nigeria 79,000,000 4,000,000 >75,000,000 Figures are for speakers of Nigerian Pidgin, an English-based pidgin or creole. Ihemere gives a range of roughly 3 to 5 million native speakers; the midpoint of the range is used in the table. Ihemere, Kelechukwu Uchechukwu. 2006. "A Basic Description and Analytic Treatment of Noun Clauses in Nigerian Pidgin." Nordic Journal of African Studies 15(3): 296–313.
4 United Kingdom 59,600,000 58,100,000 1,500,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
5 Philippines 45,900,000 27,000 42,500,000 Total speakers: Census 2000, text above Figure 7. 63.71% of the 66.7 million people aged 5 years or more could speak English. Native speakers: Census 1995, as quoted by Andrew Gonzalez in The Language Planning Situation in the Philippines, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 19 (5&6), 487-525. (1998)
6 Germany 36,000,000 272,504 36,000,000 Native speakers: Statistisches Bundesamt (cited here).
Non-native speakers: 2006 Eurobarometer survey. Does not include foreign military personnel based in Germany.
7 Canada 25,246,220 17,694,830 7,551,390 Source: 2001 Census - Knowledge of Official Languages and Mother Tongue. The native speakers figure comprises 122,660 people with both French and English as a mother tongue, plus 17,572,170 people with English and not French as a mother tongue.
8 Australia 17,357,833 15,013,965 2,343,868 Source: 2001 Census. [1] The figure shown in the first language English speakers column is actually the number of Australian residents who speak only English at home. The additional language column shows the number of other residents who claim to speak English "well" or "very well". Another 5% of residents did not state their home language or English proficiency.
9 Pakistan 17,000,000 17,000,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
10 France 16,000,000 16,000,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
11 Italy 14,000,000 14,000,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
12 South Africa 13,700,000 3,673,203 10,000,000 Native speakers: 2001 Census: Census in Brief, page 15 (Table 2.5)

Non-native speakers: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
13 Netherlands 12,000,000 12,000,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
14 Spain 10,000,000 10,000,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
15 Poland 9,200,000 9,200,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
16 Turkey 8,100,000 8,100,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
17 Cameroon 7,700,000 7,700,000 Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
18 Malaysia 7,400,000 380,000 7,000,000 Crystal (2005), p. 109.
19 China 200,000 (Hong Kong only) Figures are for English users, not speakers. Source: Jian Yang (April 2006). "Learners and users of English in China". English Today 22 (2): 3–10. doi:10.1017/S0266078406002021.  Hong Kong contributes an additional 2.5 million speakers, of whom 200,000 regard English as their "usual" language (1996 by-census [2]).
20 Russia 6,955,315 1,804 6,953,511 Source: Basic Results, Tables 4.4 and 4.1, Russian Census (2002). The "total" figure is the number of residents who reported English as one of the language they knew. The "first language" figure is the number of residents who reported "American" or "English" as their nationality. The "additional languages" figure is the difference.
21 Sweden 6,600,000 6,600,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
22 Zimbabwe 5,550,000 250,000 5,300,000 Crystal (2005), p. 109.
23 Romania 5,300,000 5,300,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
24 Belgium 5,100,000 5,100,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
25 Sierra Leone 4,900,000 500,000 4,400,000 Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
26 Mexico 4,855,000 4,855,000 Consulta Mitovsky-Tracking Poll Roy Campos: Las Lenguas Extranjeras en México, April 2007 [3]; and II Conteo de Población y Vivienda, Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática (INEGI) [4].
27 Greece 4,200,000 4,200,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
28 Tanzania 4,000,000 4,000,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
29 Austria 3,900,000 3,900,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
30 Ireland 3,850,000 3,750,000 100,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
31 Denmark 3,800,000 3,800,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
32 New Zealand 3,673,623 ≥ 3,008,058 2006 Census: Language spoken. Native language figure is actually those who spoke English only, so will probably be too low. Both figures exclude those 75,567 people who spoke no language, e.g. were too young to talk, and the 196,224 people who did not state what languages they spoke. Crystal (2005), p. 109, gives figures of 3,700,000 native speakers and 150,000 second language speakers.
33 Bangladesh 3,500,000 3,500,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
34 Papua New Guinea 3,150,000 150,000 3,000,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
35 Liberia 3,100,000 600,000 2,500,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
36= Finland 2,700,000 2,700,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
36= Kenya 2,700,000 2,700,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
38 Jamaica 2,650,000 2,600,000 50,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
39 Portugal 2,600,000 2,600,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
40 Uganda 2,500,000 2,500,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
40= Hong Kong 2,500,000 200,000 2,300,000 Figures are for English users, not speakers. Source: Jian Yang (April 2006). "Learners and users of English in China". English Today 22 (2): 3–10. doi:10.1017/S0266078406002021.  Hong Kong contributes an additional 2.5 million speakers, of whom 200,000 regard English as their "usual" language (1996 by-census [5]).
42 Czech Republic 2,100,000 2,100,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
43 Hungary 2,000,000 2,000,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
44 Puerto Rico 1,940,000 100,000 1,840,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
45= Sri Lanka 1,910,000 10,000 1,900,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
45= Zambia 1,910,000 110,000 1,800,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
47 Croatia 1,800,000 1,800,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
48 Singapore 1,793,245 665,087 1,128,158 Source: 2000 Census. Second language speaker figure only includes those literate in English aged 15 or more. Native speakers aged 5 or more, literate population, aged 15 or more, and percentage of literate population literate in English.
49 Bulgaria 1,500,000 1,500,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
50= Slovakia 1,400,000 1,400,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
50= Ghana 1,400,000 1,400,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
52 Trinidad and Tobago 1,145,000 1,145,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
53 Slovenia 950,000 950,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
54 Lithuania 900,000 900,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
55 Guyana 680,000 650,000 30,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
56 Botswana 630,000 630,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
57 Estonia 590,000 590,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
58= Latvia 540,000 540,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
58= Malawi 540,000 209[4] 540,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
60 Lesotho 500,000 500,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
61 Cyprus 420,000 420,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
62 Suriname 410,000 260,000 150,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
63 Namibia 314,000 14,000 300,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
64 Bahamas 288,000 260,000 28,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
65 Malta 280,000 280,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
66 Barbados 275,000 262,000 13,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
67 Belize 246,000 190,000 56,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
68 Luxembourg 220,000 220,000 2006 Eurobarometer survey.
69 Mauritius 202,000 2,000 200,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
70 Vanuatu 180,000 60,000 120,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
71 Fiji 176,000 6,000 170,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
72 Solomon Islands 175,000 10,000 165,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
73 Ethiopia 171,712 1,986 169,726
74 Guam 158,000 58,000 100,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
75 Brunei 144,000 10,000 134,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
76 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 114,000 114,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
77 U.S. Virgin Islands 113,000 98,000 15,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
78= Grenada 100,000 100,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
78= Israel 100,000 100,000 Source: Ethnologue (2005) [6]
80 Samoa 94,000 1,000 93,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
81 Japan >93,500 >93,500 Native speaker figure is the number of foreign residents from the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.[7]
82 Isle of Man 80,000 80,000
83 Bhutan 75,000 75,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
84 Switzerland >73,400 73,400 2000 Census[8]
85 Saint Lucia 71,000 31,000 40,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
86 Northern Mariana Islands 70,000 5,000 65,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
87 Antigua and Barbuda 68,000 66,000 2,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
88 American Samoa 67,000 2,000 65,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
89 Micronesia 64,000 4,000 60,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
90= Bermuda 63,000 63,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
90= Dominica 63,000 3,000 60,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
92 Marshall Islands 60,000 60,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
93 Swaziland 50,000 50,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
94 Aruba 44,000 9,000 35,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
95 Gambia 40,000 40,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
96 Saint Kitts and Nevis 39,000 39,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
97 Cayman Islands 36,000 36,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
98 Seychelles 33,000 3,000 30,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
99 Honduras 31,500 31,500
100= Gibraltar 30,000 28,000 2,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
100= Tonga 30,000 30,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
102 Kiribati 23,000 23,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
103= Rwanda 20,000 20,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
103= British Virgin Islands 20,000 20,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
105 Palau 18,500 500 18,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
106 Anguilla 12,000 12,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
107 Nauru 10,300 800 9,500 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
108 Dominican Republic 8,000 8,000
109 Saint Helena 5,400 5,400
110= Cook Islands 4,000 1,000 3,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109.
110= Montserrat 4,000 4,000 Source: Crystal (2005), p. 109. Note this includes speakers of an English creole.
112 British Indian Ocean Territory 3,500 3,500
113 Lebanon 3,300 3,300
114 Niue 2,160 78 2,082
115 Falkland Islands 1,991 1,991
116 Netherlands Antilles 1,800 1,800
117 Norfolk Island 1,678 1,678
118 Turks and Caicos Islands 920 920
119 Guadeloupe 200 200
120 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 188 188
121 Pitcairn 46 46
122 Tokelau 40 40
Cambodia Replacing French as second language, especially in Phnom Penh. Also used for mobile phone texting
Christmas Island
Eritrea
Guernsey
Indonesia
Jersey
Korea
Somalia
Taiwan
Thailand
Bahrain
Total 800-900 million
  • The European Union is composed of 27 member states. The total English speaking population of the combined territories is 229,850,000 including 61,850,000 native speakers and 168,000,000 non-native speakers.[5]

[edit] List in order of native speakers

Rank Country First language
1 United States 215,423,557
2 United Kingdom 58,100,000
3 Canada 17,694,830
4 Australia 15,013,965
5 Ireland 3,750,000
6 South Africa 3,673,203
7 New Zealand ≥ 3,008,058
8 Jamaica 2,600,000
Hong Kong if ranked separately 2,500,000
9 Trinidad and Tobago 1,145,000
10 Singapore 665,087
11 Guyana 650,000
12 Liberia 600,000
13 Sierra Leone 500,000
14 Malaysia 380,000
15 Germany 272,504
16 Barbados 262,000
17- Bahamas 260,000
17- Suriname 260,000
19 Zimbabwe 250,000
20 Belize 190,000
21 India 178,598
22 Papua New Guinea 150,000
23 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 114,000
24 Zambia 110,000
25= Grenada 100,000
25= Israel 100,000
25= Puerto Rico 100,000
28 U.S. Virgin Islands 98,000
29 Japan 93,500
30 Switzerland 73,000
31 Antigua and Barbuda 66,000
32 Bermuda 63,000
33 Vanuatu 60,000
34 Guam 58,000
35 Saint Kitts and Nevis 39,000
36 Cayman Islands 36,000
37 Honduras 31,500
38 Saint Lucia 31,000
39 Gibraltar 28,000
40 Philippines 27,000
41 British Virgin Islands 20,000
42 Namibia 14,000
43 Anguilla 12,000
44= Solomon Islands 10,000
44= Sri Lanka 10,000
44= Brunei 10,000
47 Aruba 9,000
48 Dominican Republic 8,000
49 Fiji 6,000
50 Saint Helena 5,400
51 Northern Mariana Islands 5,000
52 Micronesia 4,000
53 Montserrat 4,000
54 British Indian Ocean Territory 3,500
55= Dominica 3,000
55= Seychelles 3,000
57= American Samoa 2,000
57= Mauritius 2,000
58 Falkland Islands 1,991
59 Russia 1,804
60 Ethiopia 1,986
61 Norfolk Island 1,678
62= Cook Islands 1,000
62= Samoa 1,000
64 Turks and Caicos Islands 920
65 Nauru 800
66 Palau 500
67 Guadeloupe 200
68 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 188
69 Niue 78
70 Pitcairn 46
71 Tokelau 40
72 East Timor
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Census of India's eCensusIndia, Issue 10, 2003, pp 8-10, (Feature: Languages of West Bengal in Census and Surveys, Bilingualism and Trilingualism).
  2. ^ Tropf, Herbert S. 2004. India and its Languages. Siemens AG, Munich
  3. ^ For the distinction between "English Speakers," and "English Users," please see: TESOL-India (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages)], India: World's Second Largest English-Speaking Country. Their article explains the difference between the 350 million number mentioned in a previous version of this Wikipedia article and a more plausible 90 million number:
    “ "Wikipedia's India estimate of 350 million includes two categories - "English Speakers" and "English Users". The distinction between the Speakers and Users is that Users only know how to read English words while Speakers know how to read English, understand spoken English as well as form their own sentences to converse in English. The distinction becomes clear when you consider the China numbers. China has over 200~350 million users that can read English words but, as anyone can see on the streets of China, only handful of million who are English speakers." ”
  4. ^ Edrinnie Kayambizinthu (1998). "The Language Planning Situation in Malawi". Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 19: 369. 
  5. ^ Crystal (2005), p. 109, UK and Ireland total. Non-native speakers: 2006 Eurobarometer survey. Covered EU citizens aged 15 years or more.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

Languages